Nikolai Gogol

A Russian genius of the 20th century writes about a Russian genius of the 19th century. Nabokov approaches the figure and work of Gogol with insight and erudition. He outlines his life, places him in the context of Russian literature, and, in dealing with his literary production, focuses above all on his three masterpieces: The Inspector, Dead Souls, and The Coat. His conclusion is that Gogol's superlative literature is based not so much on the arguments of his books as on the handling of language and form. Nabokov gives an illuminating reading of what he considers to be "the strangest prose poet Russia ever produced". And through the analysis of the texts of his compatriot, he reflects on aesthetic approaches and a way of understanding literature that are what he claims and uses in his own narrative. The essayist Nabokov complements and enriches the novelist Nabokov.