Nikolai Gogol

In 1942–1944, shortly after moving to the USA, Vladimir Nabokov wrote a book about Nikolai Gogol, turning the biography of the genius into a very personal and bold statement about the true and false in art. The famous passages by Nabokov, which clarify for the American reader the meaning of the word "vulgarity" and mock the conventions of advertising, were written for this book and still retain their sharpness. Despite various deviations from the requirements of the biographical genre, "Nikolai Gogol" encompasses the entire creative history of the writer, stops at all the twists and turns of his unusual life path, and is equipped with a detailed "Chronology" and an index. Infusing his own writing experience into every page of this book, Nabokov makes a conscientious attempt to unravel the mystery of Gogol and explain the nature of his actions and intentions.
The complete text of "Nikolai Gogol" is published in Russian for the first time.

In addition to the comments of the editor and compiler A. Babikov, this publication contains additional materials – letters and reviews from 1943–1944, highlighting the perception of this book by Russian émigrés in America.