The Nose (1832-1833)

‘The Nose’ is considered one of the first works to define 20th-century absurdist literature. It tells the story of how the nose of collegiate assessor Platon Kovalev abandons its owner and… takes on an independent life. Moreover, it ranks higher than its owner. Critics didn't immediately appreciate Gogol's story: During the author's lifetime, they called it "an unsuccessful joke, embarrassing and shameful to read". It wasn't until the 1960s that it was recognized as a surrealist masterpiece. In St. Petersburg, where the story's events unfold, three monuments to Kovalev's nose have since been erected!

Translated by Constance Garnett, Publisher Knopf, 1923