'Gogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange' Vladimir Nabokov
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 'dead souls' as collateral to re-invent himself as a aristocrat.
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Summary
'Gogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange' Vladimir Nabokov
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 'dead souls' as collateral to re-invent himself as a aristocrat.
Description
'Gogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange' Vladimir NabokovChichikov, 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 all, the devilish con man Chichikov. Dead Souls, Russia's first major novel, is one of the most unusual works of nineteenth-century fiction and a devastating satire on social hypocrisy.
Awards
Commended for Rossica Translation Prize 2005
Critic Reviews
“Gogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange. (Vladimir Nabokov)"”
About the Author
Nikolai Gogol (1809-52) was born in the Ukraine and left for St Peterburg at the age of 19 where he published a collection of short stories and for a short time held the post of professor of history at the university. Gogol's experience of life in St Petersburg informed his savagely satirical play, The Government Inspector, and a series of brilliant short stories including Nevsky Prospekt and Notes of a Madman. From 1836 to 48, Gogol lived abroad, mainly in Rome, where he was working on his comic epic Dead Souls - a work he wrestled with for the rest of his life before renouncing literature and burning parts of the manuscript shortly before he died.
Back Cover
'By the time I woke up on Sunday morning, I was excited... I was going to become the Vampire Psychologist.' As a rational scientist who knows full well vampires are all hokum, Kismet Knight is the perfect choice to counsel troubled wannabe vamps. That is until she meets Devereaux: a sexy, mysterious man who claims to be a real - and immensely powerful - 800-year-old vampire, and she is pulled into a whirlwind of inexplicable events that start her questioning everything she once believed about the paranormal. Kismet Knight is about to achieve her dream job - but becoming the Vampire Shrink is going to change her life. Forever.
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