Nikolai Gogol published "Dead Souls" in 1842. The novel is a rather sardonic portrait of the middle, and upper middle classes, primarily in the Russian countryside. The time period is a couple of decades earlier; a period in which Napoleon's invasion was very much a part of the collective memory. The military men, of a certain age, were referred to as "twelvers," that is, they had fought against Napoleon in 1812. It is a time of slavery, just like in America, but the Russian version was called serfdom, with the peasants tied to a particular estate under the most disadvantageous financial arrangements. Gogol had difficulties with the Russian censors who demanded changes, and removals to certain sections, include the "Tale of Captain Kopeikin, in Chapter 8. (Suitably topical, the story concerns the governmental bureaucratic indifference to a disabled combat war veteran.) When original published, this Tale was removed, but it has been restored in the current edition. For reasons that were not explained in this edition - perhaps no one knows - is that Gogol had the backing of Czar Nikoli I. Perhaps he thought such an authentic portrait of Russian society would serve as a catalyst for change.
Ponderous? That might be the most common word associated with many a Russian novel, even the very best: Tolstoy's
War and Peace (Oxford World's Classics)
,
Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club)
and Solzhenitsyn's
August 1914. Trans By Michael Glenny
spring to mind, due to their "door-stopper" thousand page or so lengths. Gogol's work though is wonderfully accessible, at less than half the length, well-paced, witty, and chuckles are even possible. Much thought and care went into the translation, which seemed to match very idiomatic English to the original Russian. Although written more than 150 years ago, numerous themes seem surprisingly modern, pulled from today's headlines even. The review by "Vector," entitled "Modern Finance Capitalism Explained" captured the essence of one of the themes. The anti-hero, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is wandering the countryside, buying the legal rights to dead serfs (hence the book's title), with the sales pitch that it will relieve the current owner of the tax consequences on the serf (they are "property," after all!) until the next census. He will take all these deeds to the bank, and mortgage them. Ah, how "wealth" is created. Collateralized Mortgage Obligations, anyone? If there had been a derivatives market in the 1820's our hero might have "created" real wealth with this technique.
Gogol's work is divided into two volumes. The first volume, almost two-thirds of the work, is divided into 11 chapters. In the first chapter Chichikov arrives in town, does the round of the "big-wigs," essentially establishing contacts (sound like any career promoting websites that, er, ah, link?) The subsequent chapters seem to be devoted, one each, to an archetypical character as Chichikov visits, and is entertained to various degrees, the different estates in the area. Manilov seems to be one of the more normal ones, including his cultural pretenses with the French language. He has given his sons Greek names, confirming the concept that foreign provenance is better. There is the estate of Korobochka, the widow, who is ill-informed in estate management, and naturally suspicious of such a transaction. Nozdryov wants to drink, play cards, and quickly picks a fight. Sobakevich is an astute bargainer. I think the strongest chapter concerns the miser, Plyushkin. With the "dead souls" transactions completed with varying degrees of success, and with wildly different transaction cost, the next chapter is a wonderful satire on Russian small town officialdom as Chichikov attempts to obtain the legal deeds at the courthouse, run by Ivan Antonovich. The "backlash" sets in as both Nozdryov and Korobochka raise alarm bells, and then there is an incisive chapter on the nature of rumor-mongering. In the final chapter in this volume Gogol describes Chickikov's childhood and young adulthood; his constant efforts to please those in power so that he could make his fortune.
Although some have said that the second volume is not as strong, I found it of equal merit to the first; and topical as well. There is much to ponder in Gogol's characterizations, particular concerning the nature of work and wealth creation. The author describes the bucolic utopia that Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov attempted to create, and contrasts that with the actual very well-run estate of Konstantin Fyodorovich Kostanzholglo. Also, in this volume, there is much comic relief in Gogol's description of Koshkarev's estate, run like a "mini-state," with ponderous "committees" that must make decisions. Parts of the original manuscript have been lost, which leaves gaps in the narrative (so noted), particularly in this volume.
Gogol, along with Pushkin and Tolstoy, are the preeminent Russian writers of the 19th Century, who helped shape its literature today. This work is Gogol's best, by far, and is an essential one for anyone on a (hopefully voluntary) Russian immersion literature course. Definitely 5-stars.
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Certainly not Dead
I have to confess I have never read Dead Souls until now and I wonder why I waited so long. This is an extraordinary work and underscores why Gogol is on the same plain as Pushkin in establishing Russian literature. In a way, they are remarkably two opposite poles. With Pushkin we see the antecedent to Tolstoy Turgenev and Chekhov. Gogol inspired Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, and Bulgakov. This book contains some very interesting features that doubtless inspired Master and Margarita, Woland and his bizarre companions appear to little more than following Chichikov’s roadmap. Gogol should have stopped at part 1 and not bothered with part 2, the surviving portions are in no way comparable. Only when Chichikov is jail (finally), is the Gogol of Diary of a Madman back. I loved this book though. I have to confess I have never read Dead Souls until now and I wonder why I waited so long. This is an extraordinary work and underscores why Gogol is on the same plain as Pushkin in establishing Russian literature. In a way, they are remarkably two opposite poles. With Pushkin we see the antecedent to Tolstoy Turgenev and Chekhov. Gogol inspired Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, and Bulgakov. This book contains some very interesting features that doubtless inspired Master and Margarita, Woland and his bizarre companions appear to little more than following Chichikov’s roadmap. Gogol should have stopped at part 1 and not bothered with part 2, the surviving portions are in no way comparable. Only when Chichikov is jail (finally), is the Gogol of Diary of a Madman back. I loved this book though.
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