Taras Bulba and Other Tales

by Nikolai Gogol, John Cournos (Introduction), John Bickers (Producer)

Contains stories Taras Bulba, St. John's Eve, The Cloak, How the Two Ivans Quarrelled, The Mysterious Portrait and The Calash.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Literature, Russian Literature, Russia, Novels

583 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1845

About the author

People consider that Russian writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Николай Васильевич Гоголь) founded realism in Russian literature. His works include The Overcoat (1842) and Dead Souls (1842).

Ukrainian birth, heritage, and upbringing of Gogol influenced many of his written works among the most beloved in the tradition of Russian-language literature. Most critics see Gogol as the first Russian realist. His biting satire, comic realism, and descriptions of Russian provincials and petty bureaucrats influenced later Russian masters Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and especially Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Gogol wittily said many later Russian maxims.

Gogol first used the techniques of surrealism and the grotesque in his works The Nose , Viy , The Overcoat , and Nevsky Prospekt . Ukrainian upbringing, culture, and folklore influenced his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka .
His later writing satirized political corruption in the Russian empire in Dead Souls .

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have finished Tara Bulba, the first of six stories in this collection by Nikolai Gogol. But I am not in the mood for the rest of them. I will come back someday and finish the book properly, so this review is only for Taras Bulba, not for the entire book.

I came across the name Gogol a few weeks ago while reading a book about Ukraine. I have read one title by this author and remembered that I had intended to read more some day. So I went to Project Gutenberg and chose this book. I vaguely remembered seeing the film that starred Yul Brynner as Taras Bulba, but I learned at Wiki that the movie was very different from the story. However, I also watched the trailer for that movie, so while reading I was able to picture Brynner as Taras and Tony Curtis as his son Andrii.

The following is from the introduction:
"An understanding of Gogol’s point of view gives the key to “Taras Bulba.” For in this panoramic canvas of the Setch, the military brotherhood of the Cossacks, living under open skies, picturesquely and heroically, he has drawn a picture of his romantic ideal, which if far from perfect at any rate seemed to him preferable to the grey tedium of a city peopled with government officials. Gogol has written in “Taras Bulba” his own reproach to the nineteenth century. It is sad and joyous like one of those Ukrainian songs which have helped to inspire him to write it."

We meet Taras Bulba when his two young adult sons come home from school. He takes them to the Setch, to learn to be warriors and work the academic polish off of them. But hanging around drinking and playing is not enough for Taras Bulba. He wants his sons to be blooded in battle, to learn what it truly means to be a Cossack. Through a bit of deviousness and some good timing he gets his wish and the whole Setch goes off to fight against the Poles, each Cossack to meet his Fate in some form.

The description of the bond between the Cossacks was certainly idealized here. Honor, integrity, brotherhood, that is what they understood better than any other men of the world could. They lived to the utmost, drank themselves stupid when not on the march or in battle, generously gave away all their plunder just to be able to share. All this according to Gogol, and he certainly made the life sound splendid.

But they were also racist, swearing to kill all 'Musselmen', hating and mistreating the Jews who did business with them. And they were ruthless in battle, the bloodier the fight, the more they wanted to be in the middle of it, and were arrogantly proud whether they won or lost.

The personal story within all of this was about Andrii and Ostap, the two sons. Mostly Andrii, who had a weakness: women. Where would this defect of caring too much for beauty lead him?

This story had twelve dramatic and well written chapters, but the battle scenes in the last few were pretty gruesome for me. This is why I am taking a break and will return some day. I don't think the other stories are as immersed in warfare as this was; they might be all sweetness and light, but I will let them wait anyway. My curiosity about Gogol is satisfied for the moment.

[Jeremy Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taras Bulba and Other Tales is a collection of six novellas and stories by Nikolai Gogol, one of the pioneers of the Russian novel during the early 19th century. What's remarkable about this collection is the range of stories – everything from historical epic to ghost stories to stories that focus on the dynamics of human relationships. Gogol is a keen observer of human frailty, fickleness and folly and these themes permeate his stories.

“Taras Bulba” is the longest piece in this collection and it stands out from the other stories in terms of grandeur and scale. The novella is Gogol's attempt to create an Ukrainian national epic as he romanticizes a military campaign by the Zaporozhian Cossacks against the Poles. Gogol reflects the biases and prejudices of his time – the depiction of Poles and Jews in the novella is problematic for us today. Yet taken on its own terms, “Taras Bulba” is a cultural celebration for an Ukraine overshadowed and dominated by Russia.

The rest of the stories share a much narrower focus than “Taras Bulba.” The short story “St. John's Eve” describes a folkloric encounter with the devil. “The Cloak” describes the downfall of a lowly cog in the bureaucratic machine. The comic story “How the Two Ivans Quarreled” depicts how a simple disagreement between two friends explodes into a complex, never-ending lawsuit. In “The Mysterious Portrait,” a poor, young artist receives his heart's desire and in the process looses himself. The collection ends with “The Calash,” a brief fable against putting on airs and showing off.

Taras Bulba and Other Tales is an accessible collection of novellas and short stories of Nikolai Gogol and is an excellent introduction to the work of this classic Russian author.

[Indra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very, very interesting reading about the ways of the cossacks. The characters are appealing for anyone, it is a wonderful piece of universal literature, due to their motivations and emotions. The prose is humorous at times, agile and it elevates the character's heroic acts without being pompous.
Russian authors never fail me.

[Steve Erickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gogol deserves more than two stars, of course. This translation does not. It's actually a different edition than the one listed above - I couldn't find the one I read in Goodreads' database. Even the blurb on the back reads like word salad. Also, even by 19th-century Russian standards, the title story seems to pile on the anti-Semitism a bit heavy.

[Cristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice read, easy to understand and made me travel from the vast and savage russian steppe to peaceful homes. didn't know cossacks where so badass warriors

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 3/4 stars

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado más de lo que pensaba. Engancha mucho y es buenísimo para ver cómo se abordan y construyen identidades en la novela. Qué intensita.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a pity that so much of this volume is taken up with Taras Bulba, a story that hardly showcases all that is best in the works of Nikolai Gogol. Gogol was no Tolstoy or Dostoevesky, but he had a wonderful gift for the absurd.

In Gogol’s hands, the mundane and mediocre lives of the average human being are seen as something weird and possibly tinged with insanity. For Gogol, life is but a joke, and he loves dwelling on the foibles of humankind. Even while he had strong religious views that sought to elevate mankind, his literary products somehow always end up showing the human race in a more ignoble light.

However before we get to those, we have to go through Taras Bulba. The story is about an old Cossack who takes his sons into a battle that is needless, but which the narrator celebrates as a triumph of the courageous and fine spirit of the Cossacks.

Despite the inevitable deaths of all concerned, there is no suggestion that Gogol ironically distances himself from the bigoted nationalism of his narrator. The story is full of offensive stereotypes. Poles are to be despised, a worrying trend given the history between Russia and Poland. Turks and Muslims are savages to be destroyed for not supporting the right religion.

Then of course there are the Jews, portrayed with a contempt that occasionally approaches tolerance at best. The Cossacks are happy to kill the Jews on principle, but Taras absent-mindedly saves one Jew, Yankel. Later the Jews help Taras.

However this is no enlightened attitude on the part of Gogol. The Jews are entirely despicable. When Yankel (a short time after nearly falling victim to the pogrom) is back selling products to the army, Taras shakes his head at this evidence of the Jewish character.

I am not sure how he expected Yankel to survive without trading for money, but somehow this is seen as abject and greedy in Gogol’s eyes. After Yankel has done well for himself, he still prays in a dirty smock because miserliness is more important than their god, or so Gogol imagines.

The gung ho militarism soon becomes tiresome, and it seems that every Cossack must deliver a brave and flowery speech before he dies. Overall this is not the best work of the great Gogol.

The other stories in this collection are minor ones perhaps, but considerably more fun. There is a strongly grotesque element to them though, and most of them end badly for the main characters.

A few of the stories involve characters who make Faustian deals that corrupt and destroy them. In ‘St John’s Eve,’ a man secures the hand of his sweetheart against parental objection by carrying out the blood sacrifice of her young brother at the behest of a witch. While he afterwards suffers from amnesia about the event, his sense that something is wrong will undermine any chance of the marriage being a happy one. The story is said to have inspired Mussorgsky’s tone poem, ‘Night on the Bare Mountain’.

‘The Mysterious Portrait’ is another variation on the idea of a sinister painting, a common theme in literature. A penniless painter buys a portrait of a devilish man, and discovers that the man has the ability to leave the portrait at night. The man also appears to have a ready supply of money, some of which the artist steals.

One would expect the story to be about the man in the painting tormenting the artist for return of the money, but actually he disappears from the rest of the tale for the main part. Instead it is about how the money corrupts the artist.

He uses it to buy a comfortable establishment, and discovers that artistic appreciation and perceived wealth go together. His new establishment is so respectable that people think his art must be good. However in pandering to the tastes of his subjects, he loses all artistic talent and finally goes mad.

However this is not the end of the story. There is a Part Two, in which we learn of the devilish origins of the picture from the original artist’s son. He intends to buy the picture and destroy it, but by the time he has finished explaining his reasons for wanting the painting, someone has stolen it.

The theme of these stories is about the corrupting influence that bad decisions have on people, and how they are left contaminated for life. The other stories deal with the more usual Gogol themes – that of ordinary people who find themselves in ridiculous situations.

The best story in the collection is ‘The Cloak’. This deals with a meek clerk who is despised by his workmates for his shabby appearance, and his limited abilities that only run to copying work, a job that he does with great enthusiasm.

However the tables are briefly turned when he makes a dignified speech about the mockery he is receiving, and one colleague is ashamed and turns away from his colleagues as a result. On the whole though, Gogol’s tone is equally scornful, and he clearly enjoys laughing at the silliness of the clerk.

His life is going well enough until one day his cloak becomes so worn that he is forced to buy a new one at great expense. Though greatly distressed by the cost, he is thrilled when the new coat suddenly earns him greater respect from others, and his confidence is restored.

Alas, tragedy of the Gogol kind strikes. On his way home, he is assaulted and the coat stolen. A supercilious official enjoys humiliating the clerk and gives little help. The clerk sickens and dies, but apparently is still seeking his cloak after death.

It is the kind of story in which nobody emerges with credit – the clerk reduced to a mere mediocrity by the drudgery of his job, or the officials and colleagues who spurn him.

‘How the Two Ivans Quarelled’ may tail off a little at the end, but is also an effective and amusing tale. The two Ivans are good friends until they get caught up in a silly argument. When one Ivan refuses to sell a gun to the other, the disappointed Ivan calls him a ‘goose’.

Somehow this offensive word destroys their friendship. They engage in petty actions against one another, resulting in a lawsuit that exhausts their energies and goes on for the rest of their lives, or so we imagine.

Once again there is that melancholic tinge to the story that mingles with the comedy. This is a pointless and silly argument, but somehow the two men can’t help themselves, and throw away a warm relationship.

‘The Calash’ brings the collection to an end, and is a short and amusing story. A man invites guests round to see his calash (or carriage), but falls asleep without informing his wife. Without any means to offer dinner to the guests, they decide to pretend that he is out while he hides in the calash. However the guests insist on inspecting the calash. One of them discovers his presence but kindly hides it from the others.

Bourgeois respectability is shown up to be ridiculous here, as it is in many stories – the Ivans concerned with trifling matters of honour, the artist caring more for fame and fortune than his integrity, the clerk at the mercy of respectable standards concerning his coat, and so on.

There are also absurd incidental details thrown in just for the devilry of it. We are told that one of the Ivans likes to listen to the words of poor people telling him how badly they are in need. After this, he offers words of counsel and moves on without actually giving them anything. In ‘The Calash’, we learn that the mayor removed gardens from the town to ‘improve’ its appearance, although obviously that is not the case.

I would have given this volume four stars for most of the stories, but due to the presence of Taras Bulba taking up most of the volume, I can only manage three. If you can endure that opening tale (which is not terrible, but not great either), then the rest of the book is more interesting.

[Matt Hardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for classic literature and this exceeded expectations. Gogol has a unique style that is all his own. This is alternately light and dark, comic and tragic. It's Poe, with a pinch of Dostoevsky and a dash of stand-up comic.

[F S · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book!

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

NiKolai Gogol is likely best known in America, if he is known at all for Tara Bulba. At that it is likely the Yul Brenner Movie that the few who know the name, know. This collection is a worthy introduction to the wider capabilities of Gogol and to me proof that he is not in the first rank of Russian Writers. Most likely he would look at the modern map and declare himself a Ukrainian writer and shrug off any concern about his standing in what he would have called Great Russia. In this light, Taras Bulba and Other Tales is a good view into the literacy traditions of Little Russia what we call the Ukraine. The collection is recommended as an example but has more than some charm

To finish with the personal politics of Nikolas Gogol; he did not consider himself a Russian. He was not very interested in writing in the traditions of great Russian. His passion, his people and his heart was in the Steppes and in the peoples of the Ukraine. It is with this in mind that we are asked to think of his Cossacks as heroic warriors. His villagers with their prejudices, superstitions and habits are the stories that he needed to tell.
I do not like Taras Bulba. Neither his personality, his mores nor his trickery move me. Fighting, killing and being killed are all for the sake of showing off, and of being the biggest bully. Women are somewhere between war baggage and vaguely romanticized mother figures. Wars are launched on a whim. All that he needs is a weaker victim. Especially one with stuff for pillage. Likewise anything taken by killing has no value and can be bet away, drank away or just lost. A noble death is great so long as it is a fellow loyal Cossack, enemies die because it is a good thing to kill them. And so it goes for page after page. We get a few glimpses of Tarus as a leader, usually by trickery and bombast, and as a strategist, he does seem to be a good soldier. But his world lacks much of anything worth fighting for. No I do not like Tara Bulba.

The other stories are uneven. Of the three ghost stories, St. John’s Eve may be authentic, but is is entirely arbitrary. It reads like a badly constructed nightmare alternately making no sense and being too predictable. A later story The Cloak about a dedicated and of course misused minor government official, is not particularly Ukrainian. It could have been written by almost any author familiar with 19th century bureaucracy. It varies between tragic-comic, pathos and ends as a classic ghost story. It is not derivative and takes into the better stories in the book. The Mysterious Portrait is a variation on a classic ghost story. Gogol’s version is his own. He leads us into the soul of an artist, seduced into selling his art for gold and then pans back to the history of his evil muse.

How the Two Ivans Quarreled is the other. This is more of a comedy and more of an insight into the kind of people Gogol might have known. This is about a rivalry between two semi titled, neighboring , small town erstwhile friends. How they come to be rivals is a classic in petty misunderstandings, but the story is fleshed out with a number of quaint and humorous sketches of various village personalities.

The Calash is a comedy. A comedy of manners, or at least drunken manners. It is worthy of Mark Twain. Army life in a small town is the back drop for the comeuppance of a show off.

Gogol is a man of his times and of the prejudices of his time. Antisemitism was the norm in his society and taken as given in his stories. Given the death that traveled with Russian and Cossack antisemitism, it is hard to read and forgive the author his lack of greater vision. On a less toxic level he has little to add about peasant ignorance, simplicity superstition, or bureaucratic stereotyping.

[E.M. Epps · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Taras Bulba" - an adventure novella about the father and two sons of a Cossack family - is a fun historical swashbuckler which does a fine job of evoking a time and place: the landscape, the culture, the individuals. This is, mind you, assuming you can overlook the rampant anti-Semitism and various other bigotries, which were so pervasive that even I - used to putting up with a lot of offensive stuff in old books - found it difficult to squint past. As for the stories, they certainly have many moments of amusement and some of satisfying horror, but the author has little sympathy for his characters as humans, and as objects of satire they are not terribly funny at this remove of time and space. If you are reading for pleasure and are not driven by national pride or a specific interest in Russian literature, I would instead suggest, say, the short stories of Dickens.

It seemed exceedingly strange to Ostap and Andrii that, although a crowd of people had come to the Setch with them, not a soul inquired, “Whence come these men? who are they? and what are their names?” They had come thither as though returning to a home whence they had departed only an hour before. The new-comer merely presented himself to the Koschevoi, or head chief of the Setch, who generally said, “Welcome! Do you believe in Christ?”—“I do,” replied the new-comer. “And do you believe in the Holy Trinity?”—“I do.”—“And do you go to church?”—“I do.” “Now cross yourself.” The new-comer crossed himself. “Very good,” replied the Koschevoi; “enter the kuren where you have most acquaintances.” This concluded the ceremony. And all the Setch prayed in one church, and were willing to defend it to their last drop of blood, although they would not hearken to aught about fasting or abstinence. Jews, Armenians, and Tatars, inspired by strong avarice, took the liberty of living and trading in the suburbs; for the Zaporozhtzi never cared for bargaining, and paid whatever money their hand chanced to grasp in their pocket. Moreover, the lot of these gain-loving traders was pitiable in the extreme. They resembled people settled at the foot of Vesuvius; for when the Zaporozhtzi lacked money, these bold adventurers broke down their booths and took everything gratis. The Setch consisted of over sixty kurens, each of which greatly resembled a separate independent republic, but still more a school or seminary of children, always ready for anything. No one had any occupation; no one retained anything for himself; everything was in the hands of the hetman of the kuren, who, on that account, generally bore the title of “father.” In his hands were deposited the money, clothes, all the provisions, oatmeal, grain, even the firewood. They gave him money to take care of. Quarrels amongst the inhabitants of the kuren were not unfrequent; and in such cases they proceeded at once to blows. The inhabitants of the kuren swarmed into the square, and smote each other with their fists, until one side had finally gained the upper hand, when the revelry began. Such was the Setch, which had such an attraction for young men.

[Montse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es una edición del 83 que compré de segunda mano con todos los problemas que podéis suponer que tiene, empezando por la traducción de segunda mano deturpada. Entrando en los cuentos que contiene ─Taras Bulba, Nochebuena y La ahogada─, rápidamente vemos que pertenecen a la primera etapa, más romántica, de Gogol: historias de brujas, de honor, conflictos familiares, ambientación histórica; y también algunos rasgos posteriores: el interés por la política rural, una ironía aún sin pulir, personajes astutos que proponen soluciones sorprendentes. De los tres probablemente Taras Bulba y La ahogada sean los más interesantes: el primero por su papel de clásico ya unido como colocación a su autor; el último por ser quizá el que cuenta con el planteamiento más interesante y el más maltratado por la edición.

[Ekaterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read for a free copy in the kindle library. The author sends us back in the glorious times of the Cossaks, Tatars and Poles novelties fighting over power . We are seated on the first row of "the makings of a real Zaporozhnian man". What obstacles he faces, what transformations does he undertake, how does he handle the duties he has to his community and himself. The storyline is plotted in a heavy nationalistic tone hailing the cossack tribe culture and customs and sacrificing young men for the sake of them becoming men.

Gogol writes with such intricate and romanticised details that we breathe in every sentence and become one with the happenings in the story. Our sympathies go to all the protagonists with the progression of the storyline - we take no sides but whatch and awe at the strength with which the characters convey their will and beliefs. The ending is a little expected but definitely well fought for.

The other tales are very eventful and entertaining. "St John's eve" is like a fairytale for adults - the tone of the author changes drastically from the patriotic approach of Taras Bulba and goes into the realm of the fantastic and magical to make a seeing for the vices of humanity.

"The cloak" shows the life of a man embodying the burreaucratical machine soldiers - almost transparent life lacking importance, easily replaceable, lacking interest in life outside of the box - existence devoted to materiality and self. It seems like the cloak was used to depict that magic cover that could hide the person from the reality surrounding him, the protagonist having invested all his integrity in acquiring a better shield against reality, falls victim of his non relation to the world around himself.

"the story of the two ivans quarrelling" is relatable to nowadays society where everyone puts so much importance to the self. A negligent remark can lead to a bloodline of hate and impractical emotions.

[Victor Alan Reeves · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd already read the "Other Tales" present in this book, and quite enjoyed them, so I only got this to read "Taras Bulba". It's ridiculously jingoistic and, worst of all, shockingly anti-semitic, even for its day. Enough said.

[Tammi Owens]

FALSE

[Lori Goshert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taras Bulba = 2.5 stars; Other tales = 5 stars; Result = 4 stars

[Barton Akeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories were great. I especially enjoyed "The Portrait"

Taras Bulba was really flat and uninteresting with lots of antisemetic flavor. Yuck.

[Kamakshi Balasubramanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only writer who comes anywhere close to Gogol' is Mark Twain, and his genius is extraordinary.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird and mostly boring. Not as good as Gogol's other books

[Becky Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bit of a duffer. Goes on and on and on, & never got interesting. 1.5 stars.

[Jason Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Librivox audiobook. Good stories; challenging recordings.

[Alessandro Torcoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classico non più contemporaneo, con ispirazioni di Schott e Manzoni, da una parte. Dall’altra una fantasia realistica (il Naso, il Cappotto) tutta allegorica. Infine ho letto “Roma” forse la novella più interessante per chi conosce e ama la città, un appassionata e dettsgliata descrizione delle atmosfere di fine 800.

[Sanja_Sanjalica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taras Buljba is one of my least favorite Gogol's work. Still, it is classic and a respectable work, but I like Gogol's city and village novels, his stories about everyday life and unusual people more than his war stories.

[David P.]

Free and worthwhile

Step into another time and place it will be fun
Very important writer in Russia he is
Need to move on to lost souls

[Timothy Coplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, an enjoyable selection of short and novella length stories. I personally think there are a couple borderline stinkers, but that's just one fan's opinion.

*Taras Bulba - 4 stars
*St. John's Eve - 3 stars
*The Cloak - 5 stars
*How The Two Ivans Quarreled - 4 stars
*The Mysterious Portrait - 2 stars
*The Calash - 4 stars

[Beatrice . · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rar găsesc autori care să scrie așa de frumos despre orice. Chiar și despre gardul unor bătrâni..

[Samantha4550 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taras Bulba - 2/5

St. Johns Eve - 3/5

The Cloak - 4/5

How The Two Ivans Quaralled - 4/5

The Mysterious Portrait - 5/5

Calash - 2/5

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taras Bulba: 3stars
Why the two ivans...: 5stars
The mysterious portrait: 5 stars
The Calash: 3stars

[Erez · Rating 3 out of 5]

not super impressed by the title story but there's some good stuff in here