The Nose

By Nikolai Gogol

A masterpiece of satire and a key work of the Russian "fantastic" movement. One of the most celebrated tales in Russian literature.

Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov awakens to discover that his nose is missing, leaving a smooth, flat patch of skin in its place. He finds and confronts his nose in the Kazan Cathedral, but from its clothing it is apparent that the nose has acquired a higher rank in the civil service than he and refuses to return to his face.

THE ART OF THE NOVELLA
Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers but beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. The Art of the Novella Series celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners. The series has been recognized for its "excellence in design" by AIGA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781612193199

Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Gogol was a Russian novelist and playwright born in what is now considered part of the modern Ukraine. By the time he was 15, Gogol worked as an amateur writer for both Russian and Ukrainian scripts, and then turned his attention and talent to prose. His short-story collections were immediately successful and his first novel, The Government Inspector, was well-received. Gogol went on to publish numerous acclaimed works, including Dead Souls, The Portrait, Marriage, and a revision of Taras Bulba. He died in 1852 while working on the second part of Dead Souls.

Reviews for The Nose

[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.

[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

[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!

[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!

[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

[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.

[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.

[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!...

[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.