A review by olya_hakob
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

I was impressed by Gogol's short stories and was really looking forward to Dead Souls . It did not disappoint me! I liked the depth of explored topics (social order, pseudo-intellectualism, greed, conformism etc) delivered in a witty and satirical coating. One aspect that I really enjoyed in Gogol's satire is the empathy and genuine concern about the flaws in the (Russian) society. Although some of his descriptions may seem brutally honest and razor-sharp he somehow manages to be forgiving and relatively judgment-free to his characters. The passages where he directly addresses the reader help to connect to the author and turns the reading into a vivid experience.