E. Dmitrieva. “The second volume of ‘Dead Souls’: Intentions and speculations”. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie, 2023. 464 p.: Book review

Abstract

The reviewed book by E. E. Dmitrieva explores the history of the second volume of Nikolai Gogol's “Dead Souls”. The author, relying on archival, memoir sources, and correspondence, reconstructs various aspects of this history from its creation to its burning. E. E. Dmitrieva tells about mystifications, stylizations, and critics’ attitudes towards this part of the poem. The book concludes the reflection on the second volume of “Dead Souls” in Russian culture over almost two centuries.