Dead Souls is Nikolai Gogol's last novel, and follows the tale of Pavel Chichikov, a down-on-his-luck gentleman determined to improve his lot in life. The story charts his scheme to purchase dead souls-the titles of deceased serfs-from wealthy landowners.The novel's satirical take on the state of Russian society at the time leads Chichikov into increasingly difficult circumstances, in his attempts to cheat both the system and the cavalcade of townspeople he meets along the...

Since its publication in 1842, Dead Souls has been celebrated as a supremely realistic portrait of provincial Russian life and as a splendidly exaggerated tale; as a paean to the Russian spirit and as a remorseless satire of imperial Russian venality, vulgarity, and pomp. As Gogol's wily antihero, Chichikov, combs the back country wheeling and dealing for "dead souls"--deceased serfs who still represent money to anyone sharp enough to trade in them--we are introduced to a ...

This unique eBook presents the complete FICTIONAL works of Nikolai Gogol, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Gogol's life and works* Concise introductions to the novels and other works* The complete novels, stories and plays, with contents tables* Features many of Constance Garnett's original translations* Images of how the books were fi...

“A superb new translation” (The New Yorker) of stories that allow readers to experience the unmistakable genius of a writer who paved the way for Dostoevsky and Kafka.When Nikolai Gogol left his Ukrainian village in 1828 to seek his fortune in St. Petersburg, he began composing these marvelous stories—tales that combine the wide-eyed, credulous imagination of the peasant with the sardonic social criticism of the city-dweller.Collected here are Gogo...

'Strangely enough, I mistook it for a gentleman at first. Fortunately I had my spectacles with me so I could see it was really a nose.'With this pair of absurd, comic stories Gogol indulges his imagination and delights readers.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride ove...

The classic satiric novel. According to Wikipedia: "Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol ( 1809 - 1852) was a Russian writer of Ukrainian ethnicity. Although his early works were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing and identity, he wrote in Russian and his works belong to the tradition of Russian literature; often called the "father of modern Russian realism," he was one of the first Russian authors to criticize his country's way of life. The novels Taras Bul'ba (1835; 1842 [revised editio...

Dead Souls is Nikolai Gogol’s masterpiece of literary satire, exposing greed, bureaucracy, and moral emptiness in nineteenth-century Russia. Through dark humor and sharp observation, this audiobook presents unforgettable characters and biting social commentary. A cornerstone of world literature and classic satire.

"The Nose" is a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol. Written between 1835 and 1836, it tells of a St. Petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own.

Nikolai Gogol spent most of his literary career writing short stories, drawing inspiration from his childhood in Ukraine and his adult life in St. Petersburg. His stories are filled with larger than life yet relatable characters and perfectly described locations, and span many genres from historical epics to early horror and surrealism.His influence on Russian literature cannot be understated: Fyodor Dostoevsky is quoted as saying "We all come out from Gogol's 'Overcoat,' " (presen...

Chichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in the provincial town of 'N', visiting a succession of landowners and making each a strange offer. He proposes to buy the names of dead serfs still registered on the census, saving their owners from paying tax on them, and to use these 'souls' as collateral to re-invent himself as a gentleman. In this ebullient masterpiece, Gogol created a grotesque gallery of human types, from the bear-like Sobakevich to the insubstantial fool Manilov, and, above...

Dead Souls is eloquent on some occasions, lyrical on others, and pious and reverent elsewhere. Nicolai Gogol was a master of the spoof. The American students of today are not the only readers who have been confused by him. Russian literary history records more divergent interpretations of Gogol than perhaps of any other classic.

Presented here in a brand-new translation, Dead Souls is one of the funniest and most brilliant novels of nineteenth-century Russia. A mysterious stranger named Chichikov arrives in a small provincial Russian town and proceeds to visit a succession of landowners, making each of them an unusual and somewhat macabre proposition. He offers to buy the rights to the dead serfs who are still registered on the landowner's estate, thus reducing their liability for taxes. It is not clear what Chich...