The Beautiful Afar

The Beautiful Afar (Прекра́сное Далёко) is a "winged expression" (i.e. a catchphrase or a phraseme) in the Russian language. It was first used by Nikolai Gogol in the novel Dead Souls, published in 1842. The expression is used humorously and/or ironically, to refer to the possibly fictitious place of well-being, where a person who is not burdened with routine rests NS leads a carefree, unburdened, and idle lifestyle.

History
Dead Souls was mostly written while Gogol was residing abroad, mainly in Italy and Germany, but also in France, Switzerland, and Austria. In one of the novel's lyrical digressions, in the second chapter of the first volume, the author exclaims: "Rus'! Rus’! It's you that I see, from my wonderful, beautiful afar, I see YOU." These lines were written in Italy.

""The Beautiful Afar" from which Gogol paints spiritualized Rus', is primarily Italy, the homeland of the Raphael, whom he worshiped."

- Mikhail Vayskopf'