- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks; New edition edition (18 Feb 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0192835521
- ISBN-13: 978-0192835529
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.7 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 410,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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"Te best Gogol is here, in new and splendid translations by Christopher English."--The Sunday Telegraph
Product Description
In these tales Gogol guides us through the elegant streets of St Petersburg, the city erected by force and ingenuity on the marshes of the Neva estuary. Something of the deception and violence of the city's creation seems to lurk beneath its harmonious facade, however, and it confounds its inhabitants with false dreams and absurd visions - `nothing is what it seems!' warns Gogol. St Petersburg is also the setting for Marriage, Gogol's satire on courtship and cowardice. Finally, for The Government Inspector, indisputably Russia's greatest comedy, we move to the provinces although even here St Petersburg's preoccupation with status and appearances makes its presence felt.
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Nothing could be finer than Nevsky Prospect, at least not in St Petersburg; it is the be-all and end-all. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Nothing could be finer than Nevsky Prospect, at least not in St Petersburg; it is the be-all and end-all. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This excellent collection contains, among other excellent works, three towering masterpieces - the short stories 'The Nose' and 'The Overcoat', and the play 'The Government Inspector' which is currently being performed in a modernized version on the London stage. 'The Nose' and 'The Government Inspector' are both very funny, which is perhaps the most surprising thing when you approach them as Russian literature, which can be intimidating to some readers, and isn't known for its humour. 'The Overcoat' on the other hand, is a tragic, perfectly formed little story, which Dostoyevsky said had hugely influenced all the great nineteenth century Russian writers after Gogol.
Without giving too much away about the blackly comic and absurdist story 'The Nose', the basic premise is that a vain, ambitious official wakes up one morning to discover that his nose has disappeared. It is later spotted out and about in St Petersburg, taking carriages and attending functions. This simple, silly little story works on many levels and any number of themes and inferences can be seen in it. Although I personally love Carver, Chekhov, etc, I think this is the greatest short story I have ever read.
This collection is worth recommending for its clear and readable English translations, and the fact that it has the stories published by Penguin Classics, plus Gogol's plays. Recommended for all readers looking for a rewarding, complex, unusual read.
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