Special envoy

Author: (Russian) Gogol
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-13
Features: This book includes two important dramatic works by 19th-century Russian writer Gogol.
Representative work The Inspector General narrates the story of a group of officials, led by the mayor of a Russian city, who, upon hearing that the Inspector General is coming for an inspection, become panicked. They mistake a passing small official from St. Petersburg, Khlestakov, for the Inspector General and treat him with great hospitality, flattering and bribing him. Just as the mayor is about to marry his daughter to this "Inspector General" and dreams of promotion and wealth, news arrives that the real Inspector General has arrived. The comedy ends with a moment of silence. This play is a microcosm of the entire Russian bureaucracy and is considered a milestone in the history of Russian theater, exerting significant influence on the development of Russian and world drama. The Wedding is another distinctive dramatic work by the author, which reflects the vulgar social customs of 19th-century St. Petersburg through a marriage transaction and carries profound social satire.