Gogol Decoded: 'Viy', 'Taras Bulba', 'The Government Inspector', 'Dead Souls'

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most mysterious and enigmatic Russian writers. In this book, the well-known literary scholar and historian Boris Sokolov—the author of the bestseller “The Dostoevsky Code”—reveals the secrets behind Gogol’s major works.

How do the images of “Viy” relate to the world demonological tradition? What in the story “Taras Bulba” corresponds to historical truth, and what is художественний вимисел? What is the infernal underlying theme of “The Inspector General” and “Dead Souls,” and which of Gogol’s famous contemporaries served as prototypes for the heroes of these works? What did Gogol want to write in the second volume of “Dead Souls,” and why couldn’t he finish his great work? Perhaps he foresaw Russia’s fate?

For these and other questions, readers will find answers in the book “Decoding Gogol.”