Dead Souls, first published in 1842, is the great prose classic of Russia. That amazing institution, “the Russian novel,” not only began its career with this unfinished masterpiece by Nikolai Gogol, b...

Reader, whosoever or wheresoever you be, and whatsoever be your station⁠—whether that of a member of the higher ranks of society or that of a member of the plainer walks of life⁠—I beg of you, if God ...

To the door of an inn in the provincial town of N. there drew up a smart britchka⁠—a light spring-carriage of the sort affected by bachelors, retired lieutenant-colonels, staff-captains, landowners po...

To the door of an inn in the provincial town of N. there drew up a smart britchka⁠—a light spring-carriage of the sort affected by bachelors, retired lieutenant-colonels, staff-captains, landowners po...

For more than two weeks the visitor lived amid a round of evening parties and dinners; wherefore he spent (as the saying goes) a very pleasant time. Finally he decided to extend his visits beyond the ...

Meanwhile, Chichikov, seated in his britchka and bowling along the turnpike, was feeling greatly pleased with himself. From the preceding chapter the reader will have gathered the principal subject of...

On reaching the tavern, Chichikov called a halt. His reasons for this were twofold⁠—namely, that he wanted to rest the horses, and that he himself desired some refreshment. In this connection the auth...

Certainly Chichikov was a thorough coward, for, although the britchka pursued its headlong course until Nozdrev’s establishment had disappeared behind hillocks and hedgerows, our hero continued to gla...

Chichikov’s amusement at the peasant’s outburst prevented him from noticing that he had reached the centre of a large and populous village; but, presently, a violent jolt aroused him to the fact that ...

When Chichikov awoke he stretched himself and realised that he had slept well. For a moment or two he lay on his back, and then suddenly clapped his hands at the recollection that he was now owner of ...

It was not long before Chichikov’s purchases had become the talk of the town; and various were the opinions expressed as to whether or not it was expedient to procure peasants for transferment. Indeed...

Next morning, before the usual hour for paying calls, there tripped from the portals of an orange-coloured wooden house with an attic storey and a row of blue pillars a lady in an elegant plaid cloak....

On assembling at the residence indicated, the tchinovniks had occasion to remark that, owing to all these cares and excitements, everyone of their number had grown thinner. Yes, the appointment of a n...

Nevertheless events did not turn out as Chichikov had intended they should. In the first place, he overslept himself. That was check number one. In the second place, on his rising and inquiring whethe...

Why do I so persistently paint the poverty, the imperfections of Russian life, and delve into the remotest depths, the most retired holes and corners, of our Empire for my subjects? The answer is that...

Why do I so persistently paint the poverty, the imperfections of Russian life, and delve into the remotest depths, the most retired holes and corners, of our Empire for my subjects? The answer is that...

Tientietnikov’s good horses covered the ten versts to the General’s house in a little over half an hour. Descending from the koliaska with features attuned to deference, Chichikov inquired for the mas...

“If Colonel Koshkarev should turn out to be as mad as the last one it is a bad lookout,” said Chichikov to himself on opening his eyes amid fields and open country⁠—everything else having disappeared ...

Next day, with Platon and Constantine, Chichikov set forth to interview Khlobuev, the owner whose estate Constantine had consented to help Chichikov to purchase with a non-interest-bearing, uncovenant...

Essays on Russian Novelists. Macmillan. ↩ Ideals and Realities in Russian Literature. Duckworth and Co. ↩ This is generally referred to in the Russian criticisms of Gogol as a quotation from Jeremiah....