Taras Bulba / Old-World Landowners

“Myrgorod” (February, 1835) is a collection of Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol’s novellas, presented as a continuation of “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka.” The tales in this collection are based on Ukrainian folklore and have many things in common. It is believed that some characters were modeled on people close to Gogol and on those he knew while living in Ukraine.

“Taras Bulba” is a historical novella about the uprising of Zaporozhian Cossacks against the Poles in the first half of the 17th century. A classic artistic statement on fathers and children, a hymn to patriotism, a vivid picture of Cossack morals and everyday life, and also a source of many catchphrases: “I fathered you, and I’ll kill you too!”, “There’s still powder in the powder-horns!”, “Endure, Cossack—then you’ll be the ataman!”

“Old-World Landowners” is Gogol’s most touching novella: the story of elderly spouses who loved each other tenderly. Peace, delicious food, and habit here are set against romantic passion, but this idyll cannot last forever.