Ivan Goncharov

Oblomov: a Play in Three Acts Ivan Goncharov

Based on a novel by the Russian writer Ivan Goncharov, this dramatic comedy features his eponymous hero, Oblomov. A young man of considerable decency and kindness (with a "soul as clear as crystal"), Oblomov has fallen into such a state of lethargy that he resists even getting out of bed, finding every excuse possible to do absolutely nothing. All the efforts of his male and female friends to energize him ultimately fail in various hilarious ways. Goncharov's character became so identifiable, so emblematic of a particular subset of the upper classes, that it became a byword (olbomovism) for self-imposed laziness and indolence.