Written in the 1830s and early 1840s, these comic stories tackle life behind the cold and elegant facade of the Imperial capital from the viewpoints of various characters, such as a collegiate assessor who one day finds that his nose has detached itself from his face and risen the ranks to become a state councillor ('The Nose'), a painter and a lieutenant whose romantic pursuits meet with contrasting degrees of success ('Nevsky Prospect') and a lowly civil servant whose existence desperately unravels when he loses his prized new coat ('The Overcoat'). Also including the 'Diary of Madman', these Petersburg Tales paint a critical yet hilarious portrait of a city riddled with pomposity and self-importance, masterfully juxtaposing nineteenth-century realism with madcap surrealism, and combining absurdist farce with biting satire.

About the Author
One of the leading figures in nineteenth-century Russian literature, Nikolai Gogol (1809-52) is best known for his satirical masterpiece, Dead Souls, and humorous plays and short stories such as The Government Inspector and The Overcoat, written in a highly original and often experimental style.

Reviews
Gogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange. -- Vladimir Nabokov



Book Information
ISBN 9781847493491
Author Nikolai Gogol
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Alma Classics
Publisher Alma Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 176g