About the Book: The Originals: Dead Souls
"However stupid a fools words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an
intelligent man." Dead Souls, a satirical novel by Nikolai Gogol, was published
in Russian as Myortvye Dushi in 1842.The story of the disgraced landless civil
servant, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, in this classic paints an incisive portrait
of the Russian national character and society of the time. The colourful cast of
characters includes thieves, petty officials, landowners, and serfs. Every
character and every twist and turn in the novel are brilliantly drawn. The
adventures of Chichikov involve social-climbing and a series of desperate
attempts to make