Regarded as the first great masterpiece of Russian literature, Dead Souls mixes realism and symbolism for a vivid and highly original portrait of Russian life.
Chichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in a provincial town with a bizarre but seductive proposition for local landowners. He proposes to buy the names of their serfs who have died but who are still registered on the census, thereby saving their owners from paying taxes on them. But what collateral will Chichikov receive for these "souls"? What dubious scheme lies behind his actions?
Full of larger-than-life Dickensian characters—rogues and scoundrels, landowners and serfs, conniving petty officials, and the wily antihero Chichikov—Dead Souls is a devastating comic satire on social hypocrisy.
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"Love this and hate that it is incomplete. When it trailed off mid-sentence at the end of book one I thought I was supposed to figure something out. Book two is sketchy throughout. Brilliant premise. Incisive writing of the character of Russia. " — Ctb (5 out of 5 stars)
"Love this and hate that it is incomplete. When it trailed off mid-sentence at the end of book one I thought I was supposed to figure something out. Book two is sketchy throughout. Brilliant premise. Incisive writing of the character of Russia. "
“Considered one of the world’s finest satires, this picaresque work traces the adventures of the social-climbing Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a dismissed civil servant out to seek his fortune. It is admired not only for its enduring comic portraits but also for its sense of moral purpose.”
“Considered one of the great novels in the Russian canon, this book is a symbolic snapshot of nineteenth-century Russian life and an intense literary experience…Narrator Tom Weiner has a deep, robust, nasally tinged voice that captures the tone of the book.”
" Dead Souls is some funny shit. "
" actually i read the Arabic version, translated by raduga publisher Moscowbut i hated the main character as much as i can cause he was dirty mean feudal. "
" I laughed out loud! I only wish Gogol had lived to finish it himself, because there were bits missing. But a great story well written. "
" I prefer Gogol's short stories, but this piece could have been magnificent if he managed to finish it before he died. Full of his typical wit and humor, despite it leaving off in the middle of a sentence, it's still an enjoyable read. "
" Gogol has some really important points to say but I found myself getting disinterested in it in parts despite it's potential to be a radical text. "
" Engaging, but the ending did not, I feel, cash the check that the story was writing. The style, though (obviously) translated was what got this a three and not less. "
" I read half of it and could not bring myself to finish it. The half I read was written beautifully - the descriptions were vivid, the dialogue engaging. But the plot just did not move along for me. I couldn't keep with it. After 2 months with the bookmark in the same place, I gave up. :( "
" Not necessarily a breeze to read but well worth your time. I really enjoy Gogol's writing style. "
" A decent dark comedy. Diary of a Madman was better. "
Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852) was a preeminent Ukrainian-born author. He is particularly famous for those stories which veer in the direction of surrealism and the grotesque.
Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
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