"I want to show all Russia in this novel," wrote Nikolai Gogol to Alexander Pushkin as he began writing Dead Souls in 1835. Published seven years later, Gogol's sardonic, bizarre tale revolves around Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a mystifying swindler who travels through provincial Russia trafficking in "souls"--those serfs who, even if dead, could still be bought and sold for profit. Though Gogol never realized his full ambition for Dead Souls--it helped propel him into insanity and he burned the second part of the book--the work endures as one of the most dazzling pieces of fiction ever written.
"Dead Souls belongs to that group of picaresque novels in which the episodic adventures of a single character open up the world," observed V. S. Pritchett. "Chichikov is a superb comic device. The originality and farce of the idea which animate him take the breath away." Vladimir Nabokov agreed: "Gogolian gusto and wealth of weird detail lift the whole thing to the level of a tremendous epic poem."
The Modern Library has played a significant role in American cultural life for the better part of a century. The series was founded in 1917 by the publishers Boni and Liveright and eight years later acquired by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer. It provided the foundation for their next publishing venture, Random House. The Modern Library has been a staple of the American book trade, providing readers with afford-
able hardbound editions of impor-
tant works of literature and thought. For the Modern Library's seventy-
fifth anniversary, Random House redesigned the series, restoring
as its emblem the running torch-
bearer created by Lucian Bernhard in 1925 and refurbishing jackets, bindings, and type, as well as inau-
gurating a new program of selecting titles. The Modern Library continues to provide the world's best books, at the best prices.
For a complete list of titles, see the inside of the jacket. This Modern Library edition uses the translation of Bernard Guilbert Guerney that was described by Nabokov as "an extraordinarily fine piece of work."
"Dead Souls belongs to that group of picaresque novels in which the episodic adventures of a single character open up the world," observed V. S. Pritchett. "Chichikov is a superb comic device. The originality and farce of the idea which animate him take the breath away." Vladimir Nabokov agreed: "Gogolian gusto and wealth of weird detail lift the whole thing to the level of a tremendous epic poem."
The Modern Library has played a significant role in American cultural life for the better part of a century. The series was founded in 1917 by the publishers Boni and Liveright and eight years later acquired by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer. It provided the foundation for their next publishing venture, Random House. The Modern Library has been a staple of the American book trade, providing readers with afford-
able hardbound editions of impor-
tant works of literature and thought. For the Modern Library's seventy-
fifth anniversary, Random House redesigned the series, restoring
as its emblem the running torch-
bearer created by Lucian Bernhard in 1925 and refurbishing jackets, bindings, and type, as well as inau-
gurating a new program of selecting titles. The Modern Library continues to provide the world's best books, at the best prices.
For a complete list of titles, see the inside of the jacket. This Modern Library edition uses the translation of Bernard Guilbert Guerney that was described by Nabokov as "an extraordinarily fine piece of work."
