He also worked as a government censor and wrote the controversial memoir An Uncommon Story, where he accused several prominent Russian novelists of plagiarizing his work. LibriVox recording of The Precipice by Ivan Goncharov. Goncharov considered The Precipice to be his best work, in which he managed to realize his … Watch Queue Queue. Read in English by tovarisch The Precipice is a story of the romantic rivalry among three men, condemning nihilism as subverting the religious and moral values of Russia. This video is unavailable. Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners Watch Queue Queue Oblomov (Russian: Обломов; [ɐˈbɫoməf]) is the second novel by Russian writer Ivan Goncharov, first published in 1859. Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov was a Russian novelist and government official, best known for his novels A Common Story, Oblomov, and The Precipice. Bryant.) (Translated by M. Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character of the novel, portrayed as the ultimate incarnation of the superfluous man, a symbolic character in 19th-century Russian literature.