Dead Souls
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol is a notable work of nineteenth-century fiction published by Penguin on December 28, 2004. This reprint edition spans 512 pages and is presented in English. The narrative follows Chichikov, a mysterious stranger who arrives in a provincial town with a peculiar proposition for local landowners: he offers to buy the names of deceased serfs still listed on the census, allowing their owners to evade taxes. Through this premise, Gogol crafts a satirical exploration of social hypocrisy.
Readers will encounter a vivid array of characters, including the bear-like Sobakevich and the insubstantial fool Manilov, as Chichikov navigates his bizarre scheme. The book delves into themes of identity and societal norms, presenting a grotesque gallery of human types that reflect the complexities of human nature. This edition of Dead Souls invites readers to engage with Gogol’s sharp wit and critical perspective on political and social issues of his time.
Official synopsis Publisher
One of the most unusual works of nineteenth-century fiction and a devastating satire on social hypocrisy
Chichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in a provincial town and visits a succession of landowners to make each a strange offer. He proposes to buy the names of dead serfs still registered on the census, saving their owners from paying tax on them, and to use these “souls” as collateral to reinvent himself as a gentleman. In this ebullient masterpiece, Gogol created a grotesque gallery of human types, from the bear-like Sobakevich to the insubstantial fool Manilov, and, above all, the devilish con man Chichikov.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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