The Nikolai Gogol Collection includes four great works by one of the leading figures in nineteenth-century Russian literature:

Dead Souls

Translated and annoted by Donald Rayfiled, Emeritus Professor of Russian at Queen Mary University of London

A biting satire of social pretensions and pomposity, Dead Souls has been revered since its original publication in 1842 as one of the funniest and most brilliant novels of nineteenth-century Russia. Its unflinching and remorseless depiction of venality in Russian society is a lasting tribute to Gogol’s comic genius.

Petersburg Tales

Translated by Dora O’Brien

Also including the ‘Diary of Madman’, these Petersburg Tales paint a critical yet hilarious portrait of a city riddled with pomposity and self-importance, masterfully juxtaposing nineteenth-century realism with madcap surrealism, and combining absurdist farce with biting satire.

How the Two Ivans Quarrelled and Other Russian Comic Stories

Translate by Guy Daniels

A great collection of stories where the most irrelevant-seeming details and turns of phrase take on a bizarre life of their own.

The Government Inspector

Translated by Roger Cockrell

Often quoted as Russian literature’s greatest comedy, The Government Inspector is a trenchant satire of the corruption, greed and stupidity of petty officialdom, and the crowning achievement of Gogol’s skills as a playwright.