Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1801–1852), a classic of Russian literature, was a renowned playwright, critic, and publicist. He was born in the village of Sorochyntsi, Poltava Governorate.

At the age of ten, Gogol moved to the city of Poltava in order to prepare for his studies at a local grammar school, after which he enrolled in the Nizhyn Gymnasium of Higher Learning. Upon completing his studies in 1828, Gogol relocated to St. Petersburg in December, where he spent several years searching for his calling before finally finding success in literature.

It was only after arriving in St. Petersburg that Nikolai Gogol made the decision to pursue his long-held dream of meeting the renowned Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin. Without prior invitation or notice, Gogol paid a visit to Pushkin’s apartment, only to discover that the poet was not at home. Upon inquiring, the servant informed the aspiring author that Pushkin was asleep because he had been “playing cards” all night long. According to the recollections of literary critic Pavel Annensky, Gogol was devastated by this, as he had envisioned his idol as constantly surrounded “by a cloud of inspiration”.

On May 20, 1831, Gogol and Pushkin met at an evening event hosted by the critic and poet Pyotr Alexandrovich Pletnyov. Despite the ten-year age difference and disparity in literary experience, Pushkin immediately saw Gogol as a fellow writer. That same year, Gogol published “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka”. Pushkin was impressed with the young author’s work, stating,

In the summer of 1831, Gogol resided in Pavlovsk at the house of Alexandra Ivanovna Vasilchikova, a lady-in-waiting to the Russian Imperial Court. He taught her ill son and also frequently visited Tsarskoye Selo, where he encountered Pushkin and Zhukovsky. Pushkin praised Gogol’s story “The Nose, ” finding it “full of all things unexpected, fantastical, humorous, and original.” It was Alexander Pushkin who suggested to Nikolai Gogol the plot ideas for “The Government Inspector” and “Dead Souls”.

The death of Alexander Pushkin was a significant personal loss for Gogol. It is known that he was unable to continue working on the poem “Dead Souls” for a considerable period following the tragic event. In a letter to Alexander Danilevsky, he wrote,