The Nose

Written by Nikolai Gogol

Narrated by Cathy Dobson

Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) was a pre-eminent Ukrainian-born story writer. He is particularly famous for those stories which veer in the direction of surrealism and the grotesque. The Nose is a classic example of this genre. The story opens with the barber, Ivan Yakovlevitch at breakfast. Things take an odd turn when Yakovlevitch finds a disembodied nose hidden in his bread roll. Yakovlevitch is at pains to rid himself as quickly as he can of the nose, which he recognizes as belonging to one of his clients, Major Kovalev. Kovalev, on the other hand, awakes to find his nose missing and leaves no stone unturned in trying to track the missing organ down....with each twist of the tale, the story gets odder and odder as the nose develops a life and personality of its own. Gogol at his surrealist best!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Door Consulting
• Release date: May 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781467668989

Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809–1852) was one of nineteenth-century Russia’s greatest writers and a profound influence on Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Bulgakov, Vladimir Nabokov, and countless other authors. His best-known works include the novel Dead Souls (1842) and the stories “The Overcoat,” “The Nose,” and “Memoirs of a Madman.” In 1852, he burned most of his manuscripts, including the second part of Dead Souls. He died nine days later.  

Reviews for The Nose

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A short story of 45 pages. It is absurd and it is supposed to be. It's a commentary on how people say and do very silly things. Meh

[maxernst11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

De barbier iwan Jakowlewitsj ontdekt bij zijn ontbijt een neus in het brood, afkomstig van de college-assessor Kowaljow. Die ziet pas bij het ontwaken dat zijn neus weg is en is in alle staten (want erg ijdel). Plots ziet hij zijn eigen neus in de straat opduiken, gekleed in uniform, hij spreekt hem aan maar de ander ontkent. K. probeert een advertentie te plaatsen, maar dat stuit op ongeloof en hilariteit bij ambtenaren en functionarissen. Uiteindelijk komt een politie-inspecteur hem de neus terugbrengen, maar hij krijgt hem er niet meer op. Allerlei geruchten en toeloop. 14d dagen later zit de neus weer op zijn plaats. Een vreemd verhaal!

[Rajeh Gharzeddine · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Natrator is annoying. There is something about her words being loose and do not carry the weight of the literature.

[tess_w · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A short story of 45 pages. It is absurd and it is supposed to be. It's a commentary on how people say and do very silly things. Meh

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absurd tale of a disembodied nose running amok in St. Petersburg. A barber discovers a nose in a loaf of bread. He recognizes it as belonging to one of his clients. Major Kovalyov wakes up one morning with a flat space where his nose should be. He searches for the nose and tries to advertise for its return.

I really enjoyed this creative short story. The author breaks the fourth wall, pointing out such things as the farcical notion of an “owner” wanting to advertise the loss of his nose in the local paper. It is humorous and makes fun of the rank, class, and structure in Russia at the time, a brilliant way to avoid stating anything directly. The Nose achieves a higher rank than the person who “lost” it. It is only 60 pages, so I read two English translations from the Russian (one by Ronald Wilks, the other by Claude Field) to get a better feel for the story.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short story about a St. Petersburg official, Kovalyov, who's nose leaves his face and becomes separate entity with it's own life. This is an absurd story with humor and is a commentary on social ranking.A rather humorous short story about a man who lost his nose for awhile. A tale of cutting your nose off to spite your face or perhaps the ultimate tale of a brownnoser. The official seemed quite concerned about his personal image and how that was going to affect him. It is a short (about 50 pages) of a classic Russian author. It is considered a precursor to magical realism.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a strange little story The Nose by Nikolai Gogol turned out to be. This is a satirical short story about a St. Petersburg official called Kovalyov, whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own. Apparently Gogol himself had an oddly shaped nose and was often teased about this. The sheer absurdity of this story relies on humor and social commentary to draw the reader in.

Highlighting the desire for social ranking, in this story, the Nose actually surpasses the position of the owner causing him much embarrassment and although the nose apparently can change in size, it is always clearly identified as belonging to Kovalyov which spearheads that characters feelings of inferiority and jealousy.

It is never explained fully how the nose made it’s escape or how it came to be re-attached but instead leaves that up to the imagination of the reader. Using this type of magical realism highlights the surreal nature of the story but the author definitely included plenty of social references about Russia and human nature in general. Personally I found The Nose to be both hilarious and insightful.

[Juliercoli · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Exquisite tales by Gogol. (Translated from Spanish)

[la2bkk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Amusing short story, with moments of true hilarity. I was surprised that Gogol had such a sense of humor. On the other hand, the story lacks any real depth and Gogol makes no attempt whatsoever to explain the absurd happenings.

A recommended read, but do not expect to take away anything of significance.

[amerynth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Nose" is a pretty quick and amusing read. There doesn't appear to be anything too deep about it (which may be the point as compared to most Russian literature.) I'm not a fan of magical realism generally, but when they're this short, I guess it's all right.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

De barbier iwan Jakowlewitsj ontdekt bij zijn ontbijt een neus in het brood, afkomstig van de college-assessor Kowaljow. Die ziet pas bij het ontwaken dat zijn neus weg is en is in alle staten (want erg ijdel). Plots ziet hij zijn eigen neus in de straat opduiken, gekleed in uniform, hij spreekt hem aan maar de ander ontkent. K. probeert een advertentie te plaatsen, maar dat stuit op ongeloof en hilariteit bij ambtenaren en functionarissen. Uiteindelijk komt een politie-inspecteur hem de neus terugbrengen, maar hij krijgt hem er niet meer op. Allerlei geruchten en toeloop. 14d dagen later zit de neus weer op zijn plaats. Een vreemd verhaal!

[fpdc_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delightful short story about a man that wakes and finds out his nose has gone and it is walking in town disguised as a State Counselor!...