Dead Souls

Name: Dead Souls
ISBN: 9787532757084

果戈里Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaAug 2016

4.1

Word count: 254K words
Chapters: 21
ISBN: 9787532757084

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Summary

Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852) was an outstanding representative and founder of nineteenth-century Russian critical realism, hailed as "the father of Russian prose." Dead Souls is his masterpiece. The novel's title refers to serfs who have died but have not yet been removed from the tax register. The story follows Chichikov, a con man, who arrives in a remote provincial town, charms the local officials with flattery, and visits landowners to buy up dead serfs, intending to use them as collateral for fraudulent loans and quick profits. When the scandal is exposed, he flees. The novel incisively portrays the ignorance, greed, baseness, and vulgarity of bureaucrats and landowners; its unforgettable characterizations and biting satire are classics of Russian literature.

Editor's review

Dead Souls (also commonly translated as Dead Souls) is the crowning work of the great Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, a satirical epic that profoundly exposes the pathologies of nineteenth-century Russian serfdom. The novel tells how the speculator Chichikov travels from place to place, buying from landowners serfs who have died but not yet been removed from the census (the "dead souls") in order to make illicit profits. Through this absurd and bizarre plot, Gogol, with his genius, paints a "gallery of grotesques" encompassing lazy dreamers, miserly hoarders, crude bullies, and other types of landowners, incisively depicting human greed, ignorance, and hypocrisy, and using them to lash out mercilessly at and deeply lament the entire rotten social system. This Shanghai Translation Publishing House edition offers an accurate and expressive translation that well preserves the original's unique style—bitingly humorous yet full of compassion. Reading this book is not only to appreciate a superb literary art but also to look through a mirror of history and ponder eternal questions of power, wealth, and human nature. Its profound critical power and insights that transcend its era place it among the classics of world literature, ever fresh on rereading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in works of the golden age of Russian literature
Those who wish to understand nineteenth-century Russian society and history through classic literature
Literature lovers who appreciate exquisite satire and profound depictions of human nature
Serious readers seeking more than entertainment—books that provoke deep social and philosophical reflection

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light, fast-paced plots who lack patience for extensive depictions of social mores
Readers who expect a traditional linear heroic narrative and have low tolerance for satirical and absurdist techniques

Reading tips

Read the preface or an accompanying introduction first to understand the historical background of serfdom, which helps in grasping the logic of the characters' behavior and the targets of the social satire.
While reading, pay attention to Gogol's portrait-like depictions of various landowners and observe how he uses exaggerated details to create typical characters.
After finishing the main plot, revisit the passages of lyricism and digression to feel the author's "laughter through tears" and deep anxiety beyond the satire.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
译本序
第一卷
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第二卷
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
结尾的一章
附记

FAQ

Are Dead Souls and Dead Souls the same book?

Yes, they are different translated titles for the same work. "Serfs" more directly points to the core object and historical background of the story, while "souls" carries a double meaning: it refers to the serfs (who could be called "souls" in Russian) and also hints at the novel's interrogation of the human soul.

Is this book difficult to understand?

As a major nineteenth-century realist work, it contains extensive depictions of social life and character dialogue specific to its era, so it may pose some initial difficulty. But its core story (buying dead serfs) is highly engaging, its characters are exaggerated and vivid, and its satire is powerful; once you enter its world, you will feel its immense literary charm.

What is Gogol's place in literary history?

Nikolai Gogol is one of the founders of nineteenth-century Russian critical realism and ranks alongside Pushkin. His works, especially Dead Souls and The Government Inspector, with their sharp satire and profound exposure of social ills, greatly influenced later Russian writers including Dostoevsky and Chekhov, and he is hailed as "the father of Russian prose."

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About the author

果戈里 Author

Gogol is one of the most influential writers in the history of Russian literature, though the library's records of his dates and nationality remain limited and await further verification. The site holds five of his works, including Dead Souls, The Government Inspector, The Overcoat, and The Disappearing Nose: Gogol's Classic of the Absurd, commonly classified under foreign literature and world classics. These works often draw on the absurdities of the bureaucratic system and everyday life, using satire, exaggeration, and the grotesque to expose human weaknesses and social ills, combining comic effect with critical force. Dead Souls and The Government Inspector have long been regarded as representative works of critical realism, while The Overcoat moves readers through the fate of a minor figure. Gogol's vivid narrative language and precise detail have had a profound influence on later Russian and world literature.