Dead Souls. The Government Inspector. St. Petersburg Tales
29.99 €
In stock
Dead Souls. The Government Inspector. St. Petersburg Tales
29.99 €
The collection includes a poem, comedy and "Petersburg" stories of the classic of Russian literature Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1809-1852). The book is decorated with the works of masters of book illustration, many of which are published for the first time after more than a century break.
What is the secret of a great writer? Gogol is a recognized classic of brilliant Russian literature of the XIX century, and this is not in anyone's doubt. It is enough to read a couple of pages from any of his stories to be immediately convinced - in front of you a talented master of the word. His early works, printed in 1829-1830: "The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupal", "Sorochinskaya Fair" and "May Night", immediately brought him fame. Meanwhile, the publication of his very first work - "Gantz Küchelgarten" - ended in complete failure. This forced Gogol to move away from descriptions of his own romantic youthful moods and turn his attention to a more down-to-earth area - the life of his native Malorossiya. For the discerning St. Petersburg public, this colorful subject was new. And Gogol literally absorbed the realities of that life; he had something to write about. At the same time, he often sent letters to his mother with requests to describe the details of local clothing or set out the details of folk rituals. Yet such ethnographic details were not enough for success. Gogol had the talent of a true artist to concentrate in his novels all his life experience. It was this trait that brought success to his St. Petersburg Novels, the various parts of which were written between 1820 and 1840. Gogol was not a native St. Petersburger, but his descriptions of the Northern Capital and the travails of its inhabitants are unrivaled.
Gogol worked very carefully on his texts. Two of his most ambitious works - "The Inspector" and "Dead Souls" - grew out of very short stories, which, according to literary critics, were retold to the writer by Pushkin. The few surviving drafts show how hard Gogol worked to expand and polish these stories into a crystal that reflected the entire life of Russia at that time. "Dead Souls" was conceived by him as a trilogy in which its main character rises in his moral growth from a petty swindler, seeking dishonestly to impress society, to a patriot, advocating for the development and prosperity of his country. Alas, to fully realize these plans Gogol failed. History has brought us only excerpts of the second part of Dead Souls, which, along with other works, are included in this collection. Another distinctive feature of the edition is the abundance of illustrations made by a whole galaxy of talented artists. Gogol gained fame as a literary classic during his lifetime, and it is not surprising that his works inspired, and continue to inspire many masters of brush and pencil.
What is the secret of a great writer? Gogol is a recognized classic of brilliant Russian literature of the XIX century, and this is not in anyone's doubt. It is enough to read a couple of pages from any of his stories to be immediately convinced - in front of you a talented master of the word. His early works, printed in 1829-1830: "The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupal", "Sorochinskaya Fair" and "May Night", immediately brought him fame. Meanwhile, the publication of his very first work - "Gantz Küchelgarten" - ended in complete failure. This forced Gogol to move away from descriptions of his own romantic youthful moods and turn his attention to a more down-to-earth area - the life of his native Malorossiya. For the discerning St. Petersburg public, this colorful subject was new. And Gogol literally absorbed the realities of that life; he had something to write about. At the same time, he often sent letters to his mother with requests to describe the details of local clothing or set out the details of folk rituals. Yet such ethnographic details were not enough for success. Gogol had the talent of a true artist to concentrate in his novels all his life experience. It was this trait that brought success to his St. Petersburg Novels, the various parts of which were written between 1820 and 1840. Gogol was not a native St. Petersburger, but his descriptions of the Northern Capital and the travails of its inhabitants are unrivaled.
Gogol worked very carefully on his texts. Two of his most ambitious works - "The Inspector" and "Dead Souls" - grew out of very short stories, which, according to literary critics, were retold to the writer by Pushkin. The few surviving drafts show how hard Gogol worked to expand and polish these stories into a crystal that reflected the entire life of Russia at that time. "Dead Souls" was conceived by him as a trilogy in which its main character rises in his moral growth from a petty swindler, seeking dishonestly to impress society, to a patriot, advocating for the development and prosperity of his country. Alas, to fully realize these plans Gogol failed. History has brought us only excerpts of the second part of Dead Souls, which, along with other works, are included in this collection. Another distinctive feature of the edition is the abundance of illustrations made by a whole galaxy of talented artists. Gogol gained fame as a literary classic during his lifetime, and it is not surprising that his works inspired, and continue to inspire many masters of brush and pencil.
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author
- All books in the series Library of World Literature