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__vy's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A collection of short stories, deriving from ordinary incidents but written out in a magnificent prose.
beebliobibuli's review against another edition
4.0
"La grande affection qu’ils se portaient n’empêchait pourtant point nos deux amis de présenter entre eux certaines dissemblances."
"Et vous, Ivan Ivanovitch, vous êtes là à crier comme un jars..."
Sachez mesdames et messieurs, que cette phrase, a mis fin à l'une des plus belles amitiés, celle d' Ivan Ivanovich et d'Ivan Nikiforovich, dont la futile querelle a fini devant le tribunal.
[a:Nikolai Gogol|232932|Nikolai Gogol|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1303965602p2/232932.jpg] a su mélanger tristesse, nostalgie, humour et beaucoup de rire dans un des meilleurs contes que j'ai lu, la fin était vraiment un coup de maître!
"Et vous, Ivan Ivanovitch, vous êtes là à crier comme un jars..."
Sachez mesdames et messieurs, que cette phrase, a mis fin à l'une des plus belles amitiés, celle d' Ivan Ivanovich et d'Ivan Nikiforovich, dont la futile querelle a fini devant le tribunal.
[a:Nikolai Gogol|232932|Nikolai Gogol|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1303965602p2/232932.jpg] a su mélanger tristesse, nostalgie, humour et beaucoup de rire dans un des meilleurs contes que j'ai lu, la fin était vraiment un coup de maître!
nataliya_x's review against another edition
4.0
If in the heat of an argument you call your neighbor and your dearest friend a dreaded word unfit for polite ears - a “goose”, if you must know - you can expect all hell to break loose. There will be deep resentments, and pointed construction of a goose shed, and destruction of that goose shed under the cover of night, and a criminally thieving pig, and decades-long resentments and litigation.
I mean, what else can have you occupied so well in a sleepy provincial town with little in the way of entertainment?
Nikolai Gogol, when not writing that brutal [b:Taras Bulba|104696|Taras Bulba|Nikolai Gogol|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171522625l/104696._SY75_.jpg|1316804], was apparently a funny guy of Russian literature when he wanted to be (well, until he went a bit insane in his middle age, but that’s neither here nor there), and The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich is a fine example of this — a bit of an absurdist farce mixed with a bit of slapstick physical comedy and a side dish of fine satire, and it’s delightful.
Yes, it’s clearly a story from a time and culture very different to ours, almost two centuries ago. There are some words that are archaic, and the societal norms are odd, and life itself has moved on. But what remains scarcely changed is human pettiness, which this story presents in spades.
I found a few free translations online, and sadly they cannot really convey many of the finer bits of the story - and one randomly (or prudishly???) omits the mention of Ivan Nikiforovich engaging in that fateful goose quarrel while buck-naked. Colloquialisms and some wordplay get lost in translation, but that’s inevitable, I suppose. The original though is still quite lovely.
3.5 stars.
——————
Recommended by: Cecily
I mean, what else can have you occupied so well in a sleepy provincial town with little in the way of entertainment?
Nikolai Gogol, when not writing that brutal [b:Taras Bulba|104696|Taras Bulba|Nikolai Gogol|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171522625l/104696._SY75_.jpg|1316804], was apparently a funny guy of Russian literature when he wanted to be (well, until he went a bit insane in his middle age, but that’s neither here nor there), and The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich is a fine example of this — a bit of an absurdist farce mixed with a bit of slapstick physical comedy and a side dish of fine satire, and it’s delightful.
Yes, it’s clearly a story from a time and culture very different to ours, almost two centuries ago. There are some words that are archaic, and the societal norms are odd, and life itself has moved on. But what remains scarcely changed is human pettiness, which this story presents in spades.
I found a few free translations online, and sadly they cannot really convey many of the finer bits of the story - and one randomly (or prudishly???) omits the mention of Ivan Nikiforovich engaging in that fateful goose quarrel while buck-naked. Colloquialisms and some wordplay get lost in translation, but that’s inevitable, I suppose. The original though is still quite lovely.
3.5 stars.
——————
Recommended by: Cecily
greeniezona's review
5.0
I've ben meaning to read Gogol ever since reading [b:The Namesake|33917|The Namesake|Jhumpa Lahiri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480106986l/33917._SY75_.jpg|16171], and this lovely Melville House novella seemed like a good way to jump in.
I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS. I mean, I expected the skewering of aristocratic Russian society, sure. But I did not expect it to involve this almost slapstick level of absurdity. When my over-the-top cackling drew raised eyebrows from the rest of my family and I tried to read some choice bits to them to explain, I was crying and gasping with laughter.
Of course, the pitch of that absurdity peaks fairly early in the book, then slowly simmers down to shaking-my-head levels, but all the better to drive home the satire and class criticism, rather than leave it feeling just absurd.
I think it's safe to say I'll be seeking out more Gogol in the future.
I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS. I mean, I expected the skewering of aristocratic Russian society, sure. But I did not expect it to involve this almost slapstick level of absurdity. When my over-the-top cackling drew raised eyebrows from the rest of my family and I tried to read some choice bits to them to explain, I was crying and gasping with laughter.
Of course, the pitch of that absurdity peaks fairly early in the book, then slowly simmers down to shaking-my-head levels, but all the better to drive home the satire and class criticism, rather than leave it feeling just absurd.
I think it's safe to say I'll be seeking out more Gogol in the future.
omanik's review against another edition
5.0
Köstlich! Auf wenigen Seiten räsentiert Gogol einen kleinstädtischen russischen Mikrokosmos