The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol

Strange after all these years I had never read Gogol. I did because I was enjoying Bulgakov and learned he thought highly of Gogol. With very good reason, as it turned out. This book has most of his short stories, divided between the earlier Ukrainian stories and the later St Petersburg stories. Gogol's chief claim to international and enduring fame is his facility with the language of imaginary reality - or, better, with the stream of sub-consciousness (not Unconsciousness.) that underlies the individual's "sense" of the world and meaning. In this sense he was way ahead of his time in so clearly expressing the idea that individuals have an interior life, which, if it can be captured in text will also enrich the reader's sense of "what is happening" in any scene or story. Familiar to us post modern readers, but strikingly novel when these were written. - There is a clear difference in tone and subject matter between the earlier and later stories. - The imagery is freer and more sub conscious in the earlier stories. My first sense was that there is a strong homo-erotic element to the imagery - mustaches, noses and other descriptors that appear within the imagery... The later stories appear more surreal from the writer's point of view. Whereas the "sureality" belongs more to the subjects in the earlier stories. Among these last stories is The Coat" - even if you know the story, the telling of it is intensely effective. The Petersburg tails begin with Nevsky prospect, which reminds me of later German writing in it ability to capture an extraordinary sense of place. Uniquely and unforgettably in this case. These stories are so rich and deep it seems wrong to cut proscribe them with particular plot descriptions. From my perspective and this first experience with Gogol I can only say that these are accessible, extraordinarily rich (readable many times) and well enough translated not to feel there is a lot missing. (Which can happen with Russian translations) Highly recommended for readers who enjoy tails with many layers. And an author with a justly deserved international reputation as one of Russia's greats.

I've only read most of the Ukraine tales so far but I love these stories and Gogol's wit, wild imagination and his beautiful descriptions of nature seemed to be overlooked in the praise of his work. Whilst I studied world literature for several years I don't understand Russian and honestly don't feel I need to. If a translator can bring a writer's voice to your ear as though you are hearing it for the first time but feel like you've known it for a long time, that's all I need. Having said that, I love Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky and are eternally thankful to them for bringing the Russian classics into my reading world.

Great adventure, a book you can't put down. You will learn a lot about life in European Russia after the Napoleonic Wars

Gogol was a natural storyteller. Unpredictable plots, wild imagination and a gorgeous style. Four stars only because of the unavoidable recurrent antisemitism.

I was referred to Gogol by a friend in Ukraina. I am so thankful for that. I began downloading free short stories, but really wanted to feel the book in my hands. It actually made a difference for me. Reading the .pdf versions gave me a detached feeling. Holding the book made me feel a part of the narrative. Gogol has a distinct way of drawing you into his words. I am still unable to choose a favorite. Much like asking my favorite Poe story or poem, I am equally unable to choose a Gogol favorite. I truly loved every story in the volume. It is a shame Gogol is not required reading in high school; he is easily on par with any other early Victorian writer. He is so good that even his included unfinished story completely entwines the reader. A literary gem - truly.

If you enjoy reading Kafka, Vonnegut, and Swift, then add Gogol to your reading list. He is a master of satire. He presents such extraordinary circumstances in such an ordinary manner that one is led into the most preposterous situations almost without realizing it. I would go so far as to call this book a must read for anyone interested in writing.

The reborn Everyman's Library is so uniquely head and shoulders above every other publishing venture available today that it seems ungrateful to append even a small caution about this newest title in the series. Especially so as the fresh translation really is a miraculous breakthrough--a huge improvement over previous efforts. What then is the problem? Simply that this is NOT a "collected" tales in the common understanding of that term, but a "selected" one. Not a great problem unless one is seeking a particular omitted piece, but it does raise some question about at least one link in the editorial chain--a failure of oversight that has marred certain series titles irretrievably and that is uncomfortably disrespectful to the quality of the project overall.

Great translation of classical Russian Lit! Perfect pleasure reading!

This book contains seven of Nikolai Gogol's "Ukrainian Tales" and six of his "Petersburg Tales". There is a very good preface by Richard Pevear in which he points out that Gogol wrote his "Ukrainian Tales" with the literary audience of St. Petersburg in mind. As such they shouldn't be taken as literal accounts of folk tales, they're more Gogol's creations than they are traditional stories even though he based them on Ukrainian traditions and folklore. Gogol has been called the first Russian realist author - that's debatable. He seems to have spent more time abroad than he did in either Ukraine or Russia and had a wild imagination; the result was a world all his own. Gogol's heroes/victims are office clerks, struggling artists and the characters with which he populates his stage version of Ukraine. He might be a realist to some, but the way he shows us the lives of these struggling clerks in St. Petersburg and the bucolic existence of the Little Russian peasants is anything but "realism". Gogol's ability to blend the everyday world with the surreal and phantasmagoric was truly something new and not just for Russian literature. Gogol set the table for authors such as Kafka, Bulgakov, Nabokov and others. Finally, translation is an art, not a science, and the husband and wife team of Pevear and Volokhonsky have produced an outstanding volume. The Ukrainian stories flow like the Dnieper, beautiful and timeless; the Petersburg stories echo with the insanity and absurdity of Tsarist bureaucracy. Read these stories, some will make you laugh, some will give you a shiver up your spine, all will give you pause to think about human nature, at any rate you're guaranteed to be entertained!

Nothing could have prepared me for this experience. Don't sleep on Gogol.

Split into two sets of stories - those that take place in Ukraine and those in Russia, this is a collection that takes pride of place on my bookshelf. The theme of each story tends to deal with the darker aspects of human nature – depravity, poverty, the squandering of talent and opportunity, groupthink and malice. However, the narrative never dips into over-sincerity or narcissistic exposition. There is a sharp, honest, knowing quality to the writing that is evident from the surface level aesthetics down to the very core of each story. There are some writers who are good storytellers and some who are known because of their penmanship skills. Even translated, Gogol is clearly both. The 13 stories in this collection, while undeniably Gogol’s, play with a range of styles and rhythms. He describes states of being and situations from the disintegration of one’s mind to the excitement a young girl can feel for her booties; From the combat of a warrior to a human nose on legs with prose that is completely fitting to each situation. He is not scared of playing with a reader’s expectations in this arena. Yet somehow the writing is never inconsistent, either. Pathos and menace are nearly always present, but somehow you feel comfortable in his hands. He plays and teases with you, drawing you in one direction before shoving you into another. Gogol paints his pictures with deep colours and complex textures, yet communicates all of this with a simple stroke, a glance in one direction that is fleeting but piercing, unapologetic, maybe dangerous in its unwavering loyalty to honesty. One scene (this does not spoil any of the stories), briefly shows a wizard flying past the moon in a magic saucepan. Written here this is sugar and twee. From the pen of Gogol it is delightful and energetic, entirely suited to the scene and, rather than squeezed in like a square peg into a pre-thought squarish hole, is in fact inevitable. It was reading this moment for the first time that I felt that rising excitement in my chest that tells me I’m reading genius. For me it’s a standout moment and one I return to again and again. But as I said, it’s not just the writing (and of course this is translated! Gogol is famous for the sophistication of his literary techniques but I shall never read his poetry as he intended me to) but the content of the stories, too. In the grand Russian tradition they tackle the very worst of humanity in a way that is rescued from cynicism with a tinge of optimism for the future, but Gogol’s inimitable - slightly mad, and obviously completely at odds with the world around him - mind doesn’t just twist some old formulas around but instead smashes them into each other and creates something brand new and rude in their originality. In each story you can see the germination of ideas explored by Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Kafka… and these ideas are spat out and dispensed with almost immediately. Most writers could spend a career delving into each one. The rate at which Gogol sprays them across the page is staggering and beautiful. It’s ‘The Mysterious Portrait’, however, that stands out as the true achievement. Anybody - anybody - who has ever had even an inclination towards art in the smallest bone in their body (in the ear, right?) needs to read it. Gogol lacerates through every affectation and whimsy in order to get to the truth in brutal fashion, executed with such style, with such sureness and swiftness and with such power that I find it difficult to type about right now without running downstairs to reread it. While dealing with lofty ideas and rich characters, the stories are also compelling and - importantly - fun. You want to see what happens. Not with dread or fear for the worst, but with excitement. It helps that even at his most morose, Gogol is funny. As with his writing style, he has it all - wit, sarcasm, slapstick and punch lines. He has his heroes and his villains, self-discovery, transcendence of thought and all-out action, the scenes of which put the imagination of Hollywood’s directors to shame. There is more packed into these 13 short stories than the entire careers of many giants of literature. If you read the stories in one sitting you’re left reeling, dizzy with ideas, unsure of which one to contemplate first. And the best thing about this collection is that this isn’t even Gogol’s best stuff: That would be Dead Souls Part I and II.

Happy with the purchase. Fast delivery .

Gogol, born in Ukraine in 1809, chose to write in Russian. His short stories generally take place either in Ukraine or in Petersburg and are characterized by unexpected twists. Most famous is perhaps the story of a man who suddenly loses his nose which appears as a nobleman until it actually does return. Lots of atmosphere of a non-realistic character. If you like fantasy in general this is an interesting and very personal way of presenting it: wild, excentric, amusing or saddening, from a world still stranger than Russian reality in itself. Introduction and short notes are helpful. Almost but not all his stories. Highly acclaimed translators.