The Overcoat and the Nose (Penguin 60s)

Yesterday's Muse Verified independent store

→

89 pp. "It is the story of a sincere young clerk who makes great sacrifices to attain an ?overcoat? of untold value and power. Representing the mighty bureaucracy, Akaky dies of a broken heart when his beloved smart coat is stolen. The story takes an interesting turn when he returns for his coat from the buyer. This story symbolizes the reprisal of lower class against the dominance of the ruling class." "Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852) was a Russian writer of Ukrainian ethnicity and birth. Often called the “father of modern Russian realism, ” he was one of the first Russian authors to criticize his country’s way of life. Although his early works were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, he wrote in Russian and his works belong to the tradition of Russian literature. Gogol was one of the first masters of short prose, alongside Pushkin, Mérimée, Hoffmann, and Hawthorne. The main and most persistent characteristic of Gogol’s style is its verbal expressiveness. He wrote with a view not so much to the acoustic effect on the ears of the listener as to the sensuous effect on the vocal apparatus of the reciter. The other main characteristic of his genius is the extraordinary intensity and vividness of impressionist vision, sometimes skirting expressionism. The Dead Souls (1842), The Inspector-General and The Overcoat (1842) are among his masterpieces." Show more