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Tales of Good and Evil
Translated with an Introduction by David Magarshack
Cover and typography by Edward Gorey
Cover and typography by Edward Gorey
304 pages
First published January 1, 1949
About the author
Nikolai Gogol
2,226 books5,932 followersPeople consider that Russian writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Николай Васильевич Гоголь) founded realism in Russian literature. His works include
The Overcoat
(1842) and
Dead Souls
(1842).
Ukrainian birth, heritage, and upbringing of Gogol influenced many of his written works among the most beloved in the tradition of Russian-language literature. Most critics see Gogol as the first Russian realist. His biting satire, comic realism, and descriptions of Russian provincials and petty bureaucrats influenced later Russian masters Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and especially Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Gogol wittily said many later Russian maxims.
Gogol first used the techniques of surrealism and the grotesque in his works The Nose , Viy , The Overcoat , and Nevsky Prospekt . Ukrainian upbringing, culture, and folklore influenced his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka .
His later writing satirized political corruption in the Russian empire in Dead Souls .
Ukrainian birth, heritage, and upbringing of Gogol influenced many of his written works among the most beloved in the tradition of Russian-language literature. Most critics see Gogol as the first Russian realist. His biting satire, comic realism, and descriptions of Russian provincials and petty bureaucrats influenced later Russian masters Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and especially Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Gogol wittily said many later Russian maxims.
Gogol first used the techniques of surrealism and the grotesque in his works The Nose , Viy , The Overcoat , and Nevsky Prospekt . Ukrainian upbringing, culture, and folklore influenced his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka .
His later writing satirized political corruption in the Russian empire in Dead Souls .
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 26, 2018
Funny, poignant and wonderfully surreal - particularly enjoyed the Portrait and the Nose.
April 5, 2022
Pleased I finished that. Terrible book. Terrible attitudes. Disjointed stories. Couldn't really find anything worthwhile in. Russians are strange people.
December 11, 2015
I guess I'll just start off by stating the obvious: Gogol is no Leo or Fyodor. While his work is fairly enjoyable and he can hold up well on his own, the stories collected in Tales of Good and Evil lack the complexity of Dostoevsky or the descriptions of Tolstoy.
But then again, I'm not exactly complaining. Like fellow short story specialist, Pushkin, Gogol does excel at throwing a lot of different things in such confined space. There's a lot of things being told in these 6 (relatively) short tales. While both "The Terrible Vengeance" and "Ivan Fydorovich Shponka and his Aunt" failed to impress me, and "The Portrait" was just ok for me, the last 3 collected works were well written and entertaining. "Nevsky Avenue" was descriptive to the point of me feeling like I could be among the inhabitants of the titular street and told a decent story about obsession and poor choices. "The Nose", though lacking any real literary merit, was the most humorous of the bunch. Sure, someone's nose going missing doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but Gogol's restrained humor and the increasingly funny situations made it what it was.
I will say that "The Overcoat" is hands down the best in this entire collection. Gogol's talent for describing the downtrodden and out-of-luck protagonist and making the reader feel sorry for them, is what set this final story above all else. Plus, unlike the rest of the stories, this one really seemed to capture the essence of "good vs. evil". I only wish this would have been the first tale in the book. Might have roped me in quicker and led me to read the book faster. 2 weeks for a 271 page book is far too long.
But then again, I'm not exactly complaining. Like fellow short story specialist, Pushkin, Gogol does excel at throwing a lot of different things in such confined space. There's a lot of things being told in these 6 (relatively) short tales. While both "The Terrible Vengeance" and "Ivan Fydorovich Shponka and his Aunt" failed to impress me, and "The Portrait" was just ok for me, the last 3 collected works were well written and entertaining. "Nevsky Avenue" was descriptive to the point of me feeling like I could be among the inhabitants of the titular street and told a decent story about obsession and poor choices. "The Nose", though lacking any real literary merit, was the most humorous of the bunch. Sure, someone's nose going missing doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but Gogol's restrained humor and the increasingly funny situations made it what it was.
I will say that "The Overcoat" is hands down the best in this entire collection. Gogol's talent for describing the downtrodden and out-of-luck protagonist and making the reader feel sorry for them, is what set this final story above all else. Plus, unlike the rest of the stories, this one really seemed to capture the essence of "good vs. evil". I only wish this would have been the first tale in the book. Might have roped me in quicker and led me to read the book faster. 2 weeks for a 271 page book is far too long.
September 9, 2011
More evil than good.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews