Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Buy Used
$4.00
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
Used: Good | Details
Sold by Jenson Books Inc
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you increase your sales. We invite you to learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon .

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See this image

Diary of a Madman and Other Stories (Penguin Classics) Paperback – February 28, 1973

by Nikolai Gogol (Author), Ronald Wilks (Translator, Introduction)
4.4 out of 5 stars 26 customer reviews
See all 24 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
$3.60
— —
Hardcover
"Please retry"
$19.95
$19.95 $43.99
Paperback
"Please retry"
$3.00
$0.65 $0.01
Paperback, February 28, 1973
—
$4.49 $0.01
Mass Market Paperback
"Please retry"
—
$4.48 $0.01
Audio CD, Abridged
"Please retry"
—
$14.95 $14.99
Best Books of the Month
See the Best Books of the Month
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Back
  1. The Overcoat and Other Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)
    Nikolai Gogol
    4.2 out of 5 stars 30
    Paperback
    $3.15 Prime
  2. The Queen of Spades and Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)
    Alexander Pushkin
    4.3 out of 5 stars 7
    Paperback
    $3.50 Prime
  3. The Misanthrope (Dover Thrift Editions)
    Moliere
    4.5 out of 5 stars 25
    Paperback
    $2.25 Prime
  4. Fathers and Sons (Oxford World's Classics)
    Ivan Turgenev
    4.4 out of 5 stars 60
    Paperback
    $7.01 Prime
  5. Fathers and Sons (Dover Thrift Editions)
    Ivan Turgenev
    4.3 out of 5 stars 149
    Paperback
    $3.60
  6. Dead Souls (Dover Thrift Editions)
    Nikolai Gogol
    4.3 out of 5 stars 10
    Paperback
    $5.00 Prime
Next
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

  • Series: Penguin Classics
  • Paperback: 187 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; Later Printing edition (February 28, 1973)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140442731
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140442731
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,925,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsA Great Introduction (Penguin Edition)
By Bruce Kendall VINE VOICE on October 14, 2000
Format: Paperback
Nikolai Gogol had an extraordinarily important influence on Russian literature. A contemporary and friend of Pushkin, he left his mark in several areas, as playwright, novelist and short-story writer. Every Russian writer to come after him acknowledges and reveres Gogol, from Dostoevsky to Bulgakov and on. This collection is a great introduction to Gogol. All of his most famous stories are included. "Diary of a Madman" shows us the disintegrating psyche of a minor civil servant during the era of the repressive rule of Nicholas I. Gogol had problems with Nicholas' censors (who were as vigilant as Stalin's) and he didn't exactly ingratiate himself with this depiction of bureaucratic malaise. The second short-story in the volume, "The Nose," again pokes fun at officialdom, but also takes us on a proto-magical-realism ride through mid-eighteenth century St. Petersburg (As an aside, you can currently take St. Petersburg tours of Gogol's fictional landscape, just as you can Dostoevsky's, [and Bulgakov's Moscow]). The third entry in the collection, "The Overcoat," deals again with an inconsequential bureaucrat (guess what Gogol's background was?) , whose entire existence is wrapped around a new overcoat. Suffice it to say that the story does not end happily for poor Akaky Akakievich. This is in some ways Gogol's signature piece. The story basically involves us in a humorous, at times capricious narrative, but the humor is infused with a great deal of pathos, to the point where we can almost call these tragicomedies.
The longest story in the collection, "How Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich," is a case-in-point.Read more ›
Comment 21 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
2.0 out of 5 starsTranslation leaves something to be desired
By Ella Kr on March 10, 2011
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Beware of translated works that don't mention the name of the translator.

That should have been my first clue. I'm not sure who did the translating of this collection, but he obviously does not have a thorough knowledge/appreciation of Russian humour and literature. I can say this because I'm from Russia and after reading the original version of Diary of a Madman (I didn't bother further with the others) and comparing it to this one, I was disappointed by how lengthy and confusing the passages were. The language was tripping over itself, rather than flowing with the Gogolian humour and absurdity. It was boring and difficult to follow and had none of the finesse that, for instance, Pevear and Volokhonsky's version was able to capture. Most surprising is that entire sentences were missing from certain passages. It seems that whenever there was a phrase the translator couldn't make sense of or see how it fit into the scheme of things, he just omitted it entirely!!! This is really offensive to the writer and unfair to the readers.
For goodness sake, he didn't even get the name of the dog right!! It's "Medji," not "Meggy"---just because this sound doesn't exist quite the same in the English language, doesn't mean you can rename the dog! (Unless it isn't read "Meggy" like "Peggy" but most English readers will read it this way anyway)
But the dog isn't the most important part. It's really the fact that the translator did not do Gogol justice. He did not treat this work with the dignity and reverence it deserves and as a result, has put out a shoddy interpretation of a classic tale.
I gave two stars because I did notice some attempts to capture the complexity of dry wit, as is often the style of satirical Russian authors. It is indeed very difficult to do this with English. Whoever this translator was, they made a solid effort; unfortunately, he just couldn't carry it. And the publisher should be more selective with the quality of work it puts its stamp on.
3 Comments 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsClassic Russian Literature
By JMack VINE VOICE on December 14, 2007
Format: Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase
I only became familiar with Gogol through references in the work of Philip Roth. After all, great writers should give their due to their predecessors. Five of Gogol's most celebrated short stories are included in this collection. While I can only classify myself as a fan of three of these stories, this collection is still worth purchasing.

"The Diary of a Madman" harkens Kafka-esque images of man versus isolation and the bureaucracy in the story of one man's sometimes humorous spiral into madness. Scorned in love and work, the main character retreats into an alternate reality. "The Nose", the story of a runaway body part, possesses elements of Kafka's "Metamorphisis". A fiction that borders on absurdity can still be frightening. It brings to mind that the superficial image one presents in society is too important. "The Overcoat", having themes of superficiality and prized possessions, is a peculiar tale. Taunted by his co-workers for the condition of his overcoat, the main character makes many sacrifices to replace his coat. To a point, the new overcoat becomes more of an obsession than it should.

While "The Carriage" and "Taras Bulba" are also included in the set, I do not believe they carry the same feeling as the other stories. To a degree, "Taras Bubla" almost seemed out of place in the set. The collection of short stories is enjoyable and highly recommended to lovers of literature. It brings the thought to mind of what other works of literature were hidden from American eyes by communism.
3 Comments 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsNikolai Gogol often gets overlooked in the realm of the ...

Nikolai Gogol often gets overlooked in the realm of the Russian greats, but "Diary of a Madman" is nothing short of genius.

Published 3 months ago by A B
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

A classic.

Published 5 months ago by SteveH
5.0 out of 5 starsHe wanted to burn The Overcoat

A retired English teacher introduced me to Russian writers. The first one I read was "The Overcoat." It was wonderfully absurd. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsOne of 3 main stories

Aside from Gogol's relationship on Russian and World Literature... aside from the Translation of this particular version... I enjoyed it.
I bought it for Diary of a Madman. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Bugs
5.0 out of 5 starsA good one

The DIARY OF A MAD MAN is an insightful story by Gogol that is full of humor, sadness, tragedy and hope. Read more

Published on January 19, 2014 by John T C
5.0 out of 5 starsIntroducing Gogol

This compilation of stories is an absolutely phenomenal introduction to Gogol and his writing. He is often presented as the Russian Mark Twain and with his dry humor and... Read more

Published on August 14, 2012 by FicktionPhotography
5.0 out of 5 starsBeen Reviewed!

In my last review I said this book makes for edgy, fascinating reading! It is hard to put this book down! Read more

Published on July 8, 2012 by Avid Reader
3.0 out of 5 starsMostly Satisfied

The book was shipped to me very quickly and is in good condition; however, I would have liked to have known what other stories were included in the book ahead of time.

Published on September 17, 2009 by Simone
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent book

This book was a great, quick read. Highly recommended if you are a fan of classic literature and / or short stories.

Published on May 27, 2008 by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsTranslation is an act of interpretation

I translated the title story and two others in this collection for my students because none of the existing translations did Gogol justice--they ignored his sound play and... Read more

Published on November 28, 2007 by Priscilla A. Meyer

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.



Pages with Related Products. See and discover other items: classic literature, classics literature, russian literature