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The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Gogol was an artist who, like Rabelais, Cervantes, Swift, and Sterne, "knew how to walk upside down in our valley of sorrows so as to make it to a merry place." This two-volume edition at last brings all of Gogol's fiction (except his novel Dead Souls) together in paperback. Volume 1 includes Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, the early Ukrainian folktales that first brought Gogol fame, as well as "Nevsky Prospekt" and "Diary of a Madman."
"It is good to have a complete collection of Gogol's tales in paperback. . . . Professor Kent has thoroughly revised Mrs. Garnett's conscientious and skillful translation, eliminating the Victorianisms of her style, correcting mistakes and pruderies of diction, and making the whole translation sound much more contemporary and alive. But he has avoided the whimsicality and 'curliness' in which some recent translators indulged, and he has not changed or suppressed anything material. He has also supplied helpful notes which are often the first annotation in English, and he has written an introduction which steers the correct middle course between making Gogol an irresponsible artist of the grotesque and proving him a documentary historian of backward Russia."—René Wellek, Yale University
"It is good to have a complete collection of Gogol's tales in paperback. . . . Professor Kent has thoroughly revised Mrs. Garnett's conscientious and skillful translation, eliminating the Victorianisms of her style, correcting mistakes and pruderies of diction, and making the whole translation sound much more contemporary and alive. But he has avoided the whimsicality and 'curliness' in which some recent translators indulged, and he has not changed or suppressed anything material. He has also supplied helpful notes which are often the first annotation in English, and he has written an introduction which steers the correct middle course between making Gogol an irresponsible artist of the grotesque and proving him a documentary historian of backward Russia."—René Wellek, Yale University
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1836
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About the author
Nikolai Gogol
1,994 books5,645 followersPeople 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 .
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 .
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June 16, 2017The editor decries the now slightly less aged translation for the penguin classics series complaining that the translator changes roubles and kopeks for pounds, shillings and pence, well pay your money and take your choice. Garnett's translation remains as fluid as one might imagine for the woman who allegedly was observed translating casually directly from original to paper.
Both volumes of this translation of the complete short stories feature a mixture of the Ukrainian and Petersburg tales. Notable in volume one are Ivan Fiodorovich Shponka and his Aunt & Diary of a Madman, both of which feature marriage. In the first the prospect of marriage is represented as a nightmare, in the second the impossible object of desire is associated with the decline into insanity.
Both have a delight in odd details, I like Shponka's socks - so much darned that they have become very tight.
Otherwise featured are a fat clutch of the Ukrainian stories that I've entirely forgotten, apart from a vague memory of a story with the unsurprising (for Gogol) message of beautiful young women are frightening and dangerous particularly when dead, there is for those interested in Gogol's unsubtle attitude to heterosexual sex and sexuality a book entitled The Sexual labyrinth of Nikolai Gogol
in addition to Diary of a Madman there is another Petersburg tale included here Nevsky Prospect which I've also forgotten, over all I recommend for that reason a selection of his stories rather than any complete edition, as a writer he was still growing into himself by the time he died at the age of forty-two, possibly due to an excess of religion, which indeed can be fatal, if it leads you to refuse to eat.
Both volumes of this translation of the complete short stories feature a mixture of the Ukrainian and Petersburg tales. Notable in volume one are Ivan Fiodorovich Shponka and his Aunt & Diary of a Madman, both of which feature marriage. In the first the prospect of marriage is represented as a nightmare, in the second the impossible object of desire is associated with the decline into insanity.
Both have a delight in odd details, I like Shponka's socks - so much darned that they have become very tight.
Otherwise featured are a fat clutch of the Ukrainian stories that I've entirely forgotten, apart from a vague memory of a story with the unsurprising (for Gogol) message of beautiful young women are frightening and dangerous particularly when dead, there is for those interested in Gogol's unsubtle attitude to heterosexual sex and sexuality a book entitled The Sexual labyrinth of Nikolai Gogol
in addition to Diary of a Madman there is another Petersburg tale included here Nevsky Prospect which I've also forgotten, over all I recommend for that reason a selection of his stories rather than any complete edition, as a writer he was still growing into himself by the time he died at the age of forty-two, possibly due to an excess of religion, which indeed can be fatal, if it leads you to refuse to eat.
April 12, 2008
Gogol's humor (though this isn't all humor) is observational and absurd. He likes to present people doing ridiculous things which they think are quite serious or intelligent. It's the kind of stuff that makes you laugh and shake your head at your friends and family.
Most of these stories are set in the Russian or Ukrainian countryside, so there's a strong rural sensibility. Yet, Gogol writes with equal deftness about people in St. Petersburg. If you know a little about the history (as i know a very little), you'll more quickly get what he's talking about with hetmen and whatnot, but it isn't necessary by any means. It's about human foibles, etc. so as long as you're human, you'll get it. This is the 19th century, so it's modern but pre-Communist.
The stories in this volume don't get quite as absurd as stuff like "The Nose" (in which some guy's nose--it's been years since i read it--leaves his face and walks around town in a hat and coat). The last story here, "Diary of a Madman" (i don't know if this is the first story with that title, but man has that title been used a lot), has the hero stealing a dog's correspondence in order to learn about the girl he's obsessed with. The more folktales-y stories feature a comical devil, who's more of a pesky imp than a lord or darkness.
I really liked the story "Christmas Eve", which contains the line "No one in Dikanka noticed that the devil had stolen the moon." There follows some farcical wanderings about in the snow and dark by the villagefolk. And of course somebody has to get the moon back. Good stuff.
Most of these stories are set in the Russian or Ukrainian countryside, so there's a strong rural sensibility. Yet, Gogol writes with equal deftness about people in St. Petersburg. If you know a little about the history (as i know a very little), you'll more quickly get what he's talking about with hetmen and whatnot, but it isn't necessary by any means. It's about human foibles, etc. so as long as you're human, you'll get it. This is the 19th century, so it's modern but pre-Communist.
The stories in this volume don't get quite as absurd as stuff like "The Nose" (in which some guy's nose--it's been years since i read it--leaves his face and walks around town in a hat and coat). The last story here, "Diary of a Madman" (i don't know if this is the first story with that title, but man has that title been used a lot), has the hero stealing a dog's correspondence in order to learn about the girl he's obsessed with. The more folktales-y stories feature a comical devil, who's more of a pesky imp than a lord or darkness.
I really liked the story "Christmas Eve", which contains the line "No one in Dikanka noticed that the devil had stolen the moon." There follows some farcical wanderings about in the snow and dark by the villagefolk. And of course somebody has to get the moon back. Good stuff.
May 28, 2018
In my survey of Russian literature, Gogol is a lot of fun. The stories vary in quality and some of them just trail off or are unfinished, but the ones that are good are VERY good.
April 6, 2008
this is the only place i know to read his first book: evenings on a farm near dikanka--or dikyanka--or something---gogol uses--or makes up--ukrainian folk tales, and a narrator---and then--breaks them apart---stretches them---magic is what you get---
March 30, 2017
Considered to be the best edition of Gogol's shorter fiction, it is the edition used by Nabokov in his book on Gogol. A pure joy to read, even though the texts in it are very uneven, including both some of Gogol's worst and best. Most of the Dikanka tales are variations on the fairy tale. Shponka and Diary of a Madman are the amazing pieces, Shponka hinting at Dead Souls and Diary being an absolutely surreal piece
May 10, 2013
For some reason the boring "Dead Souls" gets all the press, but I far prefer Gogol's tales of the countryside, the peasants and the Cossacks. "A Terrible Vengeance" is a good one.
August 29, 2019
The scene where the protagonist steals the batch of letters from the dog is one of my favorite scenes in literature. Also the Ukrainian tales blew me away by their inventiveness.
June 15, 2025
The volume mostly comprises Gogol's early tales, although a few of the stories are written more in his later style.
Gogol's early stories are Ukrainian folk tales. The heroes are generally fantasized Cossacks who are hard drinking, constantly fighting, and willing to take up a crazy adventure on the slightest pretext. All the characters are superstitious to an absurd degree, ready to believe that the Devil has taken the form of their relatives when they notice a small detail out of place. Curiously, the Devil portrayed in these stories is usually unthreatening, bumbling when carrying out plans that amount to little more than practical jokes. Furthermore, the Devil or his minions can be foiled by making the sign of the cross when the heroes sees what is happening, making them akin to tricksters and giving the conflict in the stories an absurdist edge.
It is this element of farce that contains the essence of Gogol's style. The often unnerving tone of the stories comes from the fact that there is nothing unusual about people believing in talking animals or that settled life can be upturned in a moment. This is combined with moments of hyper realism, when a character or scene is described with striking detail.
The Arabesque stories more closely resemble Gogol's later style, in that the stories have a fantastic central premise rather than being folkloric fantasy. The Nevsky Prospekt starts with a remarkable description of the street of the same name, which was famous as a commercial district and as an example of modernity. There is both a wondrous fascination of the wealth on display and its concordance cosmopolitanism, combined with a conservative horror of the same things. The street forms the backdrop for a moralistic tale concerning the temptations of vice.
The diary of a madman is the other arabesque story, concerning a civil servant who starts to believe that he is the king of Spain. Wonderfully comedic and tragic by turns, this story contains one of Gogol's other trademark techniques, that of rapid tonal shifts, which heighten the poignancy of the story.
The other noteworthy story is Ivan Fiodorovich Shponka and his Aunt, which demonstrates another Gogolian staple: a comically mediocre man whose inadequacies are horribly revealed. In this instance, the protagonist faces existential horror when his aunt tries to arrange for him to be married (another of Gogol's obsessions).
I really like this edition of the tales, as it includes a table of the civil, military, and court ranks that were in use in the Russian empire at the time of the stories, which provide essential context. The notes are also useful, giving details such as the construction of stoves, which is an obscure but necessary detail to stories where characters regularly climb on stoves to keep warm.
These are remarkable stories, highly original and skillfully constructed.
Gogol's early stories are Ukrainian folk tales. The heroes are generally fantasized Cossacks who are hard drinking, constantly fighting, and willing to take up a crazy adventure on the slightest pretext. All the characters are superstitious to an absurd degree, ready to believe that the Devil has taken the form of their relatives when they notice a small detail out of place. Curiously, the Devil portrayed in these stories is usually unthreatening, bumbling when carrying out plans that amount to little more than practical jokes. Furthermore, the Devil or his minions can be foiled by making the sign of the cross when the heroes sees what is happening, making them akin to tricksters and giving the conflict in the stories an absurdist edge.
It is this element of farce that contains the essence of Gogol's style. The often unnerving tone of the stories comes from the fact that there is nothing unusual about people believing in talking animals or that settled life can be upturned in a moment. This is combined with moments of hyper realism, when a character or scene is described with striking detail.
The Arabesque stories more closely resemble Gogol's later style, in that the stories have a fantastic central premise rather than being folkloric fantasy. The Nevsky Prospekt starts with a remarkable description of the street of the same name, which was famous as a commercial district and as an example of modernity. There is both a wondrous fascination of the wealth on display and its concordance cosmopolitanism, combined with a conservative horror of the same things. The street forms the backdrop for a moralistic tale concerning the temptations of vice.
The diary of a madman is the other arabesque story, concerning a civil servant who starts to believe that he is the king of Spain. Wonderfully comedic and tragic by turns, this story contains one of Gogol's other trademark techniques, that of rapid tonal shifts, which heighten the poignancy of the story.
The other noteworthy story is Ivan Fiodorovich Shponka and his Aunt, which demonstrates another Gogolian staple: a comically mediocre man whose inadequacies are horribly revealed. In this instance, the protagonist faces existential horror when his aunt tries to arrange for him to be married (another of Gogol's obsessions).
I really like this edition of the tales, as it includes a table of the civil, military, and court ranks that were in use in the Russian empire at the time of the stories, which provide essential context. The notes are also useful, giving details such as the construction of stoves, which is an obscure but necessary detail to stories where characters regularly climb on stoves to keep warm.
These are remarkable stories, highly original and skillfully constructed.
June 6, 2020
I bought this a long time ago and figured I'd read it sometime. Well as part of reading the biography of Nabokov and everything he wrote, I was reading his book on Gogol and thought this was the time. Nabokov didn't think very highly of these early works, as not being representative of his subsequent genius, but I think they're a bit better than that. The earliest volume of Evening on a Farm Near Dikanka contains his versions of Ukrainian folk tales his mother recounted to him to give him ideas on what to write about in Saint Petersburg that might interest readers there. They're all good in their own way but get successively more bizarre and surreal. The final two Arabesques take place in Saint Petersburg and are very surreal. I find them interesting because you can see the development or his writing style gradually.
November 22, 2020
The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol (Vol 1)
Nikolai Gogol
What a joy to encounter these wonderful works again. It’s been a few years since I first read Gogol, and it felt like time to go back and reread. This volume includes all of the Dikanka tales, which are so brilliantly suited to “Cold Months During a Pandemic” reading. It also includes “Nevsky Prospekt,” “Diary of a Madman,” and “Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt.”
I can’t add any new observations about Gogol that haven’t been said a million times, but he was a true genius and I realize it more with each read! So darn brilliant. Maybe it is time to reread “Dead Souls” again as well.
Nikolai Gogol
What a joy to encounter these wonderful works again. It’s been a few years since I first read Gogol, and it felt like time to go back and reread. This volume includes all of the Dikanka tales, which are so brilliantly suited to “Cold Months During a Pandemic” reading. It also includes “Nevsky Prospekt,” “Diary of a Madman,” and “Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt.”
I can’t add any new observations about Gogol that haven’t been said a million times, but he was a true genius and I realize it more with each read! So darn brilliant. Maybe it is time to reread “Dead Souls” again as well.
August 5, 2025
Necessary to understanding Russian lit. Nik Gogol had absolutely no fucks left to give. He was the right writer for the times. Just religious enough to pass muster but wildly irreverent. His psychosis was a feature not a flaw. Much silliness but also some beautifully descriptive reflections and digressions. He was a freak but he was the people's freak.
March 25, 2020
A great translation that is worthy of revisiting often. I hope to read it again in the future.
June 2, 2025
I think I liked Vol 2 more. From this volume I enoyed A Terrible Vengeance and the first third of Nevsky Prospekt.
August 16, 2015
Gogol is a gifted storyteller! He manages to create an intimacy between storyteller and reader which survives the almost two centuries from when these stories were written. These stories are hugely enjoyable.
The stories in this volume are among Gogol's earliest. The collection under the name of "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" is about Cossack villagers and peasants in what is now the Eastern Ukraine. These rambling stories constitute a window into early nineteenth-century village life where the devil and the supernatural are ever-present and real. (The flight of the blacksmith Vakuna on the back of the devil to the Czarina's palace in Petersburg in "Christmas Eve" foreshadows scenes in Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" written a century later.)
The last two stories, "Nevsky Prospekt" and "Diary of a Madman," take place in Petersburg, as do his most well-known later stories, "The Nose" and "The Overcoat," both of which appear in volume 2 of this collection. "Nevsky Prospekt," which is the name of the most famous street in Petersburg, starts with a masterful description of daily activity on the eponymous street, and then deals with the two distinctly different fates of two young bachelors who pursue two attractive young women whom they encounter on the street.
"Diary of a Madman" is what it says, a series of diary entries of a junior bureaucrat who is infatuated with the daughter of his boss, the director. You soon realize that all is not well with the narrator/diarist when he begins to communicate with the daughter's dog. The story descends from there.
How could I give Gogol, one of the most important figures in Russian literature, less than five stars.
The stories in this volume are among Gogol's earliest. The collection under the name of "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" is about Cossack villagers and peasants in what is now the Eastern Ukraine. These rambling stories constitute a window into early nineteenth-century village life where the devil and the supernatural are ever-present and real. (The flight of the blacksmith Vakuna on the back of the devil to the Czarina's palace in Petersburg in "Christmas Eve" foreshadows scenes in Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" written a century later.)
The last two stories, "Nevsky Prospekt" and "Diary of a Madman," take place in Petersburg, as do his most well-known later stories, "The Nose" and "The Overcoat," both of which appear in volume 2 of this collection. "Nevsky Prospekt," which is the name of the most famous street in Petersburg, starts with a masterful description of daily activity on the eponymous street, and then deals with the two distinctly different fates of two young bachelors who pursue two attractive young women whom they encounter on the street.
"Diary of a Madman" is what it says, a series of diary entries of a junior bureaucrat who is infatuated with the daughter of his boss, the director. You soon realize that all is not well with the narrator/diarist when he begins to communicate with the daughter's dog. The story descends from there.
How could I give Gogol, one of the most important figures in Russian literature, less than five stars.
August 25, 2007
I read the more recent translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky, all bound together in one volume. I'm a huge fan of his writing, especially the stories. The early Ukrainian stories are included in this volume as well, and they are particularly earthy, more like folklore than his later, near-surreal works (The Nose, The Overcoat).
August 30, 2007
You do yourself a disservice by not reading Gogol. He is a spectacular writer combining the brutal realism and moral suffering of many Russian authors with humor and mystical stories. Just read "The Nose" and you will be hooked.
October 4, 2015
While none of these stories quite match "The Overcoat" there are a number of delightful tails in this volume. I look forward to the thicker volume 2 soon.
The most enjoyable thing was how Gogol did the pre-story monologue. Loved those short sections.
The most enjoyable thing was how Gogol did the pre-story monologue. Loved those short sections.
September 15, 2008
"The Nose" is hilarious.
December 13, 2010
Two volumes complete short stories of Gogol for all those who enjoy Gogol
March 23, 2011
Despite valiant efforts, I just am not a fan of Gogol.
March 22, 2025
Ahh, Gogol, is it you or Chekhov that understands the world better?
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