Classics

Dead Souls

Dead Souls

  • Downloads：6249
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-23 10:56:18
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Nikolai Gogol
  • ISBN：1840226374
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A stranger arrives in a Russian backwater community with a bizarre proposition for the local landowners: cash for their "dead souls，" the serfs who have died in their service。 Gogol's comic masterpiece offers a vast and satirical painting of 19th-century Russia。 A work of great symbolism， it continues to inspire 21st-century authors and readers。

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Reviews

Gene ，

I'm only halfway through but this book is hilarious。 although nikolai keeps interrupting the book with something along the lines of "the reader should note 。。。。" or "the author thinks。。。" which was endearing the first few times but is just kind of annoying now。 the metaphors are also very annoying and go on for paragraphs which is frankly not needed。 um also chichikov thinks a 16 year old is hot？ ew。 but this book is good and one really gets a sense of the atmosphere and there's some really funn I'm only halfway through but this book is hilarious。 although nikolai keeps interrupting the book with something along the lines of "the reader should note 。。。。" or "the author thinks。。。" which was endearing the first few times but is just kind of annoying now。 the metaphors are also very annoying and go on for paragraphs which is frankly not needed。 um also chichikov thinks a 16 year old is hot？ ew。 but this book is good and one really gets a sense of the atmosphere and there's some really funny descriptions。 I read it at lunch and I keep chuckling to myself which hopefully does not make me look crazy。 whatever it's worth it stan manilov 。。。more

Robert Kleinberg ，

Gogol stands at the pinnacle of Russian literature along with Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy。 Dead Souls is a great book that can be read and reread to appreciate at many levels:- as a funny story with a cast of caricatures including its lovable， pathetic hero- as a portrait of Russian rural life- as a commentary about human motivations and behavior- as ironic comment about idealists who claim to have big answers for changing society- as an exploration of the peasant mentality- as a prelude to the chao Gogol stands at the pinnacle of Russian literature along with Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy。 Dead Souls is a great book that can be read and reread to appreciate at many levels:- as a funny story with a cast of caricatures including its lovable， pathetic hero- as a portrait of Russian rural life- as a commentary about human motivations and behavior- as ironic comment about idealists who claim to have big answers for changing society- as an exploration of the peasant mentality- as a prelude to the chaos that would result from Communist revolution- … and like all of Gogol’s rich works， as a poem full of deep feeling about Russia and this world。In Gogol’s writing there is art in every word， every description。 Each side remark and observation adds to the descriptive power， the range of emotions – and to our ability to see through Gogol’s perceptive eyes。For that， we need excellent translation。 Unfortunately， the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation ruins the book with an overworked， oversmoothed， overintellectualized rendition that removes the startling power of the original。You’re much better off reading the older， widely available D。 J。 Hogarth translation。 。。。more

Nicholas ，

This book， although unfinished， is a very characteristic piece of Russian literature， that is to say it's absolutely worth the read。 Gogol is easily the funniest Russian author I've read thus far and this book had me laughing to myself in public at the sheer absurdity of some of the characters and situations， although that's not to say they are unrealistic。 An essential for any fans of Russian literature。 This book， although unfinished， is a very characteristic piece of Russian literature， that is to say it's absolutely worth the read。 Gogol is easily the funniest Russian author I've read thus far and this book had me laughing to myself in public at the sheer absurdity of some of the characters and situations， although that's not to say they are unrealistic。 An essential for any fans of Russian literature。 。。。more

David C Ward ，

I can see where this would be important in Russian culture in the first half of the 19th century but humor/satire doesn’t travel well and I found its descriptions of provincial backwardness， provincial idiocy， provincial buffoonery tiresome。 Russian literature is its own index of the country’s cultural backwardness。 I always wonder where Tolstoy came from， especially Anna Karenina。

jessie。 ，

Quando eu comecei a ler não sabia que esse era um livro inacabado， que teve os manuscritos destruídos pelo autor， ainda mais que no início a história não me prendeu muito porém da metade pro final eu fiquei realmente investida na narrativa e nos personagens que iam aparecendo。。。 É triste que os capítulos finais estejam incompletos， só posso imaginar o quanto ele teria sido fantástico se tivesse sido concluído！ De qualquer forma， é uma leitura bem interessante。

Layna ，

This is awesome！ I was able to talk about the book after I read it。 You did well！ 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Jyynx ，

The story is compelling。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Dimebag The Reader ，

Do you like the novel Dead Souls？ I like Tolstoy too but Gogol is necessary along with the light。Flannery O’Connor

Josh Eisenberg ，

This book is missing long chunks which Gogol reputedly burned。

Priya ，

Powerful， satirical， and thought provoking。

Victor Vilchiz ，

another one of those "classics" that baffles me how they can be considered so。。。 another one of those "classics" that baffles me how they can be considered so。。。 。。。more

Kasiastarko ，

Спинилася на першій частині。

Τζώρτζια Παπακωνσταντίνου ，

Ο αριβίστας Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov στην προσπάθειά του να ανέλθει επαγγελματικά και οικονομικά εφαρμόζει μία κομπίνα κατά την οποία παίρνει κρατικά δάνεια στα ονόματα αγροτών που έχουν πεθάνει。 Μία καταπληκτική σάτιρα στηριγμένη πάνω στην δίψα για χρήμα και αναγνώριση， στη διεφθαρμένη κοινωνία της τότε Ρωσίας και το σάπιο σύστημα εξουσίας。 Σε συγγραφικές στιγμές όπως αυτήν ο Gogol δεν έχει να ζηλέψει τίποτα από τον Ντοστογιέφσκι。

Fiona ，

My first read of Gogol。 The idea is brilliant， a lot confusion， dark humor and social criticising。 Too bad the story was never closed， some parts， as well as the ending， are missing， which is dissatisfiying。 But still I enjoyed the book。Took me some time to get into it， as the author is going a lot into detail， even sometimes announcing， that this will have no further influence on the story but he still takes paragraphes to describes these things or characters。 That was a bit annoying， but I got My first read of Gogol。 The idea is brilliant， a lot confusion， dark humor and social criticising。 Too bad the story was never closed， some parts， as well as the ending， are missing， which is dissatisfiying。 But still I enjoyed the book。Took me some time to get into it， as the author is going a lot into detail， even sometimes announcing， that this will have no further influence on the story but he still takes paragraphes to describes these things or characters。 That was a bit annoying， but I got used to it and as the author addresses the reader directly， it is part of the charm。 。。。more

Zan ，

A strange， meandering epic， poetic and grand， but all in service of the most goofy banality。 The journey becomes this repeating cycle of meeting， parting， with larger than life characters who leap to compliment each other， and generally perform this fake display of nobility to any end。 Government and management is frequently decried， and nothing resembling bureaucracy escapes unscathed。This is mostly a review for volume 1， because the unfinished 2。。。seems to be taking things in a very different A strange， meandering epic， poetic and grand， but all in service of the most goofy banality。 The journey becomes this repeating cycle of meeting， parting， with larger than life characters who leap to compliment each other， and generally perform this fake display of nobility to any end。 Government and management is frequently decried， and nothing resembling bureaucracy escapes unscathed。This is mostly a review for volume 1， because the unfinished 2。。。seems to be taking things in a very different direction。 It seems Gogol might've had his sights on something broader than 'classic Russian screwball comedy' but it never quite gets there。 As it is， I don't know that reading the unfinished chapters is worth it。 But Volume 1 is delightful， and worth your time。 。。。more

James Hageman ，

Delicious， and relevant in surprising ways。 Funniest Russian book ever。

Helsiinkii ，

4，5

Arden ，

This is a 3。5 star read。 I wholly enjoyed Gogol's style of writing， felt that the satire was very effective， and found some sections quite funny。 On the other hand， the plot drags and the characters are very typical for satire， so it wasn't the most pleasant reading experience。 Also， misogyny。 This is a 3。5 star read。 I wholly enjoyed Gogol's style of writing， felt that the satire was very effective， and found some sections quite funny。 On the other hand， the plot drags and the characters are very typical for satire， so it wasn't the most pleasant reading experience。 Also， misogyny。 。。。more

Meghna Mukherjee ，

Didn't start the book to expect it as a dark comedy， since it's not AS famous as other russian novels like Anna Karenina or the Overcoat by Gogol himself。 But what a comfort read and the beauty of anarchy in the process of finding loopholes in the system has been presented。 Chichikov the protagonist has been budded by his father that money is the most virtuous asset， inspite of being a gentleman， he uses his energy to find a loophole to earn quick money。 It does makes him pay a price， but since Didn't start the book to expect it as a dark comedy， since it's not AS famous as other russian novels like Anna Karenina or the Overcoat by Gogol himself。 But what a comfort read and the beauty of anarchy in the process of finding loopholes in the system has been presented。 Chichikov the protagonist has been budded by his father that money is the most virtuous asset， inspite of being a gentleman， he uses his energy to find a loophole to earn quick money。 It does makes him pay a price， but since the story is not about morality， in no place at all is he apologetic。 He frees himself from one glitch and creates another。 Also Chichikov presents himself like a persuasive salesman， at the times of 19th century Russia。 The book did put a question mart of the difficult social construct of Russia， but never directly criticizes it。 In fact the book keeps the thought over it's readers to understand the layers problematic system， and people growing loopholes within them。 。。。more

Kodanda Rama ，

Seriously， Why'd you burn the second part？？ This is soo Good。 I love all the land owners and their eccentricities。 Nozdrev， Manilov， Piluskhin， Sobakevich and Chichikov himself。I don't know what else to say， I'm just sad and I'll never not be， when thinking about dead souls， that I don't get to read more of Chichikov's journey which was supposed to be atleast 2 more books。 These 400 pages are a treasure that's dear to me but it's no where near enough。 Chichikov is too precious and so is Gogol。 Seriously， Why'd you burn the second part？？ This is soo Good。 I love all the land owners and their eccentricities。 Nozdrev， Manilov， Piluskhin， Sobakevich and Chichikov himself。I don't know what else to say， I'm just sad and I'll never not be， when thinking about dead souls， that I don't get to read more of Chichikov's journey which was supposed to be atleast 2 more books。 These 400 pages are a treasure that's dear to me but it's no where near enough。 Chichikov is too precious and so is Gogol。 。。。more

KomaHuman ，

Перечитал первый том и наконец соизволил пробежаться по второму， могу твердо и чётко сказать， что второй том слабее， но он был не доделан， так что гладки взятки， ну или души， хех）

Harry Burnside ，

Lost In TranslationThe blurb on the cover said it was the greatest Russian comedy but unfortunately I didn't laugh much， perhaps an understanding of Russian philosophy and culture to get it。The first 5/6th was translated from the Russian book but the last part of it was destroyed by the author as writing of the novel drove the author mad。 The translator then used a French translation to translate into English。 I must say I found this translation more readable than the translation from Russian。I Lost In TranslationThe blurb on the cover said it was the greatest Russian comedy but unfortunately I didn't laugh much， perhaps an understanding of Russian philosophy and culture to get it。The first 5/6th was translated from the Russian book but the last part of it was destroyed by the author as writing of the novel drove the author mad。 The translator then used a French translation to translate into English。 I must say I found this translation more readable than the translation from Russian。I found the book quite hard to read and to follow but I persisted to the end though it almost made me mad to do so and I was very happy when I finished it today。 Whew。 。。。more

Lex ，

I was surprised to find this is more of a satire。 The title makes it sound so serious。 I didn’t like the way women were portrayed ， but I realize that is a cultural issue and due to the time period it was written for。

Adonis Argus ，

Unlike many other Russian classics， it was actually quite fun to read。 You’ll find in her stock characters prevalent in all societies。

Liviana ，

Come non consigliare un giro in carrozza con Cicikov， un modernissimo antieroe， tra la Russia rurale dell'800。 Come non consigliare un giro in carrozza con Cicikov， un modernissimo antieroe， tra la Russia rurale dell'800。 。。。more

Bri ，

Dense and not plot driven， but written well enough to be engaging。 Part II started out with a new interesting story， but I agree that it isn't as good as Part I。 Nevertheless， the gaps are disappointing because it might have been great， and I would have liked to read its completion。 Dense and not plot driven， but written well enough to be engaging。 Part II started out with a new interesting story， but I agree that it isn't as good as Part I。 Nevertheless， the gaps are disappointing because it might have been great， and I would have liked to read its completion。 。。。more

Matt V ，

Abounding in humor and wit。 Complex work， well worth the effort。

Ahmed Said Salim ，

الرواية جيدة تعكس جوانب كثيرة جداً من المجتمع الروسي بكل ما فيه من محامد ومسالب غير أن طريقة السرد لم ترق لي حيث كان الكاتب كثيراً ما يظهر في الرواية ويتحدث عن نفسه ربما هذا خروج عن المألوف ولكنه لم يعجبني، الاسهاب في التفاصيل كان ممتعاً إلا أنه كان مزعجاً في أوقات كثيرة، ولكن في المجمل رواية شيقة وممتعة جداً

Benjamin ，

I'm vaguely reminded of CMOT Dibbler from Discworld。 This is high praise。 I'm vaguely reminded of CMOT Dibbler from Discworld。 This is high praise。 。。。more

Diana Esaian ，

"Dead Souls" is a very famous work by Nikolai Gogol， in which the author reveals the vices and customs of the society， the life of a Russian person in the 1830s。 Even though the work is considered the author's masterpiece， I found the plot and the ideas quite uninteresting and a bit boring。 I highly respect the writer and his works， but this particular one seemed to lack something that would interest the readers in reading the whole piece。 "Dead Souls" is a very famous work by Nikolai Gogol， in which the author reveals the vices and customs of the society， the life of a Russian person in the 1830s。 Even though the work is considered the author's masterpiece， I found the plot and the ideas quite uninteresting and a bit boring。 I highly respect the writer and his works， but this particular one seemed to lack something that would interest the readers in reading the whole piece。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dead Souls

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dead Souls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dead Souls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0