Dead Souls. The Government Inspector. Petersburg Tales

What is the secret of a great writer? Gogol is a recognized classic of the brilliant Russian literature of the 19th century, and there is no doubt about it. It is enough to read a couple of pages from any of his stories to immediately realize that you are faced with a talented master of words. His early works, published in 1829-1830: — "An Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala", "The Sorochintsy Fair" and "May Night", brought him immediate fame. Meanwhile, the publication of his very first work — "Hans Küchelgarten" — ended in complete failure. This forced Gogol to move away from descriptions of his own romantic youthful moods and focus on a more down-to-earth area — the life of his native Little Russia. For the discerning Petersburg audience, this colorful theme was new. 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 asking her to describe the details of local clothing or outline the specifics of folk rituals. And yet, such ethnographic details were not enough for success. Gogol had the talent of a true artist to concentrate all his life experience in his stories. This trait brought success to his "Petersburg Tales", different parts of which were written between 1820 and 1840. Gogol was not a native Petersburg resident, however, his descriptions of the Northern capital and the tribulations of its inhabitants are unmatched.

Gogol worked very carefully on his texts. His two most extensive works — "The Government 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 intensely Gogol worked to expand and refine these plots to a crystal state, in which the entire life of Russia at that time was reflected. "Dead Souls" was conceived by him as a trilogy, in which its main character rises in his moral growth from a petty swindler, who seeks to make an impression on society by dishonest means, to a patriot advocating for the development and prosperity of his state. Alas, Gogol was unable to fully realize these plans. History has only preserved fragments of the second part of "Dead Souls", which, along with other works, are included in this collection. Another distinguishing feature of the publication is the abundance of illustrations created by a whole array of talented artists. Gogol gained fame as a literary classic during his lifetime, and it is not surprising that his works have inspired, and continue to inspire, many masters of brush and pencil.