Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (31 March [O.S. 19 March] 1809, - 4 March [O.S. 21 February] 1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer. Although his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing and identity, he wrote in Russian and his works belong to the tradition of Russian literature; often called the "father of modern Russian realism" he was one of the first Russian authors to criticize his country's way of life. The novels Taras Bul'ba (1835; 1842 [revised edition]) and Dead Souls (1842), the play The Inspector-General (1836, 1842), and the short stories Diary of a Madman, The Nose and The Overcoat (1842) are among his best known works -- with their scrupulous and scathing realism, ethical criticism as well as philosophical depth, remain as some of the most important works of world literature
