Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

""Dead Souls"" is a masterpiece of Russian literature written by acclaimed author Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol. Originally published in YEAR], this satirical novel takes readers on a dark and humorous journey through the corrupt and bureaucratic world of 19th-century Russia. The story revolves around the ambitious protagonist, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, who embarks on a bizarre mission to purchase ""dead souls"" - deceased serfs still listed as alive in the census records. Through Chichikov's encounters with various landowners and officials, Gogol brilliantly exposes the flaws and vices of Russian society, highlighting themes of greed, deception, and the moral decay of the aristocracy. Gogol's vivid descriptions, sharp wit, and skillful characterization make ""Dead Souls"" a captivating and thought-provoking read. It offers a scathing critique of societal norms and serves as a powerful commentary on human nature and the pursuit of personal gain.

Dead Souls, has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.

Dead Souls is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The purpose of the novel was to demonstrate the flaws and faults of the Russian mentality and character. Dead Souls, which bears the word "Poem" upon the title page of the original, has been generally compared to Don Quixote and to the Pickwick Papers, while E. M. Vogue places its author somewhere between Cervantes and Le Sage. However considerable the influences of Cervantes and Dickens may have been-the first in the matter of structure, the other in background, humour, and detail of characterisation-the predominating and distinguishing quality of the work is undeniably something foreign to both and quite peculiar to itself; something which, for want of a better term, might be called the quality of the Russian soul.

Николай Васильевич Гоголь родился 1809г. 20 марта (1 апреля н.с.) в местечке Великие Сорочинцы Миргородского уезда Полтавской губернии в семье небогатого помещика. В 1830 в журнале "Отечественные записки" появилась первая повесть Гоголя "Басаврюк," впоследствии переработанная в повесть "Вечер накануне Ивана Купала." Литературную известность Гоголю принесли "Вечера на хуторе близ Диканьки" (1831 -- 32), повести "Сорочинская ярмарка," "Майская ночь" и др. Известная повесть Н. В. Гоголя "Тараса Бульба" из цикла «Миргород , при создании которой автор широко использовал различные исторические источники мемуары, летописи, исследования, фольклорные материалы. События происходят в среде запорожских казаков.«Запорожской сечи отсылают к тяжелому периоду в истории казачества, когда запорожцы поднялись на борьбу с Речью Посполитой. В самом центре политических интриг оказалась семья уважаемого казака Тараса Бульбы, переживающего глубокую личную драму. Его сын Андрий полюбил польскую аристократку и хочет бежать из Сечи. Раздираемый чувством и долгом Тарас объявляет сыну последнюю родительскую волю...1852г., 21 феврале Гоголь умер в своей последней квартире на Никитском бульваре. (wikipedia.org)

The story follows the exploits of Chichikov, a middle-aged gentleman of middling social class and means. Chichikov arrives in a small town and turns on the charm to woo key local officials and landowners. He reveals little about his past, or his purpose, as he sets about carrying out his bizarre and mysterious plan to acquire "dead souls." The government would tax the landowners based on how many serfs (or "souls") the landowner owned, determined by the census. Censuses in this period were infrequent, so landowners would often be paying taxes on serfs that were no longer living, thus the "dead souls." It is these dead souls, existing on paper only, that Chichikov seeks to purchase from the landlords in the villages he visits; he merely tells the prospective sellers that he has a use for them, and that the sellers would be better off anyway, since selling them would relieve the present owners of a needless tax burden. Although the townspeople Chichikov comes across are gross caricatures, they are not flat stereotypes by any means. Instead, each is neurotically individual, combining the official failings that Gogol typically satirizes (greed, corruption, paranoia) with a curious set of personal quirks.

Dead Souls is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The purpose of the novel was to demonstrate the flaws and faults of the Russian mentality and character. Gogol masterfully portrayed those defects through Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov (the main character) and the people whom he encounters in his endeavours. These people are typical of the Russian middle-class of the time. Gogol himself saw it as an "epic poem in prose", and within the book as a "novel in verse". Despite supposedly completing the trilogy's second part, Gogol destroyed it shortly before his death. Although the novel ends in mid-sentence (like Sterne's Sentimental Journey), it is usually regarded as complete in the extant form.

"However stupid a fools words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an intelligent man." --- Nikolai Gogol, Dead Souls Dead Souls is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The purpose of the novel was to demonstrate the flaws and faults of the Russian mentality and character. Gogol masterfully portrayed those defects through Paul Ivanovitch Chichikov (the main character) and the people whom he encounters in his endeavours. These people are typical of the Russian middle-class of the time. Gogol himself saw it as an "epic poem in prose", and within the book as a "novel in verse". Despite supposedly completing the trilogy's second part, Gogol destroyed it shortly before his death. Although the novel ends in mid-sentence (like Sterne's Sentimental Journey), it is usually regarded as complete in the extant form.