This compilation of stories is an absolutely phenomenal introduction to Gogol and his writing. He is often presented as the Russian Mark Twain and with his dry humor and commentary on, mostly, Petersburg lifestyle, the analogy is not far off. Gogol is devilishly ticklish on the laughter muscles. He spawns absurdity out of tedium with a magician's flourish.Many other Russian writers took inspiration from Gogol and his wildly interesting stories and he is still influencing writers and readers to this day.
"The Diary of a Madman" is the first story that we are presented that watches the gradual disintegration of a man's mind, swallowed by the obsession with station, rank, custom, and other rudimentary desires in life that are hollow and vacant. "The Nose" is next and offers a hilarious reprieve from the slightly dark ending to the first story. The story follows a man who wakes up one day without his nose as it seems to have wanted to simply take a vacation and gallivant across the city. Cyclical in nature, the story concludes redundantly (very much like Twain) and focuses on the obsession that the man has with his face and his station that his face provides. Literally, his main hangup is that he can't flirt! Following the theme of obsession is "The Overcoat" where a simple-minded worker goes to great lengths to obtain a new coat
Gogol takes a step away from the short story to the novella in Taras Bulba which is more of an epic than a lighthearted story about a hero and his sons. It gives the reader a sense that Gogol didn't just stick with the short story genre and explored many realms of literature (he was also a playwright and a teacher).
A simply great introductory collection that will undoubtedly open the doors for many readers of Russian literature.
