Nikolai Gogol was one of the greatest writers of the golden age of Russian Literature. As friend of the Great Aleksandr Sergeeyivich Pushkin, the Shakespeare of Russian Literature, he helped Pushkin realize his genius and at the same time wrote some of the most famous and entertaining short stories of all the Gogol always had sympathy for the little guy, who was stuck in a dead end job, and the guy who had no voice. Gogol's stories are surreal, imaginative and impressive. Gogol shows you the roots of what Russian writers continued to excel at later with works like Metamorphosis (Kafka). He calls his stories tales (there are the Ukrainian Tales and the Petersburg Tales), and they most definitely are tales. They are the kind of stories you can tell around the campfire -- they are that unnerving and exhilarating. Yet they are social commentaries as well. These stories work on many levels because they are detailed, feature fantastic characters, and delve into fantasy. All the while you find unexpected twists and occurrences. It's sheer genius. This collection, which includes "Taras Bulba," is a fabulous introduction to both Russian literature and the work of Nikolai Gogol. "St. John's Eve," "The Cloak," "The Mysterious Portrait," "How the Two Ivans Quarreled," and "The Calash" are also included in this collection.