And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were so real that it sucked you in and made you feel a part of the story. You didn't want it to end!

Pushkin Press has provided with its selection of these five short stories a wonderful introduction to the mind and work of the influential Nikolai Gogol.

Disturbing, disorientating, satirical and absurdist are just a few words that came immediately to mind after reading the stories here. Fantastical realism deployed here by Gogol would, as the translator Oliver Ready states in his introductory notes, be continued later by the likes of Dostojevsky and Mikhail Bulgakov.

Of the five stories, three are set in St. Petersburg, where Gogol arrived in 1828 from his native Ukraine, where he eventually found work in the civil service, hating every minute.
The first three stories are therefore all set among civil servants in St. Petersburg with all the petty rules and regulations of this most hierarchical and regimented society.

The last two stories are set in the Ukraine with its evocation of a feudal, sleepy society.

My favourite is "The Overcoat", a haunting tale in both senses.

As well as providing a good read, this may induce the reader to seek out other of Gogol's work, including perhaps his most famous work "Dead Souls".

This edition includes the most distinctive short stories by Gogol and is, thus, the ideal introduction to his satyrical and absurdist prose.

A collection of Google stories.Each one a gem a satirical tone that will entertain you.Characters that are written in Gogol’s unique style.Highly recommend this collection.#netgalley#pushkinpress

This is the first time that I have ever read anything by Nikolai Gogol. Let me first say that it is something I did not expect. In a good way. Gogol is able to tap into elements of surrealism, parody, humor, horror, and absurdity all within one paragraph. Secondly, the writing can be somewhat complex and verbose at times, but never too hard to understand the action. And finally, if you are a fan of Kafka I really believe you will like this collection from Gogol. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this collection.

The Nose: an official in St. Petersburg loses his nose and finds it living a life of its own. This is the most surreal of the stories in this collection and very Kafkaesque. It is also a parable or satire on society and class in the 19th century St. Petersburg.

Diary of a Madman: this epistolary short story focuses on Poprischchin's decent into madness during the rein of Nicholas I. This short story reminded me of Dostoyevsky's protagonist Raskolnikov's confusion of self-identity.

The Overcoat: a government clerk must save money to buy a new overcoat. Once purchased, it is quickly taken away. The closest thing I can say about this story is its indictment on authority and the figures in charge.

Disturbing and satirical, these short stories are a testament of great fiction. The compilation of Gogol's best prose pieces brings these great stories to life and to those, like me, who had not previously heard of Gogol, it makes me wonder why I had not heard of him before.
Thoroughly enjoyed the works and I have no doubt it will not be long until I am reading them again when in desperate need of some satire in my life.

These short stories have been my introduction to Gogol's work. They are all fascinating. Three are set in St Petersburg in the early nineteenth century and most probably reflect the author's dislike of the city and of his work as a junior civil servant there which is mentioned in an interesting introduction by the translator. These stories are darkly surreal and reminded me a little of some of Dostoyevski's writing, later in the nineteenth century. The final two short stories are set in Little Russia (Ukraine), where Gogol was born and brought up. These are much more gentle, one even amusing, and most likely reflect the affection he had for his homeland.

The translator is to be congratulated; the English prose flows so well that the stories do not read as though they were originally written in another language. My Russian is no way good enough to have read them in the original. 

With many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

Oliver Ready’s collection of five of Nikolai Gogol’s short stories is perhaps an ideal place for anyone to start with this imaginative and influential Russian writer. The translations are excellent and suitably up-to-date for the modern reader (and, according to at least one authority on Russian literature, are faithful to the originals). The selection is diverse and features three stories most readers will be familiar with: The Nose, Diary of a Madman, and The Overcoat. A writer that everyone should read.

I had not previously read any of Gogol's work, though it has been on my list for quite some time. The introduction gave a good insight into the author and these five stories going in. I appreciated the context as I read these stories (including beneficial info on the Table of Ranks) without which would have left me very confused while reading. I do not have anything to compare this translation to, but I did enjoy it. In fact, I enjoyed the style and how the language flowed quite a bit. I found myself reading some bits aloud because the tone carried so well, and the satirical and comedic nature really shone in passages.

Aside from the stereotype of "the Jew" present in The Diary of the Madman (which is a paradigm of antisemitism in Russian literature of this era), I very much enjoyed these stories and their absurdist bent, but I must confess I liked his lesser-known Ukraine Stories (the final two stories in this volume) better than the political humor of 19th-Century St. Petersburg.

I am happy to report that I am glad this was my introduction. I think that five stories spanning a variety of subjects are a good intro to a writer who otherwise could be a bit overwhelming. I look forward to exploring Gogol's work more expansively!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

The publisher Penguin Random House has been offering new editions of classic books in new translations under the Pushkin Press imprint since 1998. And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon is number 86 with 2 more scheduled for publication this year. It contains 3 well known often anthologized stories and 3 less well known ones. The translation is clear and modern without sacrificing Gogol's characteristic unique and humorously skewed perspective on the world. I enjoyed both familiar and new to me stories and happily recommend this volume to anyone motivated to meet or be reacquainted with this author described by Vladimir Nabokov as "the greatest artist that Russia has yet produced" .

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Russian author who was born in 1809. His works are part of Russian realism and contain grotesque elements. The last time I read Gogol was a long time ago. I liked his works then, and it was very refreshing to reread it. I enjoyed also some short stories that I wasn't familiar with.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

Russian literature did not feature at all in my education, be it secondary or tertiary. It wasn't much on my radar either. I definitely had an awareness for some of those fat novels written by some of the greats. I must admit I was well into adulthood before Gogol hit my radar and despite having a paperback of his stories on a bookshelf for many years, it was this book that finally motivated me to finally read his work.

I thought short stories would surely be easier than one of those long novels but I was mistaken. It definitely wasn't an easy read for me. Perhaps this was not helped much by the first story, "The Nose" about a man whose nose suddenly disappears to lead a life of its own. It's totally satire but the absurdity of it all was hard to get past while reading.

The stories get easier from there with "Diary of a Madman" about a man who seems to be at a loss as to his place in the world. It gets a bit nonsensical at times, which isn't surprising considering its title. My favorite was "The Overcoat" about a man who has had his overcoat patched to the maximum and is faced with having to have a new one made. I also quite liked "Old World Landowners" about a couple who own a large property. The last story is called "The Carriage and is about another landowner who has need of a fine carriage. This one has an odd twist to end it but I won't say I liked it to a great degree.

The first three stories are all set in St. Petersburg and center around civil servants and their woes. The last two are set in the Ukraine and center around landowners and their own situations. It's a limited but relatively diverse selection of stories and I consider it a good introduction to a writer known for his short stories.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pushkin Press for sharing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this 4 stars.

This is my first time reading Gogol (finally!).

Stories included: The Nose; Diary of a Madman; The Overcoat; Old-World Landowners; The Carriage

I have heard that The Nose does not feel like a nearly-200-year-old story (1836), and I have to agree. It is absurd, and I really don't know if even Poe was writing anything quite so absurd. Diary of a Madman and The Overcoat are also urban stories--both focus on the lives of small-time workers in government positions. I believe these are new translations, so the English is modern in usage.

Old-World Landowners and The Carriage both focus on rural areas, and again both are really about the varying statuses within Russian culture. Landowners, serfs, Generals, small-time officers, etc.

I think Old-World Landowners was my favorite here. It illustrates the bounty of the land while also showing the incompetence of the landowners, the theft of the employees, and the rough lives of the serfs (though they are well fed).

I accidentally summited the review for At Night All Blood is Black here and I cannot undue my submission. I will modify this entry with my real review when I finish the book.