A May Evening

by Nikolai Gogol

In this tale, a young Cossack named Levko, the son of the mayor, is in love with Hanna. He comes to her house to talk about marriage and mentions that his father is not pleased with the idea, though he doesn't say anything directly and merely ignores him.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Russia, Fiction, Audiobook, Russian Literature, Fantasy

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1887

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

[Mehmet]

Yordam Kitap'ın çıkardığı "Bir Solukta Klasikler" serisinden okuduğum 2. kitap Gogol'un Mayıs Gecesi.

Kitabın özellikle Gogol'un dini yöneliminin de etkisiyle yoğun bir ortodoks alt yapıya sahip olduğunu düşünüyorum ancak kitapta rahatsız edici bir detay var ki "kadın-cadı" bilinç altının sıklıkla ve bunaltıcı bir şekilde kendini hissettirmesi. Dönemin gelenekleri ve kültürleri ile biçimlenen bu algının romanda propagandası yapılmamış elbette ancak yine de Gogol'un bu konuda bir "kafa karışıklığı" yaşadığını düşünmedim değil. Ölü Canlar ismindeki oldukça başarılı romanını hariç tutarsam, Gogol yazınından Puşkin kadar zevk alamıyorum.

M. Baran
23.02.2021

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 2 out of 5]

I arranged my thoughts into a haiku:

"A May evening...
Perched at the start of something,
Fading off like sparks."

[Tatyana Naumova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мордастая утопленница какая

[Onur Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Cristina Mosca · Rating 3 out of 5]

io e gogol: due mondi a parte.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Як все-таки гарно Гоголь описує Україну, якби ще він українською писав ціни б не було, а так читаєш про Диканьку, а люди там як у Москві балакають, так такого ж ніколи не було, навіть зараз нема. І якось наче воно і своє, і чуже. Не зрозуміло...

Подобається ця цитата...
"За то люблю, что у тебя карие очи, и как поглядишь ты ими - у меня как будто на душе усмехается: и весело и хорошо ей; "

Взагалі позитивний твір, приємно читати, як казочку.

[Neha Gupta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abrupt & average.. its as if the story is left mid way.. or the pages are missing.. infact it ends even before it begins.. After reading Overcoat by Gogol this was quiet a put off.. far below expectations..

[Selar Majak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.
It was light, very light and very short as well. The whole thing had this dream like premise and I kinda liked it for that. I would have wanted a more detailed description of the Drowned maiden ghost and the evil stepmother.

[DT27 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply beautiful. I could smell the orchards and cherry trees, feel the lightest breeze from the pond, gaze at stars and the majestic crescent reflected in its still, yet enchanted waters, and hear the whispers of drowned maidens come ashore.

[David Bisset · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite genre, but it possesses a magical evocation of village Ukraine.

[rebekka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the first story more. Perhaps it's because of its tale and folklore like story-telling. I liked reading about the girl who drown. She brought a slight eerie sensation.
The other story with the artist was good but I don't know, it had a heavy atmosphere. His final moments were rushed for me. It could be better, maybe a slow burnt adulthood process, where we see his inner conflictd more, because it took a while to notice he was not young when he went to his friend's art exhibition. I wanted to see him in a more desperate and deep state.
It was good to see how the original painter'a son was looking for the portrait. At first, I actually expected him to be the son of that dead artist, it would be cliche though, but it was cool to read his father's story.
I guess this book is what is called magical realism.

[Morteza Bahrami]

خوب پیداست که کتاب از نخستین تلاش های نوشتن گوگول جوان و بی تجربه است. نیش و کنایه هایش به حکومت و کلیسا و هجو خرافه گرایی در پوششی از حکایت های خسته کننده کش پیدا می کند اما در داستان های دیگرش پخته تر و کمینه تر می شود. بنگرید به این اندوه و افسوس نهفته در واژگان:
آنکه تنها مانده بسیار ملول و افسرده خاطر است، قلب و روح او مکدر است. تنهایی او را نیز چاره نیست.
گویا برگردان از انگلیسی است.

[Subhechcha Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was too short , liked it but gogol’s other stories are far better than this..

[Ulrike Bungert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the expressions.

[Cameron Baguley · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful writing

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es muy Shakespearean y muy charles dickens a la misma vez, ta chuli

[Riri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Смешно, мне очень понравился писарь !!!

[Vicent G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful short story with everything you would expect from Gogol: Romantic Ukrainian settings, grotesque but loveable characters, a bit of the supernatural.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Reed Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked it better the second time, but probably because this time I wasn't reading it for a class

[Onur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Max Ganas · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Майская ночь» — это романтично-мистическая повесть-сказка, в центре которой — история любви двух молодых людей, которым не разрешают пожениться. Однако это не просто романтический сюжет: Гоголь мастерски вплетает в повествование элементы мистики и фольклора. Здесь есть и утопленницы, и ведьмы, и таинственная ночь, полная загадок.

Интересно, что повесть как будто объединяет в себе две разные истории. С одной стороны — мистическая, почти сказочная линия, с другой — вполне приземлённые сельские разборки и бытовая сатира. Эти две части живут параллельно, почти не пересекаясь, но именно в этом — фирменный стиль Гоголя.

Особое внимание автор уделяет критике сельского самоуправления. Ироничный обра�� головы деревни, который самовластен и надменен в своём кругу, но тут же впадает в ужас при виде официальной «бумажки» от начальства. Через него Гоголь тонко высмеивает бюрократию и мелкое самодурство.

Повесть наполнена шутками, иносказаниями и фольклорным колоритом. Она легко читается и оставляет приятное послевкусие.

[Janith Pathirage · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst Nikolai Gogol story I've read to date. I was yawning the whole time. This story never grabbed my attention from start to end. Gogol would have been high on weeds when he was writing this one, I don't know, coz usually his stories are so darn good. This is so disappointing.

[AMAL SAGHEER · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was too short I wish it had more to it <3 I wanted to know more about the witch stepmother and the relationship between Hanna and Leoko ^__^

[TarasProkopyuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

И снова посредственная работа Николая Васильевича Гоголя. «Майская ночь или утопленница» из разряда сказок на ночь для детей школьного возраста. Но хочется больше.

[Azamat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Все понравилось. Интересная история и написано хорошо.