Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

I previously enjoyed Gogol's "The Nose", which appears in this collection, but is augmented by four others, the best of which is "The Overcoat". Of most interest, especially for the existing Gogol fan, is the introduction in this edition. The point is well made about how significantly Gogol was influenced by Thomas Sterne. The intrusive and unreliable narrator of Tristram Shandy seems an equal hallmark within Gogol's prose. Reading these stories serves also as a reminder of what a good satirist Gogol is. His prose is all the funnier and skewering in the context of its self-deprecating tone. Gogol has particular fun undermining Russian bureaucracy. Both Dostoevsky and Kafka owe a debt to Gogol. 8 out of 10.

By Nikolai Gogol