Speaking Volumes: Learn more about Nikolai Gogol, Russia’s master of satire

Nikolai Gogol is one of Russia’s most beloved writers. Gogol wrote short stories and plays, and died at the young age of 43.

Your local library has a wide selection of materials both on or about him.

His works have been frequently translated and adapted to the stage, cinema and television.

Born in 1809 in present-day Ukraine, he began writing and performing from an early age, influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing and a talent for satirical comedy that foreshadowed some of his later works.

After finishing his education, he tried to secure a post as professor of Ukrainian history and while this didn’t happen, he managed to become a professor of medieval history in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1834.

This proved to be a failure, and he resigned a short time later, realizing that his future lay in writing. He wrote the play “Taras Bulba,” based on a history of Ukrainian Cossacks, and a play “The Government Inspector,” a satire of political corruption in Imperial Russia. A copy of this play can be found in the adult non-fiction area.

The 1949 film adaptation “The Inspector General” starring Danny Kaye is also available. The film can be viewed as a streaming video via Hoopla, a database that is accessible through the library website.

If you are looking for a critical analysis of the play, you can find “A Study Guide for Nikolai Gogol’s “The Government Inspector” as an eBook through Hoopla.

“Taras Bulba” is available in several forms of media: in our adult non-fiction area, a comic book adaptation and a 2009 film which are available as an eBook and streaming video respectively through Hoopla.

If you’re interested in other plays and stories written by Gogol, you might check out the following anthologies.

“The Overcoat, and Other Tales of Good and Evil,” translated by David Magarshack, features the title story which is considered to Gogol’s finest and deftly combines sympathy for the underdog, wry humor and a touch of fantasy.

“Diary of a Madman and Other Stories” features the short story “The Portrait,” which shows his penchant for spookery.

No discussion of Gogol and his works would be complete without mention of his classic novel “Dead Souls,” available both electronically through Hoopla and in print in the library collection.

The “Dead Souls” of the title refer to people both owned and employed by the landowners to work their land. “Dead Souls” both explores this as well as poking fun at social conventions of the time.

After publication of this masterwork in 1842, Gogol had begun to experience a moral and religious crisis which subsequently led to a break with the Russian literary community as well as a decline in his writing output.

During this period, he went on to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Upon returning to Russia, he settled in Moscow and died in 1852.

Call your local branch for more information on available titles.

▪ Central Library — 941-748-5555;

▪ Braden River — 941-727-6079;

▪ Island — 941-778-6341;

▪ Palmetto — 941-722-3333;

▪ Rocky Bluff — 941-723-4821;

▪ South Manatee — 941-755-3892.

You also can access the library via the internet at mymanatee.org/library.

David Breakfield is a Central Library librarian. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald.