The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol, Volume 1

These are two volumes of the complete short stories from Nikolai Gogol ("Dead Souls" is not included). Volume One is somewhat inferior to Volume Two, but not everything here is flawed. "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" is a two-part series of tales that involve Russian life in the early 1800's. Some tales seems to drag (The Fiar at Sorochintsy), while others are enjoyable to read (A Terrible Vengeance). Then, we have two early classics: Nevsky Prospekt, and "Diary of a Madman". Nevsky Prospekt is a half-comic, half-dramatic story about romance, family business, and agriculture. It doesn't have the same flair as "Dead Souls", but it's good nonetheless for its ironic humor. Diary of a Madman is very surreal, obviously because it's about a diary of a madman. Volume Two has more influential stories. The humor works more brilliantly, and much of the surrealism that takes place is more extreme. "Old World Landowners" seems to be a satire of how old generations will always be eclipsed by the new. "Taras Bulba" is a recreation of a historical epic. There's a bit of fantasy roaming around, and the settings are attention-grabbing. "How Ivanovich Quarreled with Nikiforovich" is a humorous story of two best friends who argue over a rifle. The climax is the equivalent of the anti-hollywood film ending. "The Nose" is the most surreal out of all of these tales. One day a man discovers that his nose has disappeared. The nose is actually now in the form of a man and is being chased by those who are willing to bring the nose back to its rightful owner. I instantly fell in love with "The Portrait" after I read it. It's THAT good. A young painter has to pay off a very large debt of money in order to save his home. A portrait that contains hidden amounts of gold not only saves his home, but also gives him the power to makes himself famous to the world. Tragedy to this story is almost Greek-like. So all in all, Volume One isn't as good as Volume Two, but it is still a very good introduction of Nikolai Gogol, one of the greatest Russian storytellers.

the language of the stories is a little stilted, but it is tough to tell if that is gogol's fault or that of his translator (it is definitely time for a new translation). the stories range in all types and quality, though gogol is at his best when leaning towards the fantastique (kafkaesque comes mind). there are some good stories in the collection: diary of a madman (the only story that is genious), the portrait (gogol ruins what would have been his greatest story with a poorly written, unneccesary second half), the nose, the overcoat, and taras bulba (though a bit wordy and does carry on a little too long). vol 2 is by superior volume (if the editor's introduction and diary of a madman had been in it, there would be no point to volume one).

This publisher has collected in two volumes all of Gogol's short stories. Volume 1 contains Gogol's early work, including his first two books of stories. Several of the stories are good, but there are only two real gems here: "Ivan Schponka and His Aunt" and "Diary of a Madman." Volume 2 contains the real classics: "The Nose", "The Overcoat", etc.