The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
$16.54
- Paperback
256 pages
- Release Date
24 April 2013
Summary
Some call him a Russian Mark Twain. And with his special blend of comedy, social commentary, and fantasy, Nikolai Gogol paved the way for his countrymen Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.
This sampling of Gogol’s works includes the increasingly fantastic entries of “The Diary of a Madman,” followed by the wonderfully surrealistic “The Nose,” in which the title character embarks on some unlikely activities when separated from its owner’s face. In “The Carriage,” a pompous landowner gets his come…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780451418562 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0451418565 |
| Author: | Nikolai Gogol, Donald Fanger, Priscilla Meyer |
| Publisher: | Penguin Putnam Inc |
| Imprint: | Signet Classics |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 256 |
| Release Date: | 24 April 2013 |
| Weight: | 142g |
| Dimensions: | 17mm x 106mm x 171mm |
| Series: | Signet Classics |
| Audience Age: | 18 |
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Critics Review
“The greatest artist that Russia has yet produced.” – Vladimir Nabokov “Behind his laughter you feel the unseen tears.” – Alexander Pushkin
“The greatest artist that Russia has yet produced.”—Vladimir Nabokov
“Behind his laughter you feel the unseen tears.” —Alexander Pushkin
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Gogol (1809-52) was born the son of a small landowner and educated at the Niezhin gymnasium. While at the gymnasium, he started a magazine and participated in student theatrical productions. In 1828, Gogol moved to St. Petersburg, secured a government clerkship, and dedicated himself to writing.
His 1831-32 publication of Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, a two-volume collection of stories drawing on Ukrainian folklore, was met with enthusiastic reception. Gogol then conceived a plan to write a history of Russia in the Middle Ages. Though this project was never realized, the preparation for it led to his appointment as a professor of history at the University of St. Petersburg. During this period, he also published “Taras Bulba” and several short stories, including “The Overcoat.”
Gogol’s renowned comedy, The Inspector General, premiered on April 19, 1836. The play generated controversy and earned its author acclaim as the leader of the Naturalist school. Gogol subsequently spent twelve years abroad, primarily in Rome. During this self-imposed exile, he completed Dead Souls, a broad depiction of Russian life. Published in 1842, the novel achieved immediate success. The following decade was devoted to writing and revising a sequel that ultimately remained unpublished.
Andrew R. MacAndrew is the translator of many books, including Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground and The Brothers Karamazov, Gogol’s The Inspector General, and Selected Letters of Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Priscilla Meyer is a Professor of Russian Language and Literature at Wesleyan University. She authored the first monograph on Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire, titled Find What the Sailor Has Hidden, and edited Andrei Bitov’s collected stories, Life in Windy Weather. She has coedited collections focusing on Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Nabokov. Her latest book is How the Russians Read the French: Lermontov, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy.
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