Rating: 
Summary: Don't judge this book by its cover
Review: i must confess that I have always been more than a little disturbed by the cover of this book. The stories featured in this book by Gogol deal with the desperate lives of the St Petersburg bureaucrats, Gogol was one and these are his people! The best story is "The Diary of a Madman" and this deals with the adventures of one of these low grade civil servants who finds his plans and dreams continually frustrated. As a way out he gradually becomes convinced that he is destined for "bigger and better things" (I will not reveal more here, but will leave this to those who will discover just what this is by reading the story). In his delusion, Gogol uses the technique of dislocation to describe the further adventures of his hapless hero and rarely is it used with greater comic effect. Tolstoy was a master of this literary device,particularly when he wanted to satirize something of which he disapproved, but Gogol perfected it. If one wants to see the beginnings of a rich tradition of humor in Russian literature, one cannot do any better than this book. I still dislike the cover and believe that the editors of Penguin may be turning away more business than they generate by the rather off-putting artwork.
Rating:
Summary: Don't judge this book by its cover
Review: i must confess that I have always been more than a little disturbed by the cover of this book. The stories featured in this book by Gogol deal with the desperate lives of the St Petersburg bureaucrats, Gogol was one and these are his people! The best story is "The Diary of a Madman" and this deals with the adventures of one of these low grade civil servants who finds his plans and dreams continually frustrated. As a way out he gradually becomes convinced that he is destined for "bigger and better things" (I will not reveal more here, but will leave this to those who will discover just what this is by reading the story). In his delusion, Gogol uses the technique of dislocation to describe the further adventures of his hapless hero and rarely is it used with greater comic effect. Tolstoy was a master of this literary device,particularly when he wanted to satirize something of which he disapproved, but Gogol perfected it. If one wants to see the beginnings of a rich tradition of humor in Russian literature, one cannot do any better than this book. I still dislike the cover and believe that the editors of Penguin may be turning away more business than they generate by the rather off-putting artwork.
Rating:
Summary: Quirks
Review: I think Gogol is truly the master of weaving a plot around the most inventive idea. Though he is not always the greatest wrriter when it comes to economy - and that hurts him on occassion - for the most part you are unaware of the fact that the tale is even spun of words. He is so touching and entertaining and goodly humorous in these stories that he is incomparable to anybody other than Pushkin, or perhaps Kafka; Even then, Kafka is best compared to Gogol. And, although both his style and content are innovative and absolutely entertaining, there is genuine pathos and empathy abounds. He is one of the great maverick story tellers in recorded history; His stories speak of their time while they speak to all times; His stories both could and could not have taken place anywhere, any time.
In this edition, the stories included are: Diary of a Madman, The Overcoat, The Nose, How Ivan Ivanovich Quarelled with Ivan Nikiforovich, and Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and his Aunt.
Rating:
Summary: My all time favorite
Review: If you are looking for a book with a twist and humor this is the one. I have read it many times and it still is fun and new each time...MUST HAVE BOOK!
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Introduction (Penguin Edition)
Review: Nikolai Gogol had an extraordinarily important influence on Russian literature. A contemporary and friend of Pushkin, he left his mark in several areas, as playwright, novelist and short-story writer. Every Russian writer to come after him acknowledges and reveres Gogol, from Dostoevsky to Bulgakov and on. This collection is a great introduction to Gogol. All of his most famous stories are included. "Diary of a Madman" shows us the disintegrating psyche of a minor civil servant during the era of the repressive rule of Nicholas I. Gogol had problems with Nicholas' censors (who were as vigilant as Stalin's) and he didn't exactly ingratiate himself with this depiction of bureaucratic malaise. The second short-story in the volume, "The Nose," again pokes fun at officialdom, but also takes us on a proto-magical-realism ride through mid-eighteenth century St. Petersburg (As an aside, you can currently take St. Petersburg tours of Gogol's fictional landscape, just as you can Dostoevsky's, [and Bulgakov's Moscow]). The third entry in the collection, "The Overcoat," deals again with an inconsequential bureaucrat (guess what Gogol's background was?) , whose entire existence is wrapped around a new overcoat. Suffice it to say that the story does not end happily for poor Akaky Akakievich. This is in some ways Gogol's signature piece. The story basically involves us in a humorous, at times capricious narrative, but the humor is infused with a great deal of pathos, to the point where we can almost call these tragicomedies. The longest story in the collection, "How Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich," is a case-in-point. On the surface, it is a humorous account of two provincial boobs engaged in protracted enmity as a result of an inconsequential incident. However, at heart, Gogol is saying a great deal about Russian society, and the human condition, at the same time, and the picture is neither pretty nor funny. This is his most successful short story in many respects, imbued with wisdom and local color. Gogol is the most human and humane of Russian authors, but that does not mean that he is anywhere near the greatest, as a result. It would be left to the giants, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, to truly establish Russia as a birthplace of great writers. But it is to this warmth of spirit that the Russian people and its literati have responded to so fervently for so many years. Gogol, of course, is well represented as a novelist for Dead Souls (or Chichikov's Journeys). He also attempted a Russian epic (Taras Bulba). For most modern readers, however, the stories are the most accessible and the most universally revered as regards his literary output. Give this volume a chance, and if you like the stories, turn your attention to Dead Souls, which is indeed worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Truly one of the funniest books I've ever read
Review: The only time I've ever laughed so much when reading a book was when reading WAITING FOR GODOT. Gogol is absolutely brilliant. So brilliant, in fact, that I finished this book in one sitting- only taking breaks to answer the unrelenting telephone (apparently I'd forgotten that I have an answering machine to take messages when I'm busy reading a masterpiece!). I often found myself laughing aloud when reading these stories and the only fault I found was that the book is simply too short. It absolutely must be 500 pages so that I can spend several more hours reading and laughing. 5 STARS.
Rating:
Summary: Diary of a Madman
Review: The short stories in this collection were very like those of Kafka, with the disorienting magical realism and the undercurrent of despair, although Gogol is the more blackly humourous of the two writers. Andrew MacAndrew's translation is a bit peculiar, however; for the Diary of a Madman, he mysteriously altered the structure of the vignettes (there is one less section than in other versions) and removed the name of the narrator. There are also a few irregularities in his version of The Nose. Work by other translators may be more reliable.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!!
Review: This collection of short stories is a work of art. Each story is a masterpiece and this is one of wery few books I can read again and again and again. Occsasionally I pick it up and open it at random and start to read, and every time I laugh so hard it hurts... well maybe not quite so hard every time but almost always. These stories are a delightful read, the most famous being "The Overcoat", whose protagonist reminds me of Woody Allen. The best story is "The Nose" in which we meet a miserable barber who one day discovers a human nose in his breakfast! We also meet the owner of the nose who wakes up one morning to find it missing.
Another good story is the title story which is the diary of a low-life pencil sharpener who falls in love with his boss's daughter. As we read on he starts to halucinate and the diary includes ever more bizarre entries and dates:
"No date. The day didn't have one. I walked incognito down Nevsky Avenue. His Imperial Majesty drove past. Every single person doffed his hat, and I followed suit. However, I didn't let out that I was the King of Spain. I considered it improper to reveal my true identity right there in the middle of the crowd, because, according to etiquette, I ought first to be presented at court."
I am sure that I am missing something wery important because I concentrate mostly on the humorous side of Gogol, but I have to admit, few writers have made smile for many days after reading them.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful stuff
Review: You can't help but love these stories. Gogol was very highly praised by the likes of Dostoyevsky, Belinsky, and Pushkin, yet is anything but high-brow. He has that wonderful touch of humanity and compassion which marks some of the best of the Russian writers. A story I enjoy which doesn't receive as much attention is How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled With Ivan Nikiforovich. Funny, human, insightful, and infectious.
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