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The Overcoat and Other Russian Tales
In this original compilation from Skyboat Media and Blackstone Publishing, Nikolai Gogol’s stories range from the whimsical and bizarre to the incisive and satiric, from the horrific and terrifying to the nonsensical and hilarious.
A lowly government clerk, Akay Akakiyevich, must scrimp and save to purchase a new coat for the cold, Russian winter in “The Overcoat.” But after one night of basking in the warmth of his new coat and the respect of his colleagues, Akaky’s one-of-a-kind overcoat is stolen from him. In his pursuit of justice, Akaky receives no help and is consumed by the loss of his prized possession.
In “The Viy” Gogol recounts a popular folk story in which a monstrous creature, known by the population of Little Russia as the king of gnomes, helps a witch get revenge on a young student who escaped from her trap years before.
“How the Two Ivans Quarrelled” begins as a merry farce, telling the story of the friendship-ending fight between Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch. The two Ivans have been neighbors and best friends for years despite their numerous differences, but this fight infiltrates every facet of their lives, until they cannot stand the sight of one another.
Then finally in “The Nose,” we see the peak of Gogol’s humor and absurdity when a government official wakes to find his nose has disappeared. The Russian critic D.S. Mirsky (1890–1939) described the story as “a piece of sheer play, almost sheer nonsense. In it more than anywhere else Gogol displays his extraordinary magic power of making great comic art out of nothing.” This extraordinary power is woven throughout all the stories in this compilation, and it firmly establishes Gogol as a master of the peculiar and the surreal.
A lowly government clerk, Akay Akakiyevich, must scrimp and save to purchase a new coat for the cold, Russian winter in “The Overcoat.” But after one night of basking in the warmth of his new coat and the respect of his colleagues, Akaky’s one-of-a-kind overcoat is stolen from him. In his pursuit of justice, Akaky receives no help and is consumed by the loss of his prized possession.
In “The Viy” Gogol recounts a popular folk story in which a monstrous creature, known by the population of Little Russia as the king of gnomes, helps a witch get revenge on a young student who escaped from her trap years before.
“How the Two Ivans Quarrelled” begins as a merry farce, telling the story of the friendship-ending fight between Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch. The two Ivans have been neighbors and best friends for years despite their numerous differences, but this fight infiltrates every facet of their lives, until they cannot stand the sight of one another.
Then finally in “The Nose,” we see the peak of Gogol’s humor and absurdity when a government official wakes to find his nose has disappeared. The Russian critic D.S. Mirsky (1890–1939) described the story as “a piece of sheer play, almost sheer nonsense. In it more than anywhere else Gogol displays his extraordinary magic power of making great comic art out of nothing.” This extraordinary power is woven throughout all the stories in this compilation, and it firmly establishes Gogol as a master of the peculiar and the surreal.
8 pages, Audiobook
Published February 23, 2021
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15 people want to read
About the author
Nikolai Gogol
2,001 books5,666 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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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 23, 2023
A collection of 8 short stories by Gogol. I only listened to 6 of them but will probably listen to the others at some point. This was my first experience of Gogol and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was funny but also very weird at times.
The overcoat - really good 4 stars
The carriage - also 4 stars
The nose - 4 stars
The bewitched place 3 stars
The lost letter - 4 stars
St John's eve - 3 stars
The ones I haven't read yet are the viy and how the two ivans argued.
Have a copy of dead souls and will move that up my tbr now.
The overcoat - really good 4 stars
The carriage - also 4 stars
The nose - 4 stars
The bewitched place 3 stars
The lost letter - 4 stars
St John's eve - 3 stars
The ones I haven't read yet are the viy and how the two ivans argued.
Have a copy of dead souls and will move that up my tbr now.
May 15, 2024
Just at the end of listening to this book on Audible, I got to know these stories are about 200 years old. I knew these were old but 200 years I thought was remarkable. I guess I had some fun while listening to these but can say these were all a bit bizarre. I could imagine the stories unfolding a bit like a Priyadarshan movie but when the story moved to witches & ghosts, I was a bit put off. Must say that the way to make things light & satirical even talking about these things was a good touch but I'm not sure I listen to more of these. But may be you could give Overcoat a try?
May 27, 2023
Very realistic, dark and memorable. It was a great window into Russian culture for me.
June 12, 2025
The first two stories were good, but they got progressively less believable and less interesting.
November 24, 2023
There are low rated books which are objectively 'bad', and then there are those which 'didn't work for me'. I will be humble given the legendary status of the author and his generation of countrymen in the annals of literature and position this one in the latter category. However I must specify - that this is not just a 'didn't work for me' but more like a 'really didn't work for me at all'.
This is a special book for most Indians given the connection to Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake (and the Mira Nair movie) where the main protagonist names his son Gogol Ganguly, since he was reading The Overcoat when he was saved in a railway accident many eons ago. The book is then gifted from father to son, and is a symbol of much significance. So I expected it to be full of some intelligent and wry life-changing observations.
Alas. These are tales based in fantasy and surrealism, where nothing really makes sense. There is no moral at the end of it. There is little if any slice-of-life of 19th century Little Russia (unless folk tales from medieval times intrigue you). There is no real twist in the tale. Apart from the titular story (The Overcoat), the rest barely held any interest. 'The Two Ivans' was okay for a while I guess. But they very much feel like the stories grandparents tell kids where they're just making up stuff as they go along with nary a head or tale - they are also way too long.
Perhaps one day I will be patient enough to appreciate and enjoy this genre as well. Perhaps there is a nuanced underlying meaning which is clearer on more research and context. But until then, taking a hard-pass on all Russian short-stories for a while thanks to you Mr. Gogol.
This is a special book for most Indians given the connection to Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake (and the Mira Nair movie) where the main protagonist names his son Gogol Ganguly, since he was reading The Overcoat when he was saved in a railway accident many eons ago. The book is then gifted from father to son, and is a symbol of much significance. So I expected it to be full of some intelligent and wry life-changing observations.
Alas. These are tales based in fantasy and surrealism, where nothing really makes sense. There is no moral at the end of it. There is little if any slice-of-life of 19th century Little Russia (unless folk tales from medieval times intrigue you). There is no real twist in the tale. Apart from the titular story (The Overcoat), the rest barely held any interest. 'The Two Ivans' was okay for a while I guess. But they very much feel like the stories grandparents tell kids where they're just making up stuff as they go along with nary a head or tale - they are also way too long.
Perhaps one day I will be patient enough to appreciate and enjoy this genre as well. Perhaps there is a nuanced underlying meaning which is clearer on more research and context. But until then, taking a hard-pass on all Russian short-stories for a while thanks to you Mr. Gogol.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews