BUNIN AND GOGOL: UKRAINIAN FACTOR, OR BETWEEN ORYOL REGION AND PROVENCE

The gap as long several decades between I. Bunin’s different opinions of Gogol’s personality and writings — from youthful admiration feeling emotional spiritual proximity to the confession ‘hatred’ in a diary note emigrant times has been considered both historical-literary fact psychological mysterious phenomenon. key problem determining angle an analytical approach topic is role significance ‘Ukrainian factor’ biography literary art, his interest affection towards Ukraine, its people, nature, history, traditions, culture, which was testified by writer’s confessions became subject research Ukrainian scholarly discourse journalism (E. Malaniuk). In that light, stories Bunin based on traveling around parts novel “Аrseniev’s life”, memoir epistolary materials have analyzed paper. Special attention paid tender attitude T. Shevchenko, creative works personality. It Shevchenko’s poetry well “A Terrible Revenge” “The Old-World Landowners” Gogol revealed Ukraine young Bunin, entering conscience imagination. As later negative Gogol, decisive factors were dissimilarity writers’ personal features difference their methods poetics, connected with change historical paradigm. particular, forerunner modernism stayed away.