Time to head off any risk of their being a Russian Reading Deficiency on the Ramblings! 😀 I’ve been lucky enough to receive these two review copies from the lovely Pushkin Press: a pair of collected short stories by a duo of favourite Russian authors – Tolstoy and Gogol. Both of them present what are described in the subtitle as “Essential Stories” and that’s a description with which I wouldn’t argue! So today I’ll look at the Gogol selection, with the rather evocative title “And the Earth will sit on the Moon”!
I have long suspected dogs of being far more intelligent than humans…
This selection of five of Gogol’s tales is translated by Oliver Ready, who provides a useful introduction which interestingly mentions the long reach of Gogol’s influence through Dostoevsky to Bulgakov. And these stories really *are* vital: “The Nose”, “Diary of a Madman” and “The Overcoat” are possibly Gogol’s best-known short works and deserve to be revisited, even if you’ve read them before, as they capture the writer’s essence quite brilliantly. “The Nose” is a surreal masterpiece in which the titular objects becomes detached from its owner and develops a life of its own; “Diary…” follows the mental collapse of a clerk who becomes obsessed with his superior’s daughter; and “The Overcoat” meditates on the fate of a poor man who invests his money and soul into a new garment.
And so, in a certain Department there served a certain clerk, a clerk whom nobody could describe as especially remarkable, who was a bit short, a bit pocked, a bit carroty and even, by the looks of him, a bit blind, with a widow’s peak, wrinkles on both cheeks, and a general complexion that was positively haemorrhoidal…
These three Petersburg-based stories have a common theme; they pick apart the horrors of a society based so much on status and rank, where those at the bottom are prey to financial and emotional crisis, excluded from the world of the haves, and have an existence rather than a life. Gogol is well aware of the poverty that exists in this world and the pernicious effect it has on those impoverished workers, and it’s clear where his sympathies lie. In particular, it’s chilling watching the gradual mental deteriorationof the clerk in “Diary…” as the entries become weirder and the dating of the writings more bizarre.
The other two stories have rural settings rather than the city; but Gogol is just as devastating with his satire. “Old-World Landowners”, while purporting to be a portrait of a much-missed world now declining, actually reflects the primitive manner of living in many Russian rural areas. The opening paragraph is just brilliant:
How I love the unassuming life of those proprietors of remote estates who are known in Little Russia as old-world landowners and who, like decrepit picturesque cottages, present such a welcome contrast in their motley garb to all the sleek new buildings whose walls have not yet been drenched in rain, whose roofs have not yet turned green with mould, and whose plastered porches still conceal their red bricks from view.
And despite the narrator’s apparent love of the ‘old world’, I don’t think many of us would want to live there…!
The final story, “The Carriage”, is a marvellous piece of satire, again focusing on the rural world but one in which a small town is disrupted by the arrival of a regiment of the military. The local landowners attempt to keep up with the status of their visitors, but one gentleman in particular is caught out by a mixture of vanity and too much alcohol…
I’ve read all of these stories at points throughout my life, but loved revisiting them in these lovely new translations from Oliver Ready (probably best known for his rendering of “Crime and Punishment”). He also provides a helpful note on the various ranks of the Russian Civil Service, notoriously complex and essential to the understanding of the anguish and status of Gogol’s protagonists. This is a fabulous new collection from Pushkin, and if you’ve never experienced the wonderful writing and satire of Gogol before, it’s the perfect place to start! Go on – you know you want to… ;D
Next up on the Ramblings – essential stories from Tolstoy! 😀
Feb 03, 2020 @ 09:15:36
Lovely little books – not sure if I’ve read any of the stories as it’s been a while since I spent any time with the Russians…
Feb 03, 2020 @ 14:35:36
Pushkin editions really are lovely, and this is a good collection to get reacquainted with Gogol. They really are his essential stories!
Feb 03, 2020 @ 09:25:57
Loved your first sentence Kaggsy 😀 This sounds a great collection and in a lovely Pushkin edition too!
Feb 03, 2020 @ 14:34:53
LOL! Let’s face it, it wouldn’t be the Ramblings without some Russian lit! And yes – it’s not only a great collection, it’s very pretty too! 😀
Feb 03, 2020 @ 17:41:56
ha ha ha
Feb 03, 2020 @ 19:00:43
:DDD
Feb 03, 2020 @ 11:15:05
Glad to hear about new Gogol translations!
Feb 03, 2020 @ 14:34:07
They really are excellent – I love Gogol! 😀
Feb 03, 2020 @ 15:09:03
I love Gogol too!
Feb 03, 2020 @ 15:46:44
One of my favourite Russians! I just wish he’d written more… 😦
Feb 03, 2020 @ 15:09:11
Maybe it’s time to revisit Gogol. Haven’t read him since graduate school ages ago…
Feb 03, 2020 @ 15:46:25
He’s very entertaining and definitely worth a revisit! 😀
Feb 03, 2020 @ 19:55:05
This looks like a great new edition. All I have is an old Penguin Classic which also has the three most famous stories and then a further (different) two – but I’m also tempted to get a complete stories!
Feb 03, 2020 @ 20:39:30
It’s a lovely collection and I enjoyed the translations very much. I do own an ex-library edition of the collected stories, but I’m a bit nervous of it, because it’s a P/V translation…. :s
Feb 03, 2020 @ 21:30:06
Such lovely little books, and right up your street. I like the sound of the stories which focus on ruralufe, and that opening paragraph from Old World Landowners is lovely.
Feb 04, 2020 @ 10:50:58
Yes, perfect for me! I’ve loved reading Gogol for decades, but I really liked these new translations.
Feb 03, 2020 @ 22:57:50
Pushkin books are lovely. I love looking through their catalog. These two look lovely and interesting.
Feb 04, 2020 @ 10:50:31
They *are* gorgeous! These are a lovely pair of books and I’ve really enjoyed both – Tolstoy to follow later in the week! 😀
Feb 04, 2020 @ 02:09:06
Enjoy! I usually have hard time with short stories, but Gogol’s I really want to try. I love Russian literature, but now I’m full in Japanese lit
Feb 04, 2020 @ 10:42:50
Gogol’s are great fun and so subversive – love him! I can understand being immersed in Japanese literature, though I seem to be ricocheting madly between several countries at the moment! 😀
Feb 04, 2020 @ 11:30:28
Gogol really deserves a beautiful story collection like this to get reacquainted and to get new fans!
Feb 04, 2020 @ 13:32:20
He does – one of my all-time favourite Russian authors! 😀
Feb 04, 2020 @ 21:19:05
I think short stories may be the way for me with Russians and I haven’t tackled Gogol yet so this could be just the edition I need!
Feb 05, 2020 @ 09:21:07
Definitely – short stories are a fine way to get to know an author and as some of the Russians are fairly intimidating doorsteps, these are a good introduction. Plus the Gogols are a hoot and these will give you a real flavour of his writing! 😀
Feb 05, 2020 @ 15:20:41
I suspect I’ve read and enjoyed most of these. Maybe it’s time to get back to Russian literature. I still haven’t read The Master and Margarita.
Feb 05, 2020 @ 16:09:03
They’re wonderful stories! And I would always encourage getting back to the Russians. If M&M seems to daunting, Bulgakov’s shorter works The Fatal Eggs and A Dog’s Heart are great too!
Feb 06, 2020 @ 16:56:35
I have several of his shorter works but I think it should be The Master.
Feb 06, 2020 @ 19:58:58
Definitely – it *is* wonderful!
Feb 06, 2020 @ 06:23:48
Feb 07, 2020 @ 17:48:44
Yay for short stories! Double yay for rereading! You make me want to make more time to #ReadRussian.
Feb 07, 2020 @ 20:35:41
Absolutely! Definitely time for more Russian lit! 😀
Essential Matters: The TLS on Russia and Eastern Europe – Boris Dralyuk
Feb 11, 2020 @ 04:33:32
Feb 12, 2020 @ 20:53:16
Hmmm… I’m tempted. Maybe I’ll make this the year I explore Gogol…
Feb 12, 2020 @ 20:56:12
Yay! He’s great fun but with hidden depths….
Feb 12, 2020 @ 21:11:44
‘Tis bought. On the Kindle. Instant gratification! I Looked Inside and was hooked. Shall try and restrain myself from reading until I am curled up on train seat on Monday (with my flask of tea), en route for Newcastle – The Newcastle Book may be more apt, but Gogol looks to be my kind of writer. Thank you!
Feb 13, 2020 @ 09:28:39
Hurrah! Enjoy! Though reading the Book of Newcastle whilst going to Newcastle would have been marvellous – it *is* a great read too! 😀
Feb 13, 2020 @ 11:17:25
Maybe I could get that for the return journey!
Feb 13, 2020 @ 11:22:26
LOL! Sound like a good plan! 😀
Sep 28, 2020 @ 06:59:38