This collection of Gogol's stories includes the title tale, in which a minor St. Petersburg clerk, Poprishchin, slides into madness, imagining that dogs write letters and that he is the king of Spain. It also contains "The Nose," in which a man's nose leaves his face and walks around the capital in uniform, "The Overcoat," about a poor copyist and his new coat, and "Nevsky Prospect." Gogol mixes satire and the grotesque to portray the absurdity of rank and ambition.
Fans of Russian literature will find the roots of Dostoevsky and Kafka here. It suits readers who like dark comedy, short stories, and strange fables about status and loneliness.
Deep, inward-looking, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1835
- Language
- EN
