Book description
Gogol's 1842 novel Dead Souls, a comic masterpiece about a mysterious con man and his grotesque victims, is one of the major works of Russian literature. It was translated into English in 1942 by Bernard Guilbert Guerney; the translation was hailed by Vladimir Nabokov as "an extraordinarily fine piece of…
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Why read it?
1 author picked Dead Souls as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
One of the funniest books I’ve ever read.
Gogol is a master of depicting human foibles and frailties.
He presents vivid character types, which may be seen as peculiarly Russian, however these sorts are universal among humans everywhere. A prime example is the miser Plushkin or the braggart/liar/gambler Nozdrev.
For me, one of the most amusing aspects of this novel is the tortuous digressions which take the reader down rabbit holes that might include the individual personalities of the horses that pull the hero’s carriage, or a discourse on neckerchiefs.
Another droll feature of Gogol’s writing is what the introduction…
If you love Dead Souls...
Citizen Orlov
Not every fishmonger can be a secret agent.
Journey to an unnamed mountainous country in central Europe at the end of the Great War. Enter Citizen Orlov, a simple fishmonger and an honest, upright citizen, who answers a phone call meant for a secret agent and stumbles into a hidden…
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