Nikolai Gogol
Ukrainian-born Russian author whose satirical fiction defined the critical realism that would dominate Russian literature. Dead Souls and his short stories exposed the absurdities and corruption of Russian provincial life.
Works
- Dead SoulsSatirical epic about a landowner purchasing deceased serfs for financial gain
- The OvercoatTragic tale of a poor clerk whose life is destroyed by loss of overcoat
- Diary of a MadmanAbsurdist monologue of a minor official descending into madness and delusion
- Taras BulbaHistorical novella depicting Cossack warriors and their violent struggle for freedom
- The Inspector GeneralSatirical play exposing corruption in provincial Russian administrative bureaucracy