Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer often called the father of modern Russian realism because he was one of the first Russian writers to criticize his country's way of life. The novels Taras Bul'ba 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, they remain some of the most important works of world literature.
