Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai GoGol (1809–1852) was a Ukrainian-born humourist, dramatist, short-story writer and novelist whose highly influential works laid the foundations of 19th-century Russian literary realism. Gogol was raised by a Polish mother and an amateur Ukrainian playwright and poet father. His family spoke both Russian and Ukrainian at home. Gogol studied at the Nizhyn Pedagogical University where he took lessons in writing and acting, and also learned to play the violin. He moved to St. Petersburg to join the civil service after completing his studies and also worked as a senior professor of Medieval History at St. Petersburg University for a year. Gogol’s notable works include Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, Dead Souls, Mirgorod, Arabesques, and The Government Inspector.