The Mysterious Portrait by Nikolai Gogol

Author: Nikolai Gogol | Published: 1835

The Mysterious Portrait Synopsis

Excerpt:

Nowhere did so many people pause as before the little picture-shop in the Shtchukinui Dvor. This little shop contained, indeed, the most varied collection of curiosities. The pictures were chiefly oil-paintings covered with dark varnish, in frames of dingy yellow. Winter scenes with white trees; very red sunsets, like raging conflagrations, a Flemish boor, more like a turkey-cock in cuffs than a human being, were the prevailing subjects. To these must be added a few engravings, such as a portrait of Khozreff-Mirza in a sheepskin cap, and some generals with three-cornered hats and hooked noses. Moreover, the doors of such shops are usually festooned with bundles of those publications, printed on large sheets of bark, and then coloured by hand, which bear witness to the native talent of the Russian.

About Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Gogol is a celebrated Russian novelist, playwright, and short story writer who excelled in the field of literature during the 19th century. His works have been studied and analyzed by generations of readers since his books first appeared in print. Gogol was born in 1809 in a small Ukrainian town to an aristocratic family. Although he received an education at a local school, it was his talent for writing that shone through. He wrote some of the most famous stories in Russian literature which include The Government Inspector, Dead Souls and The Overcoat.

His work often focused on themes such as human suffering and alienation from society. Many of his stories were humorous but also carried a melancholic tone throughout them which helped him to stand out as an artist during this time period. Find out more about Nikolai Gogol at sevenov.com.

Nikolai Gogol's Books on PageVio

Short Stories: The Fair at Sorochyntsi | St. John's Eve | May Night, or the Drowned Maiden | The Lost Letter: A Tale Told by the Sexton of the N...Church | The Night Before Christmas | A Terrible Vengeance | Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt | A Bewitched Place | The Old World Landowners | The Viy | How the Two Ivans Quarrelled | The Mysterious Portrait | Nevsky Prospekt | Diary of a Madman | The Nose | The Carriage | The Overcoat

Here's a full list of Nikolai Gogol's books.