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A review by agirlandabook85
The Diary of a Madman, the Government Inspector, and Selected Stories by Nikolai Gogol
4.0
Gogol was known as being the Russian realist. He writes about the stark banality of life and that is certainly evident in all three of the aforementioned stories especially The Overcoat. But then in his genius he takes this portrait of harsh reality and adds a dash of absurdity to critic the ridiculous of said reality.
Diary of a Madman - Probably my favourite of the three, diary entries of a man unaware that he is descending into madness. I mean the title kind of gives that away Gogol is literal with all his story titles. I would love to find a psychiatrist analysis of this story the descriptions of the mania episode felt so authentic.
The Nose - Imagine waking one day and your nose had been stolen? Only to see your nose dressed and pretending to be a person. This was the most abstract of the three stories but carrying the strongest criticism of Russian culture. Gogol uses the nose as a metaphor for ambition and social status and within this seemingly odd story he makes comments regarding class, bureaucracy, corruption, police incompetence.
The Overcoat - The bleakest and saddest of the three. A study into poverty and the pointlessness of life told through a man needing to buy a new coat. This one broke my heart.
I have fallen for Gogol it is safe to say and I’m continuing to read through the rest of his stories in the book. Shout out to How Ivan Ivanovich quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich, just pure storytelling comic genius and I may have accidentally on purpose purchased his novel Dead Souls too.
Diary of a Madman - Probably my favourite of the three, diary entries of a man unaware that he is descending into madness. I mean the title kind of gives that away Gogol is literal with all his story titles. I would love to find a psychiatrist analysis of this story the descriptions of the mania episode felt so authentic.
The Nose - Imagine waking one day and your nose had been stolen? Only to see your nose dressed and pretending to be a person. This was the most abstract of the three stories but carrying the strongest criticism of Russian culture. Gogol uses the nose as a metaphor for ambition and social status and within this seemingly odd story he makes comments regarding class, bureaucracy, corruption, police incompetence.
The Overcoat - The bleakest and saddest of the three. A study into poverty and the pointlessness of life told through a man needing to buy a new coat. This one broke my heart.
I have fallen for Gogol it is safe to say and I’m continuing to read through the rest of his stories in the book. Shout out to How Ivan Ivanovich quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich, just pure storytelling comic genius and I may have accidentally on purpose purchased his novel Dead Souls too.