The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol Vol. 2

While the first volume of The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol contained the more obscure short stories that look like B grade material, this second volume contains some of the more well-known stories. As usual, these short stories convey a large percentage of Gogol's literary genius. The writing is witty & the dialogue is pretty clever. The first half is a collection of short stories called Mirgorod, which is considered to be a continuation of his own Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (from the first volume). "Old-World Landowners" is a satire on old age and new age, while "Taras Bulba," Gogol's longest short story, is a tale of an old Cossack and his two sons joining the Ukrainian forces to battle against Poland. "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich" tells of two men whose growing friendship is severely tested. The second half features four of the most famous short stories ever written by Gogol: "The Nose," "The Overcoat," "The Portrait," & "The Coach." "The Nose" has become one of my favorite works from Gogol for its surreal humor. I can easily recommend The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol to anyone who is interested in Gogol's works, and anyone who is interested in Russian literature in general.