Dead Souls, by Nikolai Gogol, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: • New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars • Biographies of the authors • Chronologies of contemporary...

Centering on the picaresque realism of Nikolai Gogol's (1809–1852) mid-nineteenth-century visions of the extraordinary in everyday life, this collection mines the ambiance and mind of pre-Revolutionary Russia. These seven stories take us from the Miracle Mile of St. Petersburg's Nevsky Prospekt, and a summer night in a Ukrainian village, to the fantastical psychological geographies of fathers, sons, and madmen. Augmenting Gogol's visions are two...

Translated by Constance Garnett Notes and Introductions by David Rampton, Department of English, University of Ottawa Gogol's works constitute one of Russian literature's supreme achievements, yet the nature of their brilliant originality, comic genius, and complex workings is difficult to summarize precisely. The Government Inspector, a perennial favourite on stage and screen, is considered a national institution in Russia, and Gogol's stories present...

Nikolai Gogol's novel «Dead Souls» is a satire that exposes the corrupt "underbelly" of Russian nineteenth century society. On a superficial level, the title refers to the book's plot, where the main character Chichikov sets out to amass serfs, or souls, to his name. In order to do so, he buys the names of dead peasants off of landowners who are still being taxed for them because censuses were taken once every few years, resulting in a list congruous...

Diary of a Madman is one of Gogol's greatest stories. The tale follows the life of a minor civil servant during the repressive era of Nicholas I. Following the format of a diary, the story shows the descent of the protagonist, Poprishchin, into insanity. Diary of a Madman, the only one of Gogol's works written in first person, follows diary-entry format. This Sovereign Classic edition also includes the following other tales: The Mantle, The Nose,...

The corrupt officials of a small Russian town, headed by the Mayor, react with terror to the news that an incognito inspector (the revizor) will soon be arriving in their town to investigate them. Based upon an anecdote allegedly recounted to Gogol by Pushkin, the play is a comedy of errors, satirizing human greed, stupidity, and fear.

"Diary of a Madman" by Nikolai Gogol is a darkly comedic tale narrated by Poprishchin, a low-ranking civil servant who descends into madness. His diary reveals a skewed perception of reality, fueled by delusions of grandeur and a fixation on the King of S

"The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol is a satirical short story that follows Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov, who wakes up one day to discover that his nose has inexplicably vanished. Even more bizarrely, he encounters his nose in the form of a higher-ranking officia

Hailed by Nabokov as "the greatest artist that Russia has yet produced," Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) left his mark as a playwright, novelist, and writer of short stories. Gogol's works remain popular with both writers and readers, who prize his originality, imaginative gifts, and sheer exuberance. This collection offers an excellent introduction to the author's works. Opening a door to his bizarre world of broad comedy, fantasy, and social commentary,...

"The Overcoat" which is generally acknowledged as the finest of Gogol's memorable Saint Petersburg stories, is a tale of the absurd and misplaced obsessions. From the Father of the Golden Age of Russian Literature, Nicolai Gogol's The Overcoat is one of the greatest short stories of all time. This satire on Russia's 19th century bureaucracy is amusing, pointed and has influenced many renowned Russian writers. Civil servant, Akakiy Akakievitch,...