The Inspector General - Gogol, Nikolai

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Résumé :
Nikolai Gogol's classic and hilarious satire of bureaucratic ineptness and corruption in a first-class translation by Laurence Senelick. The emperor deigned to attend the premiere with the heir apparent: he was extremely pleased and laughed heartily. The play is very entertaining but an intolerable insult to the nobility, the civil service, and the merchantry. -Khrapovitsky's diary, 1836 Everybody got his and me first of all! -Tsar Nicholas I (allegedly), 1836 The audience, struck by the novelty, laughed enormously, but I expected a better reception ... One of my friends explained the reason jokingly. Says he, 'How can you expect them to give a better reception to this play, since half the audience is made up of those who are 'getting it,' and the other half those who are 'giving it.' -Mikhail Shchepkin, 1838 The comedy was accepted by many people as a liberal manifesto ... a political bombshell flung at society under the guise of a comedy. -Prince Pyotr Vyazemsky, 1836 I decided to gather into one heap everything in Russia that I was aware of at the time, all the injustices committed in those places and on those occasions where justice is especially required of humanity, and, at the same time, to laugh at it all. The effect, as everyone knows, was astonishing. Behind the laughter which had never before spurted from me with such force, the reader can notice sorrow ... -Nikolay Gogol, 1847

Biographie:
Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) was a Russian short story writer, playwright and novelist born in the Ukrainian Cossack town of Sorochyntsi. Often referred to as the Father of the Golden Age of Russian Literature, Gogol was the author of the first great Russian novel, Dead Souls, 1842. He was one of the first writers to use the grotesque in his work, and the famous trope can be seen in his well-known short story, The Overcoat, 1842.

Sommaire:
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1809-1852) was a Russian writer, playwright, and critic of Ukrainian origin, considered one of the greatest authors of Russian literature. Born in Poltava, his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, heavily drew on Ukrainian culture and folklore. In St. Petersburg, Gogol gained fame for his satirical works and innovative style, which had a significant influence on both Russian and world literature.His works, such as The Government Inspector and Dead Souls, explore human vices and social issues, blending realism with humor. The Government Inspector had a profound impact on Russian society by exposing bureaucratic corruption. Gogol also delved into religious and mystical themes, particularly in his later years, experiencing deep spiritual crises that led him to burn some of his writings. He died in Moscow at the age of 42, leaving behind a literary legacy of social critique and stylistic innovation that inspired writers like Dostoevsky and Bulgakov....