Dead Souls by Nicolai Gogol

In the mid-1800s in Russia, the protagonist Pavel Chichikov is traveling through the countryside buying up dead souls--serfs who have died since the last census. Under the laws of the time, the owners have to pay taxes on their serfs, even if they have died, until the next census. By selling them, as if they were still alive, the owners would profit. But why would anyone buy them?

Chichikov has a plan. When he has collected the papers of enough dead souls, he can mortgage them (as if they were alive) and earn enough to buy his own estate. Of course, all this is illegal and most owners have to be tricked and lied to so that they will go along with him, but he is surprisingly successful. Until things start falling apart, that is.

This is basically a picaresque novel, much like 'Don Quixote,' with Chichikov meeting a different type of owner in each chapter. All this is intended to be very humorous, with most of the humor based on exaggeration. According to the introduction to the edition I read, the novel also contains many instances of playing with words, puns, humorous names, and so forth. All this was lost on me.

This edition also included parts of a sequel to the original book, which was not completed when Gogol died. The second part was much more serious in tone, and seemed almost preachy about the sad state of Russia at the time.

'Dead Souls' is a very famous and respected book, particularly in Russia. For some reason--cultural difference, ignorance about Russian history, a poor translation,
poor understanding on my part, whatever--I found it a chore to read.

If you feel inclined to read this novel, disregard this review. 'Dead Souls' has been considered a classic since 1842, and my opinion matters little.