A socially adept newcomer fluidly inserts himself into an unnamed Russian town, conquering first the drinkers, then the dignitaries. All find him amiable, estimable, agreeable. But what exactly is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov up to?--something that will soon throw the town "into utter perplexity."

After more than a week of entertainment and "passing the time, as they say, very pleasantly," he gets down to business--heading off to call on some landowners. More pleasantries ensue before Chichikov reveals his bizarre plan. He'd like to buy the souls of peasants who have died since the last census. The first landowner looks carefully to see if he's mad, but spots no outward signs. In fact, the scheme is innovative but by no means bonkers. Even though Chichikov will be taxed on the supposed serfs, he will be able to count them as his property and gain the reputation of a gentleman owner. His first victim is happy to give up his souls for free--less tax burden for him. The second, however, knows Chichikov must be up to something, and the third has his servants rough him up. Nonetheless, he prospers.

Dead Souls is a feverish anatomy of Russian society (the book was first published in 1842) and human wiles. Its author tosses off thousands of sublime epigrams--including, "However stupid a fool's words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an intelligent man," and is equally adept at yearning satire: "Where is he," Gogol interrupts the action, "who, in the native tongue of our Russian soul, could speak to us this all-powerful word: forward? who, knowing all the forces and qualities, and all the depths of our nature, could, by one magic gesture, point the Russian man towards a lofty life?" Flannery O'Connor, another writer of dark genius, declared Gogol "necessary along with the light." Though he was hardly the first to envision property as theft, his blend of comic, fantastic moralism is sui generis.--Kerry Fried ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Gogol's Maniacal Magnificence
Gogol's "Dead Souls" is an amazing, if incomplete, novel. I would say it is about a fellow named Chichikov, but that would not be true. The novel is about Russia. In "Dead Souls" we see that Gogol loved Russia so much, it drove him mad trying to find a way to save it. The novel is entrancing, moving seamlessly between minute particularity to epic scope, as it takes all of Russia under its gaze. At times, the tone is satirical, angry, comic, even desperate - but always with a wistful fondness that should be apparent to the observant reader.

Chichikov, the hero of Gogol's epic poem, shows the influence of Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy," a novel with which Gogol was familiar. Like Shandy, we know little about Chichikov until well into the novel. This narrative indirection allows us more insight into the other characters and the conditions of Russia after the Napoleonic wars. Chichikov is a minor gentleman, who, having served in various government positions, decides to pursue the life of a land-owner. His scheme is to traverse Russia, gathering the legal rights to serfs who have died on estates since the last census. By turning an accumulated list of these 'dead souls' over to the government, he plans to make a small fortune, which he will use to buy an estate.

While Chichikov may appear to be a morally questionable swindler, like Herman Melville's "Confidence-Man," he does have noble motivations, despite his methods. Chichikov seeks what each person seeks, according to Gogol - to have a family, to do honor to one's country. Although his plan can seem to be a ludicrous, last-ditch sort of effort at establishing himself, Chichikov is, throughout, extremely level-headed about it. Chichikov knows how to speak and carry himself so that he will be accepted by everyone he meets. From the noble, efficient land-owner Kostanjoglo to the wild, hilarious liar Nozdryov - Chichikov mingles with and exposes us to "the whirligig of men."

Gogol points out throughout the novel that the written text is inadequate to convey the actual experience - the air, the sights, the smells, the people of Russia. He tries, then, to give us "a living book" - a testament to a way of life that was soon to change. Like Melville's "Confidence-Man," which was published shortly before the American Civil War, Gogol's "Dead Souls" came out only a few years before Marx's "Communist Manifesto" which would change and determine the fate of Russia in the first decades of the 20th century.

Read the lyrical "Dead Souls" - if you like his short stories, like "The Nose" or "The Overcoat," - you will find a wonderfully complex and sophisticated, and deeply involved intellect at his best.

The first Russian Novel
Dead Souls is Gogol's first and only full length novel, ironically written in Rome rather than the Russian countryside it was set in. Tragically he destroyed most of the second volume shortly before his death leaving only bits and pieces of chapters leaving only volume I whole.

A story of a swindler and a social satire on life in early 19th century Russia, Dead Souls is also a comment on class and hypocricsy. Small town Russian officials and landowners strive to keep up appearances, valuing them more importantly than susbtance. Even Chichikov knows this, in fact as the main character (anti-hero) he thrives on this.

Gogol's story is comic on its surface but reading it you get a glimpse of life just twenty years before Alexander II freeded the serfs from their landowners. Dead Souls is both comedy and satire.

One note the Peaver-Volokhonsky translation while newer is a bit "choppy" and the translators make the most awkward word selections from Russian to English. It makes reading this version a bit off-putting at times (The Guerney translation was the favorite of many Russian expat's). Dead Souls is worth the read.

Moral Rot and Mordant Wit
Dead Souls is an interesting selection for several reasons. Above and beyond its commentary on the topical issues of Gogol's days (serfdom and the slow reforms thereof), sociopolitical satire, and uncommonly maladroit and unsympathetic hero, the book is an important exhibit in the evolution of the Russian language and the solidification of Russian literature.

Chichikov, a Russian customs civil servant, rides his troika into N., an unnamed provincial anytown. His intentions unknown, Chichikov effortlessly wins the hearts of the seemingly superficial officials and landowners, whose hospitality and good cheer seem boundless. Chichikov, though, is courting the kind citizens with a purpose. Soon, he is traveling from house to manor, offering to buy deeds to dead peasants for reasons unknown.

With Chichikov's travels through the Russian countryside, Gogol unleashes his comic insight into Russian society, especially (and unlike many of his shorter stories), rural Russia. Soon, the good hosts are exposed as guileful misers and the munificent oficials as venal and depraved. The sharpest comic exchanges come in Chichikov's haggles with the more incredulous targets - notably, a woman who preposterously suspects a hidden value in dead souls, and Sobakevich - a man bearing more than physical resemblance to a bear.

At the same time, Dead Souls paints for us an unorthodox hero in Chichikov - a morally unscupulous bureaucrat whose only ambition is financial aggrandizement. Relegated to mediocrity since childhood, Chichikov pursues the crass goals set out by his dysfunctional father. Yet Chichikov is not a man, he is a state of mind - one that Gogol saw afflicting much of his beloved Russia. Through Chichikov, and with great humor, Gogol illuminates the decay of human relations and decency in a country and people he loved so dearly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics   2. Fiction   3. Literature - Classics / Criticism   4. Literature: Classics   5. Russian & Former Soviet Union   6. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (8)

Hilarious!!!
Sometimes you just have to ignore what critics say and enjoy the thing itself when you find some truly funny stuff. Who can read Kafka's "Verwandlung" and "Ein Bericht fur eine Akademie" without laughing him/herself to death? The same case with Gogol. Just ignore what critics call symbolism or allegory or whatever and enjoy the tales themselves. Have a good time.

Sheer Genius (and a good translation)
This is the kind of writing that makes me questions why movies even exist. The style, the sentences, the humor, the feel is all something unique, unpredictable, and unmistakable. These plots are bizarre, intriguing and it is nearly impossible to guess the endings. All this coming from a translated work is a success for the writer and the translators.

The Overcoat, Diary of a Madman, & the Nose are some examples of Gogol's short story brilliance. These stories are realistic yet surreal, imaginative and impressive. Gogol shows you the roots of what Russian writers continued to excel at later with works like Metamorphosis (Kafka). He calls his stories tales (there are the Ukrainian Tales and the Petersburg Tales), and they most definitely are tales. They are the kind of stories you can tell around the campfire -- they are that unnerving and exhilarating. Yet they are social commentaries as well. These stories work on many levels because they are detailed, feature fantastic characters, and delve into fantasy. All the while you find unexpected twists and occurrences. It's sheer genius.

This book is a fabulous introduction to both Russian literature and the works of this unique genius.

great translations
of course wonderful stories, but the translations are excellent. If you're going to read Gogol in English, use Pevear as your guide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics   2. Fiction   3. Literature - Classics / Criticism   4. Russian & Former Soviet Union   5. Short Stories (single author)   6. Fiction / Classics   

Customer Reviews (1)

Shows just why they're called the Magnicent Mayans...
This is the best book I have ever come across on Mayan culture. It is a oversized coffee table volume, some 450 deluxe pages, each of which is covered with maps, illustrations and many, many photographs. Each period in Mayan development is covered in the chapters and the illustrations correspond neatly with the text. The text also does not veer off into the author's own opinions as these books frequently do. The first evidence of humans in the Mayan planes date to around ten thousand b.c., the book starts there and continues to the current Mayans (yes, their descendents alive in the world today, and that, too, is an interesting look). For anyone who thinks that civilization began in the Mediterranean, this book is clear evidence that it began on the other side of the world at the same time, if not earlier. It's a shame that the price and the fact that this book is out of print makes it less accessible to readers. For Mayan historians, this book is a must, but even someone with only a casual interest in the subject would find much of interest here. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General   2. Archaeology / Anthropology   3. Architecture   4. General   5. History - General   6. History: American   7. Latin America - Central America   

Customer Reviews (6)

Overlooked classics
While Dostoevsky said, "We have all come from under 'The Overcoat'," western literature, especially because of the Cold War sentiment has put Gogol and his fantastic tales hidden under an overcoat. It is a shame that Gogol, especially "The Overcoat" and "The Nose," has been hidden or underpresented (nice word, eh?) for so long, especially since he seems to be Poe with a deep social commentary. Or maybe Poe is Gogol with a lyric bent for the macabre.

The Overcoat is a beautifully told story that will not allow you to look at people the same way, especially those who might be ostracized. While Akaky is a figure from 19th century Russia, he is very much a character that can be found in the 21st century. Moreover, when Gogol tells about the druken tailor with his witchy wife and the smell of onions, the reader at once pictures the dreadful wench and the overpowering smell of fried onions. And when the commissioner berates Akaky, it is hard not to almost faint in fear, or be outraged. Gogol is a master of stirring the human emotions and mixing them with vivid descriptions making for stories that a reader cannot forget.

The Nose is a very funny story, much of which gets lost in translation and in time. But the idea of a vain official losing his nose only to have it turn up as a mid-level bureaucrat is still relevant in this world of middle management. What a tremendous story tale of human vanity and what a surreal tale that seemed to spawn the likes of Bulgakov's "Heart of a Dog," and "Master and Margarita."

Makes most Russian literature seem absurdly solemn.
The four stories in this collection contrast a precise realism - whether it is the evocation of place and atmosphere, or a description of civil service procedure - with narratives of absurdity, fantasy and pure comedy. If the classic 19th century novel, as epitomised by the likes of Tolstoy, mirrored a world-view that society, people or history could be known and adequately represented in fiction, than Gogol reveals the impossibility of applying that model to Russia - his is an unstable, constantly metamorphosing, fluctuating and seemingly random universe. Whereas the apparatus of order, such as bureaucracy or the justice system only weave chaos, or, at best, a parody of order; Gogol's primary device for destabilising the familiar world is narration. If the 19th century novel was related by a third-person, voice-of-God narrator, who knew everything about the generalities of empires and the most intimate thoughts of chambermaids, than Gogol's narrators dance constantly on the brink of madness, inopportunely professing ignorance, amnesia and prejudice, their prose styles febrile, staccato and grotesque.

The 'straightest' story in this collection is 'Old-Fashioned Farmers', a tragicomic story of old age, marriage and superstition, which, in its nostalgic and detailed evocation of a vanished period in Russian provinical life, looks ahead to Nabokov's ravishing memoir 'Speak Memory', albeit laced with a comic and satiric irony the later book lacks. The long 'How The Two Ivans Quarrelled' pinpoints the pettiness of the lower gentry's notions of pride and honour, as two lifelong friends become bitter enemies when one calls the other a 'goose'. This hilarious tale of small-town pretensions and inept local government includes the priceless scene of a fat brown sow breaking into the courthouse and stealing the petition of its owner's antagonist.

The famous 'Overcoat' is often considered one of the greatest stories ever written, and the way Gogol manages to avoid sentimentality in the story of an insignificant middle-aged clerk whose routine and despised life is briefly illumined by the purchase of a specially made new overcoat he can ill afford, and which is soon stolen, is admirable. The lunge into nightmare and the savage satire of the Russian civil service remain shocking. The standout story for me, though, is 'The Nose', which plays like Kafka rewritten by Mark Twain, in which a barber finds a nose in his breakfast, and its owner wakes up with a smooth face. With the most glorious deadpan comedy, Gogol describes the loss and the procedures to find it as if it were a wallet: at another point, the Nose is found disguised as a councillor attempting to flee the city by horse.

The translations ('The Nose' by Gleb Struve, an early translator of Nabokov, and his wife Mary; the others by Isabel F. Hapgood) are readable, retrieving Gogol's brisk comic pace and some of his incongruities of language. There is a use of cliches in Hapgood's 1886 transations, however, that can't always be credited to Gogol's deflating method, and which make certain passages feel flat.

As good as Dostoyevsky
If you like Dostoyevsky you should read The Overcoat. Its the best russian novel I have ever read. Well ... or Crime and Punishment. Its short, but still it contain so much. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1809-1852   2. Classics   3. Fiction   4. Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich,   5. Literature - Classics / Criticism   6. Literature: Classics   7. Translations into English   8. Fiction / Classics   9. Gogol§, Nikolai Vasil§evich   

Subjects:  1. 1850-1918   2. Fiction   3. Fiction - Historical   4. French (Language) Contemporary Fiction   5. Grand Duke of Russia,   6. Historical - General   7. Nikolai Konstantinovich,   8. Fiction / Historical   

Subjects:  1. 1991-   2. Democracy   3. History & Theory - General   4. Political Ideologies - Democracy   5. Political Process - General   6. Political Science   7. Politics - Current Events   8. Politics and government   9. Politics/International Relations   10. Post-Communism   11. Russia (Federation)   

Customer Reviews (2)

EUROPEAN FAN LIKES IT
You know i really liked this book just because of that its nice to see great european players past and present in this book. unlike other books where it's just nhl players, this book has both nhl players and european players included. As a international hockey historian i really enjoyed it. gretzky-kharlamov-nedomansky-salming and many other great players are in this book. the price is my only problem with the book, it cost some bucks.

Do not waste your money
I read this book because I had to: I was reviewing it for The Edmonton Journal. My conclusion is simple and straightforward: while beautiful, this book is so filled with glaring mistakes, howlers and omissions, its authors and editors should be ashamed of themselves. In fact, if it were possible, I would give this volume no stars at all: the first thing a book on history must have is its facts right. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography   2. History   3. Hockey   4. Hockey - General   5. Hockey players   6. Sports   7. Sports & Recreation   

Customer Reviews (12)

German is not just for marxists and sociopaths anymore.
I would just like to respond to Anthony Adler's caustic, and if I dare say, arrogant review of Kontakte. Teachers like Adler seem to believe that students are only truly learning if they are suffering. Perhaps it would make Adler happy to see students toiling away memorizing thousands of arcane conjunctions from a withered, yellowing book written during the Weimar Republic. I, however, prefer a textbook like Kontakte that, informed by the latest research in applied socio-linguistics, provides students with a relevant and pleasurable introduction to the language and culture of contemporary Germany. Adler should realize the fact that most students at today's "highly competetive universities" don't study German in order to read Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche, but to prepare themselves for future careers in business and international relations, or simply for their own personal enrichment. They don't want to become depraved, melancholic graduate students, but productive citizens of world, promoting the values of the free market economy and the American Way of Life. For this, I can not imagine a more perfect textbook than Kontakte.

Interesting
You don't get arguments of this nature over in the architecture section, where I normally do my browsing.
Great stuff.

Recieving my book
Aime was extremely quick with my purchase. The book was in great condition (like she said), even though it was used it could have passed for a new book. I would recommend purchasing from her. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Communication   2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books   3. German   4. Language   5. Language Arts & Disciplines   6. Foreign Language Study / German   

Subjects:  1. Education   2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books   3. German   4. Language Experience Approach   5. Foreign Language Study / German   

Customer Reviews (6)

Great novel.
As another reviewer noted, Gogol didn't write very much about the characters, just brief descriptions, yet I was amazed at how close I felt to Taras's son, when he met his father for the last time. The only criticism I have is that I expected more to occur with Tara's son and his lover. It seemed too important a problem to end so briefly, but perhaps my desire to continue this part of the story just shows how effective Gogol's writing is. Great book.

A classic
Gogol's 'Taras Bulba' is a good example of how a literary work can return to topicality with a vengeance; not so much news that stays news, as it were, as news that re-emerges as news. Accompanied by a brief introduction by professional geo-pessimist Robert D Kaplan (reprinted in the April 2003 Atlantic magazine), this novella confronts the reader with an account of a pre-modern mindset which is only too relevant to understanding current international events.
Set sometime in the 17th century, 'Taras Bulba' describes the life of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, a people so accustomed to war that it has become the focus of their existence. Taras is a Cossack colonel, an old fighter who has survived into middle age and fathered two sons, now themselves on the verge of manhood. Far from slipping into complacent quiescence, however, he is as warlike as ever, and his sons' return home from their seminary studies rouses him to return from semi-retirement to full-time work (i.e. raiding and pillaging). His overriding motive is to initiate his sons into full Cossack manhood. The military ' or personal ' consequences are irrelevant. What matters is that his sons must learn war.
After an interval at their stronghold, the Sech, an all-male enclave where the Cossacks practise the arts of peace (i.e. getting roaring drunk), Taras is able, with little difficulty, given the nature of his audience, to foment a campaign against the neighbouring (and therefore enemy) Poles. This situation exemplifies a clash-of-civilizations scenario wherein the Orthodox Cossacks are engaged in chronic conflict with the Catholic Poles on the one hand and the Muslim Turks and Tatars on the other. Taras' war goes swimmingly at first (the Cossacks kill many of their enemies), and later not so well (their enemies kill many of the Cossacks).
Gogol's account is a subtle blend of folk tale and modern storytelling. The traditional picture would have shown the Cossacks in brighter, more heroic colours, their cause justified by the outrages of their wicked enemies, and their defeat brought about by treachery and betrayal. In Gogol's more nuanced presentation, Taras is an out-and-out war-monger and the Cossacks are shown in full, their weaknesses and vices detailed together with their nobility, strengths and virtues. The sorry fates of those lower in the social order, specifically Cossack women and Jews, are not allowed to escape the reader's attention, even though these observations are accompanied by a casual anti-Semitism. At the same time, however, Gogol also preserves the magical atmosphere of the folk tale: the horses are swift, the warriors are fierce, the young women are beautiful and the doomed are doomed.
In the end, Taras' sons reap the full measure of what their father has sowed. Taras shares their tragedy, of course, but so do all the Cossacks. The geopolitics of endless sporadic warfare have made them a culture where military prowess is the supreme human attribute. In such a context, Taras' most natural and benevolent paternal instinct ' to see his sons become fully established members of the community ' is diverted into starting an unnecessary war which ends in disaster. Yet in the aftermath Taras does not even think of changing his ways. Rather he intensifies them, draining the bitter cup of war to its dregs. There is no other way: a Cossack cannot become a peacenik.
As Kaplan points out, the mentality of a Taras Bulba is only too relevant to the modern world. Just as recent events have shown that infectious disease is not a vestige of an archaic past, so the various ancient tribalisms, ethnic, national and religious group identities, and the diabolical passions they engender, only recently dismissed as obsolete, are now boiling up again as vigorously as ever. The role of religion in the story is particularly noteworthy. Although the Cossacks place great store by their faith ' 'a rock rising from the depths of a stormy ocean' ' its role in their lives is purely totemic. It is the symbol which identifies them and distinguishes them from their enemies. The actual doctrines of this faith ' specifically its injunctions against violence ' are entirely ignored; the devoutly Christian Cossacks can throw Jews into the river or skewer Polish newborns without a second thought. Religion, we see, is both remarkably protean and plastic in its interpretations, and whether a faith becomes the talisman of war or peace seems to depend mostly on the culture, circumstances and interests of its adherents.
The world of Taras Bulba, while it may appeal to our desire to be free of the burdensome complexities of modern reality (which likely accounts for the enthusiastic back-jacket blurb by Hemingway), is at least as oppressive as our own, and not simply by virtue of the ever-present threat of violence, but also because of the stultifying force of an all-encompassing group identity, inescapable except through heavy drinking or unconsciousness, and the remorseless sacrifice of humanity to the fighter's ethos. Those of us who no longer have to live this way should be thankful.

Modern Library has produced a handsome hardcover edition, but the full price for a novella of only 140 pages will probably only appeal to cosmopolitan sophisticates. The wretched of the earth will have to wait for the paperback version.

Not at all what I expected from Gogol
I like Gogol - I loved "Dead Souls' and "The Nose". But Taras Bulba totally caught me by surprise - which was (ironically) both pleasant and a disappointment. The story tells the tale of the Zaphorizhian Cossacks of the Ukriane and their struggle for independence from the domination of the Cathlic Poles. Returning from university, Taras Bulba's sons Ostap and Andrei partake in their first Cossak foray into the steppe. Enroute, Andrei falls in love with a Polish nobleman's daughter, and in the seige the follows, betrays his hetman (leader) and people to defend her. Tragedy ensues.
First, I was disappointed by the lack of depth he wrote for his characters - they never really sprung to life for me. Rather, they read more like charactures - carousing, drinking, rallying to the "true, Orthodox faith", pirating and plundering. This is as true of the minor characters as it is of Taras Bulba and his sons themselves - characters you would expect more "fleshing out" given the nature of the novel. I was also disappointed by the lack of scope - for a novella about the struggle for Ukrainian independence, the story itself was remarkably thin, dealing only with the events surrounding Tara's attack upon an unnamed Polish city, and his subsequent quest for revenge.

However, there is much to like about Taras Bulba. As one would expect from Gogol, the imagry is fabulous - vivid descriptions of Cossack life from their humble steppe homes, to their flamboyant dress, to the very way in which they drink themselves into a stupor. For this alone, the book is worth the time and effort to read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - General   3. General   4. Literary   5. Russian Novel And Short Story   6. Fiction / General   7. Reading Group Guide   

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
I was looking at this book with my sister (who's a teacher), and we loved it. There's no writting, so children can discuss what happened in th argument etc... It's also a story that can mean many things, from fights on the playground to war.

A Fabulous Book for Older Children
I am currently a 5th grade teacher, but I have shared this book with 4th graders also. It is a great book to bring out when "trouble" begins to brew in your classroom. The students are facinated with a "wordless" book, and they also enjoy reading a picture book (something they often do not read as they get older).
This book illustrates what happens when 2 individuals start an argument and then gain assistance from others who are not originally involved, resulting in a large catastrophe . These situations happen many times on the playground, and all I have to do is show them this book and discuss that fighting does not improve anything.
I recommend this to all upper grade teachers. I enjoy it, and it teaches a valuable lesson in life.

Pictures worth a thousand words
Popov's allegorial tale is a witty and provocative tale that will appeal to "readers" of all ages. His drawings have a dark comedic edge that does not undermine the seriousness of his message. "Why?" is a wonderful book for stimulating discussion on conflict, its causes and its end results. Bravo, Popov, for a job well done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Frogs & Toads   2. Animals - MiceHamstersGuinea Pigsetc.   3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks   4. Children: Grades 2-3   5. Fiction   6. Frogs   7. Juvenile Fiction   8. Mice   9. Short Stories   10. Social Situations - Violence   11. Stories without words   12. War   

Subjects:  1. 1533-1917   2. Classics   3. Fiction   4. Literature - Classics / Criticism   5. Literature: Classics   6. Russia   7. Russian & Former Soviet Union   8. Social life and customs   9. Fiction / Classics   

Customer Reviews (1)

Bravo! Bravo!
I truly enjoyed Dezhnev's In Concert Performance. It was touching, poetic, and took me far beyond the confined and limited realm of my Washington metro commuter train. I do not often highlight, or underline passages in novels. With this book I felt compelled to do so. As an example and as early as page 4 of the book Dezhnev sets out what must surely be the most vivd description of the empotions underlying a 'mid-life crisis. He writes . . . "Then the day comes when with autumnal clarity you see the superfluousness and mediocirty of what's going on, and this knowledge makes you want to bury your head in the protective bleakness of ordinary life, walk around half asleep, and slowly and inconspicuously slip into a different world. The soul calcifies with age and you no longer have the strength or hope to resond to feelings. Getting no answer, love passes by. [ . . . ] Still, all would be well, everything would be peaceful, except for the hidden danger that existgs at this age. The beast of vanity, which until now has fed on hope, suddenly goes on the warpath. Everything has fizzledout, everything is past its prime, and what's left is the one thing you can't accept - you're nobody and you haven't lived at all!" I found this passage, and other passages throughout the book to resonate with me in a profundly moving way. Finally, do not be fooled by the somber nature of the above passage. The book has its sarcastic, funny, and lighthearted momeents as well. This book was well worth reading - and will be one of the few that I will turn to again with th epassage of time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Literary   3. Slavic (Language) Contemporary Fiction   4. Fiction / Literary   

Customer Reviews (14)

Gut-bustin', heart-wrenchin' slavic thrilla
Gogol's stories are a delight. I read this book on the train on the way to and from work, and I often laughed out loud, much to the chagrin of my fellow passengers, who must have thought I was crazy. No one laughs on the train.

"The Nose" is my favorite story in the collection. It's absurd and silly. Especially when the nose masquerades as a prominent government official, riding about town in a carriage and dressed in a cape. Incidentally, the nose has very good manners.

My copy of this book also contained the story "Taras Bulbas," which isn't funny at all, but rather a romantic epic of Cossacks in the 14th century somewhat similar to Tolstoy's Cossack stories. Gogol's description of the time and place is fantastic awash in detail as it is. Description of battle is hair-raising and exciting. But Gogol romanticizes freely, and wants us to believe that these brutal, violent men embody the Russian Soul. (Note the capitalization.) Whatever. That, combined with a liberal dash of anti-Semitism, laces the work with enough flaw to consider this a 2nd-rate Gogol story.

It's a great book and a quick read. One of the better books I have read lately.

Don't judge this book by its cover
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.

Short stories from the Russian heartland.
I am not as enamored of these Russian short stories as some of the other reviewers are. The last story about Bulba depicted Jews in a very demeaning way, and you can see the stereotypes of the Eastern European Jew written into a very interesting story.
Gogol was one of the great Russian writers, but the inclusion of this shows him to be an anti-Semite. Otherwise the stories are interesting and humorous of the Tsarist times. The story of the Russian bureaucrat pretending to be Fernando VIII of Spain starts out this book and is by far the best. The others are silly stories, and the last one about Bulba shows the Polish occupation of the Ukraine in medieval times. The first and last stories are by far the best, if you can stomach the anti-Semite tone in the latter story.
Overall, an interesting and slightly humorous read. This book gives you a picture of Russia in the times of the Tsar. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1809-1852   2. Classics   3. Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich,   4. Literature - Classics / Criticism   5. Literature: Classics   6. Russia   7. Russian & Former Soviet Union   8. Short Stories (single author)   9. Social life and customs   10. Translations into English   11. 19th century fiction   12. Classic fiction   13. Gogol§, Nikolai Vasil§evich   14. Short stories   

Customer Reviews (2)

BEAUTIFUL!
I was left breathless looking at Fechin's charcoal drawings! They are arguably the best ever drawn next to Michaelangelo! This book contains the largest collection of Fechin drawings and paintings out there. Profusely illustrated. I was lucky to find this book at a used bookstore-buy at any price if found. You won't be disappointed!

Extremely gifted Russian painter of figures and still life
I often checked this book out when I was attending Ringling School of Art in the early 80's. Fechin had a wonderful ability of painting realisticly in an impressionistic manner. He was very much an influence on Illustrator Bob Peak and many others, including myself. I have looked for this book since my graduation in 1981 and have been unable to find it. Fechin, in addition to being a talented painter ans colorist was also a master drawer. This book shows his versatility and enormous talent. Someone needs to reprint this book or publish a new one on this artist! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Feshin, Nikolai Ivanovich   

Customer Reviews (3)

Authoritative but not an easy read
This is an authoritative text (it's on the recommended reading list for the CMA, for example). Unfortunately, the style of writing is not the clearest. Although I'm a straight-A student of accounting, I had to re-read way too many sentences.

Return this book after course is completed
This book was over done - this book will confuse an accounting student. In fact, they recommend that you purchase a study guide to go along with this book (what does that tell you!!!). Along with a poor accounting lecture you are doomed to barely pass an accounting class with this book. The write up and description of general concepts - extends to some far out, drawn out, and exacerbated lecture that may have been written by satanic worshipers or something like that. I bought the study guide to go along with this book after I did so poorly on my first exam and now I know why a few did well on their exam's - because they bought the study guide!!! The study guide should be used as the main study concept and leave this heavy weighted book on the shelf...

Not easily understandable
The author should have made this text more student friendly. It was very confusing at times. This book is not worth its cost! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Accounting   2. Accounting - General   3. Business & Economics   4. Business / Economics / Finance   5. Business/Economics   

Customer Reviews (8)

Too Much Clutter to be "Just the Facts" - not for beginners
An earlier reviewer stated that the book's design and layout is distracting and that the colored diagrams are confusing. I completely agree. . . Mr. Alburt, with all due respect, has written a very confusing book, because all those "facts" and nothing but just those "facts" are buried under all the styling! In his forward "Note to the Reader" he explains that the blue diagrams illustrate "the most important positions and ideas". Well, I'm sure they are important, because he's a grandmaster and I'm not, so he ought to know, but my complaint is that he doesn't explain why these are "important positions and ideas". He just breaks them out for you to notice them, along with all the other flash and pizzazz!

What about those special "analysis" diagrams that are presented to us in standard gray diagram form, but are labeled "analysis" in blue type. Because the author does not, are we the readers supposed to analyze these? Then there's all the other "blueness": the blue-boxed footnotes and headers on many of the pages. . . the occasional blue, full-page explanation of topics such as "Most Winnable Endgames" on Page 41, or "Fortress Building" on Page 235. . .the exercises in each chapter, presented in standard gray diagrams but labled "Exercise" in blue. . .the various blue cartoon drawings of chess pieces scattered throughout the book, and so on. It appears as though the author (and maybe the editors) decided initially to select the color of blue to highlight the important ideas, but then allowed their chosen color to get out of hand and become "prostituted" with overuse, to the point where the eyes get confused over just what's important and what's not.

Quite frankly, Mr. Alburt wouldn't have to break all these diagrams out into color if he had followed the format of Bruce Pandolfini, in the latter's book, "Pandolfini's Endgame Course", because Mr. Pandolfini's book is the one that presents "just the facts", not Mr. Alburt. In Bruce's book, there's one important position on each page, with a concise explanation of exactly what to do and why to do it. . . each idea and line of moves is all on one page. Variations of these ideas are on the subsequent pages that follow; again, with the slightly-different-idea and its corresponding slightly-different-starting position all on one page. In fact, Bruce Pandolfini's book is the one that should be entitled "Just the Facts", not Lev Alburt's book. A better title for Lev's book would have been, "A Wonderful, Meandering Stroll Along the Road to Endgame Understanding", with maybe a subtitle such as "Stopping Along the Way to Appreciate Various and Sundry Assides", such as all the biographies of famous endgame masters, and all the other trivia contained in this book, which only serve to help clutter the mind of the average amateur trying to comprehend "just the facts."

No, "Pandolfini Endgame Course" is the one you want to get for basic endgame understanding. A wonderful Lev Alburt book to purchase would be his "Pocket Training Book", containing those 300 positions you need to master. I highly recommend this book, which goes over the importance of pattern recognition as it's related to tactics. As a matter of fact, it's worth noting that in the introduction of this "Pocket Training Book, Mr. Alburt himself explains that you don't need to know hundreds of endgame positions to be a strong player . . . you only need to know about a dozen or so to be a strong tournament player, and about 50 or so to play at master strength! And all 50 are included in this pocket book. Just make sure that you disregard the cover of the sexy grandmaster himself posing with his fashion model/chess student.

So there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth: you don't need "Just the Facts" after all! You don't need a 400 page volume of facts buried under clutter and wrapped up in trivia that you the readers have to sort out! Get yourself the following: Pandolfini's Endgame Course... and Lev's Pocket Training Book, for not much more than that, brand new, also here on Amazon.

A remarkable achievement
I've read several endgame books, but none have the outstanding clarity and wit of this entertaining volume. Alburt starts with fundamental concepts of king and pawn endgames (opposition, triangulation, zugzwang, etc) and proceeds to more complex endgame situations.

One gets the feeling this will become a classic endgame text.

After reading the section on rook and pawn endgames I was in a game with a complex endgame where all the relevant principles applied. The clarity of presentation meant that it was easy to recall under combat conditions!

Thank you, Lev and Nikolay, for CHESS has truly NEEDED this!
First of all, if things haven't changed that much by the time Amazon.com releases my review, and if this paucity of reviewers is any indicator of chesslovers interested in studying the endgame, I find it rather alarming that there are only FIVE reviews of this book!! With that said, and since I have carefully studied this book at TWO different periods in the past 365 days (May-August, 2000 [3 months] and January-March, 2001 [2 months]) I feel it necessary to present to Amazon.com my review of "Just The Facts". In the time before May, 2000, I spent at least two and half years straight studying the middlegame. My skill and knowledge increased, but not as much as when I studied this book!! Endgame knowledge is very necessary!!! What made it so easy for me to become eager to read this book was that I saw one phrase in the description on the back of the book: "endgame knowledge is IMMUTABLE." It's unchangeable!! That means that for all the volatility of the opening (which is where the majority of chessplayers direct their study attention) and the middlegame, [if and] when that chess game you're playing reaches the endgame, a great amount of guesswork concerning what plan and moves should be made has been eliminated (due to the immutability of the endgame principles). The key is that you have to know the principles. Once that word "immutable" sinks in, that should tell you that you don't have to go searching for any other endgame books to read to try to further enhance and improve your endgame skill; the way you tend to do when you study the middlegame and the openings. I really enjoyed studying through this book and I'll probably do it again at some time in the next three years. Going over this book again and again doesn't at all mean that it's difficult. This book is very easy and very enjoyable to study through. It is even attractive to the eye. You should keep a notebook on the endgame patterns and their page numbers while studying this book. You should also keep notes on the endgame material classifications (such as a "rook-and-knight-versus-rook-and-bishop" endgame) and their page numbers. My only complaint (and I'll admit it is trifling) is that there's no page number reference to the "blue bullets" (Alburt calls them "breakouts") of endgame tips; once you've read the whole book, it would be helpful to "review-at-a-glance" these tidbits of information just to help keep these tips fresh in your memory. (so I've taped my own page reference to the back inside cover of my book!) I have great confidence that using the knowledge of THIS endgame book (the "end-all" of all other endgame books) will increase your chess rating by a massive percentage. The only other thing I can think of to enhance your endgame play after reading this book is to see such APPLICATIONS of these principles in master games such as in "Extreme Chess" (Alekhine and Euwe-1935 and 1937 and Fischer and Spassky-1972)and in Pal Benko's "Endgame Lab" which appears in the monthly magazine, "Chess Life". ...And of course actually playing chess over the board over and over again, notating your whole game so you can review it (whether you win or lose). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chess   2. Chess - Specific Strategies   3. Collections of games   4. End games   5. Games   6. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords   7. Games/Puzzles   8. Reference   

Subjects:  1. (Nikolai Semenovich),   2. 1831-1895   3. Classics   4. Fiction   5. Fiction - General   6. Leskov, N. S   7. Russian Novel And Short Story   8. Short Stories (single author)   9. Short stories   10. Translations into English   11. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting account of a thimble-sized tyrant
Not much is known about Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov (Ezhov, depending on how you like to write it), and until more archival material becomes available years from now, this book is likely to be the best consolidated source available on Yagoda's successor as Nachalnik NKVD.

The authors thankfully didn't spend too much time speculating and postulating on Yezhov's early life (for which there isn't much documentation). They focused much of the book on the early 1930's through Yezhov's downfall at the end of the decade, as I'd expected and hoped for. There are some interesting facts and accounts of Yezhov's formative adult years, but the authors, for the sake of accuracy and at the expense of novelistic character construction, devoted most of their concise book to studying the five foot one inch murderer from the time he gained prominence in the NKVD and Party apparatus.

The book deals with the Great Purge very comprehensively, detailing the categorized method with which the Politburo leadership decided to either kill or deport millions of people in the name of counter-sabotage, counterterrorism, counter-espionage, and the usual charge of affiliation to a Zinoviev-Trotsky conspiracy. The authors remind us that this human tragedy wasn't confined to Communist Party, Soviet military, intelligence, or police circles...it extended to "national operations": the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Koreans, Chinese, Estonians, Latvians, Germans, Poles, and rehabilitated kulaks returning from exile. The arbitrary nature with which all of these people were slaughtered or uprooted shows what can happen when a country's judiciary is co-opted by a gang of rabid criminals and sadists.

A minor detraction to this book is its perfunctory prose. If you don't find the Stalin years fascinating, you might find yourself struggling through certain clunky areas in the book. The authors never fail to delude one with names, i.e: regional Party or NKVD chiefs, Yezhov's deputies and subordinates, and certain fellows with whom the Chief had more than a drinking relationship. These details are great for the afficionado, but I assume they would overwhelm the casual reader.

I started reading this book with the central question: was Yezhov simply a malleable bishop of General Secretary Stalin, or was he a murderer without conscience, put to practical use by the terror of Tiflis? I finished the book without answering the question. This in no way detracts from the value of this work, as I learned a great deal; it simply proves there are a great many things about Yezhov that we don't yet know, and probably won't learn in many years, if ever. Lest I equivocate, my own conclusion of Yezhov is that he was a pusillanimous killer who betrayed and murdered far too many persons to ever be shown the light of historical rehabilitation. That said, Stalin is by far the most malign of these criminals, and after reading this book, it is not inconceivable to think that many of Yezhov's crimes were committed with the child-like hope of pleasing Uncle Iosif. One doesn't become chief of the NKVD without sacrificing all morals and human decency. Just ask Dzerzhinsky, Yagoda, and Beria.

BG

Authoritative book in English on Stalin's bloody servant
Jansen and Petrov's biography tells everything worthwhile likely to be known about N. I. Yezhov, Commissar of the NKVD (Stalin's secret police) during the Great Purge of 1936-38. It also summarizes the mechanics and motivation of the Purge itself, using extensive Russian-language sources emerging since 1988.

In some ways Yezhov was more a pathetic than an evil character, unfortunately falling under the spell of a brilliant but evil man. Good-natured and helpful before getting drawn into Stalin's work of repression, Yezhov would degenerate into a torturer and murderer, incapable of distinguishing true from imaginary charges.

The book is a bit dry in places, but that is a hazard of the subject: relatively little "human" detail is known about Yezhov. (Aleksei Polyansky's Russian-language biography tried to get around this problem by inventing dialogue.) Yezhov and his close associates were nearly all liquidated in 1939-1940; those who survived knew they should keep silent. Indeed, apart from some generic execration, Yezhov would remain taboo until the age of Glasnost' (1988), 48 years after his death. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1895-1940   2. Biography / Autobiography   3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union   4. Ezhov, Nikolai Ivanovich,   5. Historical - General   6. History   7. History: World   8. Narodnyi komissariat vnutrenn   9. Officials and employees   10. Political purges   11. Soviet Union   12. Ezhov, Nikolai Ivanovich   

Subjects:  1. Non-Classifiable   2. Nonfiction - General