Petersburg Tales

In the 1830s, Gogol begins to observe Petersburg as a strange acquaintance: apparently everything is proper, the facade shines, but behind it is some kind of devilry. The city here is not just a background, but a character — gloomy, mysterious, and slightly eccentric. Here, a nose wanders without an owner, rank is more important than personality, and common sense gives way to absurdity.
The title "Petersburg Tales" was proposed by literary scholar Vladimir Shenrok in the late 19th century, and the cycle was published as a separate edition only in 1924. So, the path to its own "cover" for these tales turned out to be long, but quite Gogolian — with intricate twists and hidden meaning.