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The Nose
'Strangely enough, I mistook it for a gentleman at first. Fortunately I had my spectacles with me so I could see it was really a nose.'
With this pair of absurd, comic stories Gogol indulges his imagination and delights readers.
Contains 'The Nose' and 'The Carriage'.
With this pair of absurd, comic stories Gogol indulges his imagination and delights readers.
Contains 'The Nose' and 'The Carriage'.
53 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1836
About the author
Nikolai Gogol
1,726 books5,130 followersPeople consider that Russian writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Николай Васильевич Гоголь) founded realism in Russian literature. His works include
The Overcoat
(1842) and
Dead Souls
(1842).
Ukrainian birth, heritage, and upbringing of Gogol influenced many of his written works among the most beloved in the tradition of Russian-language literature. Most critics see Gogol as the first Russian realist. His biting satire, comic realism, and descriptions of Russian provincials and petty bureaucrats influenced later Russian masters Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and especially Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Gogol wittily said many later Russian maxims.
Gogol first used the techniques of surrealism and the grotesque in his works The Nose , Viy , The Overcoat , and Nevsky Prospekt . Ukrainian upbringing, culture, and folklore influenced his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka .
His later writing satirized political corruption in the Russian empire in Dead Souls .
Ukrainian birth, heritage, and upbringing of Gogol influenced many of his written works among the most beloved in the tradition of Russian-language literature. Most critics see Gogol as the first Russian realist. His biting satire, comic realism, and descriptions of Russian provincials and petty bureaucrats influenced later Russian masters Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and especially Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Gogol wittily said many later Russian maxims.
Gogol first used the techniques of surrealism and the grotesque in his works The Nose , Viy , The Overcoat , and Nevsky Prospekt . Ukrainian upbringing, culture, and folklore influenced his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka .
His later writing satirized political corruption in the Russian empire in Dead Souls .
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December 14, 2021
Gogol’s “The Nose” (1835), is an early triumph of surrealism, daring and delightful in the way it jars and disjoins one reality from another, but it is also a vivid realistic depiction of the sights and sounds of early 19th century St. Petersburg (including the essential bridges, buildings and monuments), a savage criticism of the way petty bureaucrats jockeyed for position within Russia’s complex government classification system, as well as a critical examination of the nature of story-telling itself.
Our tale begins as Yakovlevich the Barber cuts into his breakfast roll and recognizes—concealed inside his morning pastry—the wandering nose of “Major” Kolyakov the College Inspector, which he then discards surreptitiously, near the river. The story then shifts to the awakening Major Kolyakov, who soon realizes his nose has absconded, leaving behind nothing but a space in the middle of his face “as flat as a pancake.” Soon—muffled, concealing his shame--he goes out onto the St. Petersburg streets and spies what he is sure is his nose (also muffled) leaving a carriage and entering into the house of an important official. But, worse than all this, is the fact that that his former nose is now wearing a uniform, and the nose’s rank is higher than that of the “Major” himself.
Why a nose? Well, Gogol had an odd shaped nose, which we know because he himself ridiculed its appearance in his letters, and I take that as pretty good evidence other people made fun of it too. But of course, although the nose may be self-referential, it is also phallic: what better symbol for a man deprived of the accoutrements of power than a missing, errant nose?
This is a miraculous piece of fiction, and—like all miracles—it doesn’t open itself readily to convincing explanations. It owes much of its ineffable power, I believe, to its early, daring and dreamlike shift from a nose-sized nose to a human-sized nose stepping down from a carriage, a shift Gogol accomplishes without any attempt to explain or excuse the transformation. If the reader will accept this absurdity, he will accept anything. And—speaking for one reader at least—I accepted it without thinking, and--from this point on--Gogol had on completely his spell.
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July 29, 2021
The Nose - Nikolai Gogol's beloved tale of civil servant Major Kovalyov waking up one morning to discover his nose has left his face and is living a life of its own. Much of the story's humor focuses on the prevailing preoccupation with social rank within the Russia of the time. Still, a nose is a nose. Thus, by my eye, three issues surrounding the old schnozzle pop into view:
NOSE ASSIGNED HIGH IMPORTANCE
Nose surgery or rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure to correct a prominent, unusual, asymmetric or irregular nose. Rhinoplasty is the most common procedure performed among facial plastic surgeons. No doubt about it, people want a nose that doesn't stick out for any reason whatsoever. The last thing a person wants when meeting others for the first time is for those others to come away thinking: "What a nose!"
NOSE ASSIGNED LOW IMPORTANCE
When it comes to the field of aesthetics and the philosophy of art, philosopher Ann-Sophie Barwich acknowledges the low status customarily assigned the sense of smell. However, she is undaunted and suggests: "What we must recognize here is that any expression of odor assessment and preference is not inevitably given or fixed but leaves room for contextual evaluations and the individual acquisition of expertise and taste." In other words, we would be well to recognize some individuals may take steps to cultivate their sense of smell and become connoisseurs of the nose.
Still, I have my doubts about raising the status of the nose. One develops an eye for painting, an ear for music, a taste for fine food, a feel for movement (one's kinesthetic sense) but how many people will admit publicly they are cultivating their nose?
NOSE AND MARXISM
I was completely unsuccessful in locating a Marxist interpretation of Gogol's The Nose. It appears staunch Marxists grudgingly admit the story is simply meant to be funny, a story that's entirely ridiculous and absurd, an instance of complete nonsense or, at best, a satire of Russian society since Kovalev's rank accords him high social status. However, the Marxists acknowledge any man or woman of any class, high or low, would be gravely upset at losing their nose. The fact that Gogol picked a pompous, conceited major to mock simply makes the story funnier.
So much for philosophy. Here are a batch of my modest comments linked with direct quotes from the tale itself:
“You beast, whose nose is that you’ve cut off?’ she cried furiously. ‘You scoundrel! You drunkard! I’ll report it to the police myself, I will.” -------- When at breakfast Ivan Yakovlevitch, the barber, discovers there's a nose in his bread, a nose he recognizes as belonging to one of his customers by the name of Major Kovalev, his wife’s immediate reaction is to accuse him of committing a violent crime and then heap on the abuse. Nicolai Gogol's astute observation on a typical happy, harmonious Russian household. Although an absurdist tale, The Nose contains many elements of the harshest realism.
“Once, true, he did succeed in dropping the thing, but no sooner had he done so than a constable pointed at him with his truncheon, and shouted: “Pick it up again! You’ve lost something.” And then when Ivan Yakovlevich drops the nose in the water from up on Isaakievsky Bridge, another police office says: “Come and tell me what you have been doing on the bridge.”” ---------- Nicolai Gogol’s penetrating insight into the future of constant surveillance under the omnipresent eye of a totalitarian state.
“Ivan Yakovlevich, like any honest Russian working man, was a terrible drunkard.” ---------- Gogol satire on display here. It is perfectly acceptable to be an alcoholic as long as you continue to perform your designated function within society. At one point Major Kavalyov tells the barber that his hands always stink and the narrator makes reference to the brown splotches all over Ivan Yakovlevich's jacket, leaving no doubt our honest, hardworking Russian, the salt of the earth and heartbeat of the nation, is also a filthy, stinking slob.
“Kovalyov stretched himself and asked for the small mirror that stood on the table to be brought over to him. He wanted to have a look at a pimple that had made its appearance on his nose the previous evening.” ---------- Our first telling acquaintance with the good Major in Part 2, the bulk of Nikolai Gogol’s story – Kovalyov’s constant preoccupation with his own appearance. And, you may ask, what are the Major’s deeper reflections throughout the tale on a person’s inner character independent of appearances? Perhaps predictably, such reflections are nonexistent.
“But, to his unbounded astonishment, there was only a flat patch on his face where the nose should have been!” ---------- Among the funniest parts of the story – Kovalyov’s dealing with having no nose. Forever the realist tied to outward appearances, he mostly hides the middle of his face with a handkerchief as if he was dealing with a nosebleed. Why not display to everyone in your city that we are living in a fabulist’s universe and all our assumptions about the laws of nature are false? No, no, no . . . not even close for such realists as Kovalyov.
“The feeling of horror and amazement that gripped Kovalyov when he recognized his own nose defies description! After this extraordinary sight everything went topsy-turvy.” ---------- Ha! One instance of absurdism is all it takes! Kovalyov's neat and tidy world of rank and status is shattered.
“It was wearing a gold-braided uniform with a high stand-up collar and chamois trousers, and had a sword at its side. From the plumes on its hat one could tell that it held the exalted rank of state councilor. And it was abundantly clear that the nose was going to visit someone. It looked right, then left, shouted to the coachman ‘Let’s go!’ climbed in and drove off.” ---------- You have to love a nose with class! Nicolai Gogol’s connecting the world of fantasy and reality is both charming and comical. No wonder a number of children’s picture books have been created based on the author’s story. Gogol’s satire and social commentary leaven the storytelling but on another, more fundamental level, The Nose tickles the funny bone and is sheer, simple fun.
“It was praying with an expression of profound piety. ‘What’s the best way of approaching it?’ thought Kovalyov. ‘Judging by its uniform, its hat, and its whole appearance, it must be a state councilor. But I’m damned if I know!’ And then when Kavalyov engages his nose in conversations: ‘My dear fellow, you are mistaken. I am a person in my own right.” ---------- Rebuffed by his very own nose. The ultimate insult!
Kavalyov decides to take yet another approach: “I’ll go to the City Security Office, not because it was directly connected with the police, but because things got done there much quicker than in any other government department.” ---------- Nicolai Gogol’s subtle dig at a society placing highest priority on its own security, anticipating the Soviet KGB.
"For surely you perceive me no longer to be in possession of a means of sniffing? Oh, you and your snuff can go to hell!" ---------- Insulted yet again, this time by a lowly clerk offering him a pinch of snuff when the clerk can plainly see he hasn't got a nose with which to sniff the stuff.
Fortunately, Nicolai Gogol doesn't leave poor Kovalyov in his tragic state. I encourage you to read this short classic and watch Kovalyov's hilarious honker in action.
La bonne aventure , 1937, René Magritte
Nikolai Gogol, 1809-1852
August 31, 2023
- لقد فكر الكثيرون قبل غوغول وبعده بإفقاد الإنسان لعضو من اعضائه (عين، يد، رجل، كلية...) وكتبوا عن المصاعب التي تواجه كل منهم في حياته مثيرين الشفقة في قلب القارئ ومسلطين الأضواء على المصاعب، وكانت تلك القصص جيدة وذات نهايات هادفة، بمعظمها... وبعضهم الآخر زاد عضوا على ال��نسان (عين، ارجل، ايادٍ..) وكانت روايات مشابهة.. والبعض الآخر حوّل الإنسان بكامله لحيوان (كافكا) والحيوان لإنسان( بولغاكوف) وكان لهم ابداعاتهم... لكن احدا لم يأخذ الأنف وينسج عليه كما فعل غوغول...
- حين يفقد الانسان الانف فالتفكير يأخذنا لفقدان حاسة الشم، وهذا لم يشر اليه غوغول حتى، فقد ضرب على وتر آخر: التكبر، الجبروت، والمركز الإجتماعي: فمع فقدان الأتف كُسر التكبر وسقط المركز الإجتماعي وركع الجبروت! حتى التكبر نفسه (بشخص الأنف) قد صال وجال بعيدا وبرتبة اعلى، تاركا صاحبه ومتعاليا عليه!..
- "الرائد" نفسه،ولأن غروره يعميه حاول ايجاد تفسير هذا الوضع بالأسباب الخارجية (سحر، شعوذة، حسد، مقلب...) ولم يفكر ولو لدقيقة بداخله، وهذا يدل على نفسية وتفكير تلك الطبقة من الناس.
- كل ما سبق اتى بقالب ساخر، حافظت الترجمة على معظمه...
- حين يفقد الانسان الانف فالتفكير يأخذنا لفقدان حاسة الشم، وهذا لم يشر اليه غوغول حتى، فقد ضرب على وتر آخر: التكبر، الجبروت، والمركز الإجتماعي: فمع فقدان الأتف كُسر التكبر وسقط المركز الإجتماعي وركع الجبروت! حتى التكبر نفسه (بشخص الأنف) قد صال وجال بعيدا وبرتبة اعلى، تاركا صاحبه ومتعاليا عليه!..
- "الرائد" نفسه،ولأن غروره يعميه حاول ايجاد تفسير هذا الوضع بالأسباب الخارجية (سحر، شعوذة، حسد، مقلب...) ولم يفكر ولو لدقيقة بداخله، وهذا يدل على نفسية وتفكير تلك الطبقة من الناس.
- كل ما سبق اتى بقالب ساخر، حافظت الترجمة على معظمه...
November 10, 2023
Imagine if you woke up one morning and felt like something was missing. That something used to be an integral part of you.
The title gives a clue to what it can be. Exactly, the answer is a nose.
What happened to the nose of the protagonist remains a mystery. It just disappears from his face as if it never even were there. No explanation is given.
This satirical story subverts reality and at the same time addresses real issues. It deals with bureaucracy, rumors and the way they may influence people.
I am not going to pretend that I managed to unearth all the meanings of this relatively short story. However, one of the takeaways from it is how gullible people can be. They can probably believe almost anything they are told. The nose has become an official. Why not? Things happen.
In addition to being credulous, people often learn nothing from their experiences, even the most weird ones. The protagonist does not seem to learn from what happened to him and his nose. At the end of the story, he is mostly the same as he was at the beginning. He hangs on to his complacency and his ignorance.
The story is well-written, it is sharp and fun at times. But the main character is not at all a likable person. Secondary characters are not likable either. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings, but I mostly enjoyed the reading experience. Hence, four stars.
The title gives a clue to what it can be. Exactly, the answer is a nose.
What happened to the nose of the protagonist remains a mystery. It just disappears from his face as if it never even were there. No explanation is given.
This satirical story subverts reality and at the same time addresses real issues. It deals with bureaucracy, rumors and the way they may influence people.
I am not going to pretend that I managed to unearth all the meanings of this relatively short story. However, one of the takeaways from it is how gullible people can be. They can probably believe almost anything they are told. The nose has become an official. Why not? Things happen.
In addition to being credulous, people often learn nothing from their experiences, even the most weird ones. The protagonist does not seem to learn from what happened to him and his nose. At the end of the story, he is mostly the same as he was at the beginning. He hangs on to his complacency and his ignorance.
The story is well-written, it is sharp and fun at times. But the main character is not at all a likable person. Secondary characters are not likable either. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings, but I mostly enjoyed the reading experience. Hence, four stars.
September 9, 2021
I know it is a classic and It has its merits but I did not like this story at all. Not sure it was the translation or it just wasn't for me. One uptight official from Sankt Petersburg wakes up one morning without a nose. His barber finds it in a loaf of bread. Then, it becomes alive and starts walking around town. The biggest problem is that the nose wore clothes of superior rank than the possessor had. The horror. It makes fun of the rigid and corrupt ranks of Russian Noblity, of vanity and other subjects.
p.s. The translator of the version I read said something about the Syphilitics' nose and that the author could have meant the owner was a bit sick.
p.s. The translator of the version I read said something about the Syphilitics' nose and that the author could have meant the owner was a bit sick.
January 3, 2017
“This world is full of the most outrageous nonsense. Sometimes things happen which you would hardly think possible.”
Indeed, like losing your nose.
And for the man who has lost his nose, his life is literally now over. How could he possibly be seen in public again? How could anyone ever take him seriously? How could he ever get that all too important promotion or ever please his wife? So ridiculously funny this reaction becomes, the nose is everything to him and losing it means he can no longer function. And so Gogle wields the absurd to demonstrate the absurd.
The man thinks he has a different character now; he is someone else, something else. And here is the rub. What has actually changed? Nothing. His nose has gone. That’s it. In this Gogle shows how much importance is placed upon appearance in this vain, vain, world. It is so strange that a man should think himself so altered because of the loss of such a thing.
And this is where the comic elements come in. The story is rather inexplicable, but so is human nature. The events don’t make a great deal of sense or follow any logic, but, again, neither does human nature. This is a hilarious story; it’s so weird and wonderful.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 44
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
Indeed, like losing your nose.
And for the man who has lost his nose, his life is literally now over. How could he possibly be seen in public again? How could anyone ever take him seriously? How could he ever get that all too important promotion or ever please his wife? So ridiculously funny this reaction becomes, the nose is everything to him and losing it means he can no longer function. And so Gogle wields the absurd to demonstrate the absurd.
The man thinks he has a different character now; he is someone else, something else. And here is the rub. What has actually changed? Nothing. His nose has gone. That’s it. In this Gogle shows how much importance is placed upon appearance in this vain, vain, world. It is so strange that a man should think himself so altered because of the loss of such a thing.
And this is where the comic elements come in. The story is rather inexplicable, but so is human nature. The events don’t make a great deal of sense or follow any logic, but, again, neither does human nature. This is a hilarious story; it’s so weird and wonderful.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 44
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
February 15, 2022
¡Qué pereza de cuento! No me ha gustado, pero para nada.
En realidad 0,6
La culpa es completamente mía: Hay momentos donde elegimos bien, y otros donde elegimos mal, es lo más normal de la vida. Esta vez me he equivocado porque actué precipitadamente, ya que me confié en exceso de que siempre tendría suerte leyendo un relato al azar de un autor desconocido. Esta vez no busqué información del autor, no investigué sobre su vida, y para ser sincero ni siquiera tenía conocimiento de que era ruso; por tanto, toda mi ignorancia generó malos resultados por no prepararme adecuadamente para conocer la pluma del autor. Es más, pensándolo bien creo que ni siquiera leí la sinopsis, pero ahora, al leerla, es fácil entender que este cuento tenía cero opciones de gustarme. Una sinopsis muy simple que no me atrae en absoluto, ni siquiera un poco:
Quizás me interesé porque está clasificado en el género del humor, pero fue tan ilógico pretender que el tipo de humor sarcástico, pícaro, y cruel que me gusta, lo iba a encontrar en un cuento ruso del siglo XIX, en una época en la que se sufría por la censura política: No sé en qué carajos estaba pensando, se los confieso.
Sobre el cuento debo decir que no me ha gustado para nada, la historia en sí me ha parecido absurda, nunca comprendí por qué se le considera como un autor con un excelente sentido del humor —nunca me reí, nada me pareció gracioso—, y en general he quedado tan insatisfecho que no sobrevivió ni una sola pizca de interés de leer algún otro cuento del autor en el futuro. A pesar de ello, intentando destacar algo, mencionaré que la atmósfera ha estado bien trabajada porque sentí realmente como si estuviera en la Rusia de aquellos tiempos. Asimismo, la idea principal —aunque absurda— ha sido creativa porque invita al lector a hacerse la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo actuarías si un día despertaras sin nariz, sin una parte de tu cuerpo, o sin una de las capacidades de las cuales tú te sientes orgulloso? Son muy buenas preguntas que te hacen pensar sobre tus vanidades personales. A mí por ejemplo me daría vergüenza pasear con ropa de mujer, pero no la sentiría si tuviera que salir desnudo y correr por la calle. Nuestras reacciones son impredecibles, por lo que somos capaces de realizar cierto tipo de actividades, o de actuar de cierta manera, pero dependiendo de nuestra moral, posición, costumbres, reputación, etc., huiremos y nos sentiremos completamente incomodos al enfrentarnos a otro tipo de situaciones. Esa es la idea principal del libro, y lo más importante por destacar. Lo malo es que esas preguntas te las haces en las primeras páginas del libro, por lo que si no disfrutas del humor absurdo que presenta el autor, las siguientes páginas no te otorgan ningún tipo de utilidad, ni intelectual, ni de entretenimiento.
Mi lección personal es pensar mejor sobre las decisiones que tomo, no ser tan impulsivo cuando tengo poco tiempo para elegir, y no ignorar que la investigación es muchas veces importante en el momento en que planeó afrontar una lectura desconocida. Por situaciones como esta, es que hay lecturas clásicas y memorables de la literatura universal, a las cuales le huyo permanentemente ya que no estoy preparado para abordarlas en este instante: Tal situación me ocurre por ejemplo con la famosísima La divina comedia. La calificación de una estrella refleja mi indiferencia hacia esta historia, le colocaría cero estrellas, pero lo relacionado a la vanidad ayuda a subir un poquito, solo un poquito la puntuación. Este cuento y este autor simplemente no son para mí. Cuento no recomendado.
En realidad 0,6
La culpa es completamente mía: Hay momentos donde elegimos bien, y otros donde elegimos mal, es lo más normal de la vida. Esta vez me he equivocado porque actué precipitadamente, ya que me confié en exceso de que siempre tendría suerte leyendo un relato al azar de un autor desconocido. Esta vez no busqué información del autor, no investigué sobre su vida, y para ser sincero ni siquiera tenía conocimiento de que era ruso; por tanto, toda mi ignorancia generó malos resultados por no prepararme adecuadamente para conocer la pluma del autor. Es más, pensándolo bien creo que ni siquiera leí la sinopsis, pero ahora, al leerla, es fácil entender que este cuento tenía cero opciones de gustarme. Una sinopsis muy simple que no me atrae en absoluto, ni siquiera un poco:
«Un hombre que se levanta un día y advierte que ha perdido su nariz. Más tarde se la encuentra por la calle y descubre que ésta ha desarrollado su propia vida social y que incluso ha alcanzado un estatus más alto que el suyo.»
Quizás me interesé porque está clasificado en el género del humor, pero fue tan ilógico pretender que el tipo de humor sarcástico, pícaro, y cruel que me gusta, lo iba a encontrar en un cuento ruso del siglo XIX, en una época en la que se sufría por la censura política: No sé en qué carajos estaba pensando, se los confieso.
Sobre el cuento debo decir que no me ha gustado para nada, la historia en sí me ha parecido absurda, nunca comprendí por qué se le considera como un autor con un excelente sentido del humor —nunca me reí, nada me pareció gracioso—, y en general he quedado tan insatisfecho que no sobrevivió ni una sola pizca de interés de leer algún otro cuento del autor en el futuro. A pesar de ello, intentando destacar algo, mencionaré que la atmósfera ha estado bien trabajada porque sentí realmente como si estuviera en la Rusia de aquellos tiempos. Asimismo, la idea principal —aunque absurda— ha sido creativa porque invita al lector a hacerse la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo actuarías si un día despertaras sin nariz, sin una parte de tu cuerpo, o sin una de las capacidades de las cuales tú te sientes orgulloso? Son muy buenas preguntas que te hacen pensar sobre tus vanidades personales. A mí por ejemplo me daría vergüenza pasear con ropa de mujer, pero no la sentiría si tuviera que salir desnudo y correr por la calle. Nuestras reacciones son impredecibles, por lo que somos capaces de realizar cierto tipo de actividades, o de actuar de cierta manera, pero dependiendo de nuestra moral, posición, costumbres, reputación, etc., huiremos y nos sentiremos completamente incomodos al enfrentarnos a otro tipo de situaciones. Esa es la idea principal del libro, y lo más importante por destacar. Lo malo es que esas preguntas te las haces en las primeras páginas del libro, por lo que si no disfrutas del humor absurdo que presenta el autor, las siguientes páginas no te otorgan ningún tipo de utilidad, ni intelectual, ni de entretenimiento.
Mi lección personal es pensar mejor sobre las decisiones que tomo, no ser tan impulsivo cuando tengo poco tiempo para elegir, y no ignorar que la investigación es muchas veces importante en el momento en que planeó afrontar una lectura desconocida. Por situaciones como esta, es que hay lecturas clásicas y memorables de la literatura universal, a las cuales le huyo permanentemente ya que no estoy preparado para abordarlas en este instante: Tal situación me ocurre por ejemplo con la famosísima La divina comedia. La calificación de una estrella refleja mi indiferencia hacia esta historia, le colocaría cero estrellas, pero lo relacionado a la vanidad ayuda a subir un poquito, solo un poquito la puntuación. Este cuento y este autor simplemente no son para mí. Cuento no recomendado.
December 29, 2020
“Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all”
― Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, The Nose
Vol N° 46 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This volume contains Gogol's short story/novella "The Nose" published in 1836, and written while Gogol was living in St. Petersburg.
Gogol was Kafka before Kafka. He is King Missle's "Detachable Penis" before King Missle was a Missle or a King. He is Dali before Dali. His writing is surreal, funny, cheeky, and amazing. It was modern in the 1836 and feels contemporary 180+ years after originally written. Gogol was doing stuff that would take the rest of the world 100 years to catch up to (perhaps not Swift or Sterne). He was surreal in 1836.
― Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, The Nose
Vol N° 46 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This volume contains Gogol's short story/novella "The Nose" published in 1836, and written while Gogol was living in St. Petersburg.
Gogol was Kafka before Kafka. He is King Missle's "Detachable Penis" before King Missle was a Missle or a King. He is Dali before Dali. His writing is surreal, funny, cheeky, and amazing. It was modern in the 1836 and feels contemporary 180+ years after originally written. Gogol was doing stuff that would take the rest of the world 100 years to catch up to (perhaps not Swift or Sterne). He was surreal in 1836.
August 4, 2023
I woke up this morning feeling a little off kilter, I was only operating on three cylinders, a beer short of a six-pack, if you like. To my mind, this meant I needed my fill of Gogol, a decent serving of absurdity. I am so glad I did.
This wee gem starts with a vodkaphilic barber finding a nose – yes, a nose – embedded in his lunchtime onion and bread roll. The interchanges between this barber and his bellicose wife are so typicaly Gogolian during their lunch and very funny. It turns out the nose belongs to one of his customers, a man of high societal rank. A man calledKovalyov. This man was a Collegiate Assessor, no less. It is a title that ranked eighth in the league ladder of importance in Russian society at the time.
Well, this poor sod wakes up with a flat piece of skin where his nose used to be – and he can not recall where it went. Can you imagine that?
Kovalyov embarks on a quest to find his nose, and thus, we are exposed to the inefficiency, ineptitude, and hyper-bureaucracy of Russian society in the first half of the 1800s. Our proboscis deficient hero haplessly tries to engage the services of the local police, local officials, his doctor, and even the press to locate his snout. His nose is even spotted masquerading (including coat and hat) as a local civil servant, living a life in the streets of St Petersburg without a care in the world.
Running rampant in the streets of St Petersburg
Poor Kovalyov reflected on the seriousness of his predicament by thinking…..
If I’d have lost an arm or a leg, it wouldn’t be so bad. Even without ears, things wouldn’t be very pleasant, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. A man without a nose, though, is God knows what, neither fish nor fowl
He found the “ridiculous blank space” in the middle of his head “totally incomprehensible”.
There are some heart-warming interactions, such as this from an overly sympathetic clerk, who tried to cheer up Kovalyov by saying…
”I deeply regret that such a strange thing has happened to you. Would you care for a pinch of snuff
I almost coughed up my lungs after reading that misguided effort for sympathy. Kovalyov was offended, of course, by the offering of the snuff box. However, the insult was made worse by the clerk offering him a cheaper brand, not the more refined brand Kovalyov is used to. Bahahaha – I loved the fact he still had time to be choosey. Brilliant!!
I really felt for Kovalyov. His living nightmare made my stomach sink – this was made worse by the uselessness of the people and institutions around him. I (maybe like you) have similar nightmares at times where I can’t speak when trying to relay something important, or I am running in quicksand trying to get somewhere important. This story is EXACTLY like that. For me anyway.
In the closing paragraphs the narrator suggests this is a very far-fetched story. I would have to agree with that. It’s certainly the weirdest Gogol I’ve read – and that’s saying something. But the reason Gogol did this (I think) is to highlight the fact - life can be weird, nasty even. The narrator goes on to say, “you won’t find much that isn’t on the absurd side somewhere will you?”
How true is that?
5 Stars
This wee gem starts with a vodkaphilic barber finding a nose – yes, a nose – embedded in his lunchtime onion and bread roll. The interchanges between this barber and his bellicose wife are so typicaly Gogolian during their lunch and very funny. It turns out the nose belongs to one of his customers, a man of high societal rank. A man calledKovalyov. This man was a Collegiate Assessor, no less. It is a title that ranked eighth in the league ladder of importance in Russian society at the time.
Well, this poor sod wakes up with a flat piece of skin where his nose used to be – and he can not recall where it went. Can you imagine that?
Kovalyov embarks on a quest to find his nose, and thus, we are exposed to the inefficiency, ineptitude, and hyper-bureaucracy of Russian society in the first half of the 1800s. Our proboscis deficient hero haplessly tries to engage the services of the local police, local officials, his doctor, and even the press to locate his snout. His nose is even spotted masquerading (including coat and hat) as a local civil servant, living a life in the streets of St Petersburg without a care in the world.
Running rampant in the streets of St Petersburg
Poor Kovalyov reflected on the seriousness of his predicament by thinking…..
If I’d have lost an arm or a leg, it wouldn’t be so bad. Even without ears, things wouldn’t be very pleasant, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. A man without a nose, though, is God knows what, neither fish nor fowl
He found the “ridiculous blank space” in the middle of his head “totally incomprehensible”.
There are some heart-warming interactions, such as this from an overly sympathetic clerk, who tried to cheer up Kovalyov by saying…
”I deeply regret that such a strange thing has happened to you. Would you care for a pinch of snuff
I almost coughed up my lungs after reading that misguided effort for sympathy. Kovalyov was offended, of course, by the offering of the snuff box. However, the insult was made worse by the clerk offering him a cheaper brand, not the more refined brand Kovalyov is used to. Bahahaha – I loved the fact he still had time to be choosey. Brilliant!!
I really felt for Kovalyov. His living nightmare made my stomach sink – this was made worse by the uselessness of the people and institutions around him. I (maybe like you) have similar nightmares at times where I can’t speak when trying to relay something important, or I am running in quicksand trying to get somewhere important. This story is EXACTLY like that. For me anyway.
In the closing paragraphs the narrator suggests this is a very far-fetched story. I would have to agree with that. It’s certainly the weirdest Gogol I’ve read – and that’s saying something. But the reason Gogol did this (I think) is to highlight the fact - life can be weird, nasty even. The narrator goes on to say, “you won’t find much that isn’t on the absurd side somewhere will you?”
How true is that?
5 Stars
April 13, 2021
The Nose is a funny and absurd short story that makes no sense at all until you start to think about it and find some messages for all members of the human race. One of those is about how we treat one another. I won't tell you the others. You have to read the story for yourself. Go ahead. It's fun.
September 9, 2020
En La Nariz, Gógol lleva el absurdo a su límite máximo, pero también, demuestra con este cuento fantástico y cómico pero a la vez, como en Rusia se luchaba por escalar posiciones dentro de la ajustada escala burocrática que se imponía y a la vez, Gógol reflexiona sobre como chocan a veces y en forma indefectible ciertas clases sociales y expone lo que sentían muchas personas ante el “dolor de ya no ser”, degradado socialmente y sobre todo a nivel jerárquico en una época en donde puesto se rankeaba de acuerdo a la reforma establecida por el zar Pedro I el grande. El cuento remarca mucho esta cuestión y Gógol, toma el mejor partido del mismo para criticar el sistema impuesto.
February 9, 2024
War Gogol der Erfinder der Kafkaeske? Müsste es nicht eigentlich gogolesk heißt? Die diffusen Erfahrungen der Angst, Unsicherheit und Entfremdung kommen mir ähnlich wie bei Kafka vor. Gogol läßt die Entfremdung vom eigenen Ich nicht durch Verwandlung, sondern Wegnahme eines Körperteil geschehen. Auch beim wiederholten Lesen ein Genuss.
„Das Unbegreiflichste an der Sache ist, wie es nur Schriftsteller geben kann, die sich solche Gegenstände wählen. Ich muß gestehen, das ist mir das Allerunbegreiflichste ... in der Tat, das geht vollständig über mein Begriffsvermögen! Denn erstens hat das Vaterland nicht den mindesten Nutzen davon, und dann zweitens – aber auch zweitens springt kein Vorteil dabei heraus. Kurz, ich weiß nicht, was das soll ...“
Das sind die letzten Sätze Gogols in dieser absurden Erzählung, die sich wie ein 180 Jahre alter Sketch von Monty Python anfühlt. Die Nase eines angesehenen Majors in St. Petersburg taucht einmal im Brot seines Barbiers und ein anderes mal als mürrischer Stadtrat auf. Skurriler geht es wirklich kaum. Und wie schon der Autor am Ende über sein Werk sagt: ich weiß nicht, was das soll. Ob es überhaupt eine Interpretation gibt? Der Mut, zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts ein derart albernes Buch zu schreiben, ist beachtlich. Ein Meilenstein des Surrealismus. Ich fand es klasse.
„Das Unbegreiflichste an der Sache ist, wie es nur Schriftsteller geben kann, die sich solche Gegenstände wählen. Ich muß gestehen, das ist mir das Allerunbegreiflichste ... in der Tat, das geht vollständig über mein Begriffsvermögen! Denn erstens hat das Vaterland nicht den mindesten Nutzen davon, und dann zweitens – aber auch zweitens springt kein Vorteil dabei heraus. Kurz, ich weiß nicht, was das soll ...“
Das sind die letzten Sätze Gogols in dieser absurden Erzählung, die sich wie ein 180 Jahre alter Sketch von Monty Python anfühlt. Die Nase eines angesehenen Majors in St. Petersburg taucht einmal im Brot seines Barbiers und ein anderes mal als mürrischer Stadtrat auf. Skurriler geht es wirklich kaum. Und wie schon der Autor am Ende über sein Werk sagt: ich weiß nicht, was das soll. Ob es überhaupt eine Interpretation gibt? Der Mut, zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts ein derart albernes Buch zu schreiben, ist beachtlich. Ein Meilenstein des Surrealismus. Ich fand es klasse.
December 29, 2019
قد أعود ثانيةً لكتابة ريفيو مفصل عنها
لكن للأسف ومع احترامى للأدب الروسى والأديب التاريخى جوجول إلا أن هذا النص لم يعجبنى بما فيه الكفاية ليثير أى تساؤلات فى نفسى أو يثير أى تفكير فى إسقاط
قد تكون الترجمة هى السبب لكن فى الحقيقة لم أحب الحدوتة من الأساس
لكن للأسف ومع احترامى للأدب الروسى والأديب التاريخى جوجول إلا أن هذا النص لم يعجبنى بما فيه الكفاية ليثير أى تساؤلات فى نفسى أو يثير أى تفكير فى إسقاط
قد تكون الترجمة هى السبب لكن فى الحقيقة لم أحب الحدوتة من الأساس
May 28, 2011
Some people take Gogol too seriously. Me? I just apply duct tape to the edges of my nose to make sure it won't get up and walk away. It seems to be a functional, cheap solution. And I can change the color weekly!
From Vaught's Practical Character Reader, p 86.
My nose is somewhere between "Good and Bad" and "Selfish and Hopeful." I'd like to keep it that way, so I don't end up with a replacement nose that is "mental."
(How funny that I encountered "The Nose" and the Practical Character Reader in the same week!)
From Vaught's Practical Character Reader, p 86.
My nose is somewhere between "Good and Bad" and "Selfish and Hopeful." I'd like to keep it that way, so I don't end up with a replacement nose that is "mental."
(How funny that I encountered "The Nose" and the Practical Character Reader in the same week!)
May 11, 2016
So...I sort of removed my nose. (ok don't laugh pls, I know I look mad. I did it for er, literature)
[Voldanya] (A portmanteau of Voldemort and Ananya, geddit geddit? :D :D :D)
Notice how the patch is as uniform as a newly fried pancake.
Gogol's short story Nose (Нос) is about a Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov who one day wakes up with his nose missing (I was reminded a little of Kafka's sad novella Metamorphosis). The novelette is bizarrely humorous and follows the noseless adventures of Kovalyov running after his nose trying to catch it red-handed(?) and making it sit on his face (heh heh).
Poor Kovalyov nearly went out of his mind. He did not know what to make of it. How, in fact, could a nose, which only yesterday was in the middle of his face, and which could not possibly walk around or drive in a carriage, suddenly turn up in a uniform!
The Nose in my culture is an allegory for a person's (or their family's) status/honour. So the Hindi phrase 'Naak kaat lena' (to cut one's own nose; and hence, bring shame upon themselves) can be considered this story's phoren dark skinned little cousin.
I won't go much into thematic/symbolic analysis. In case you're looking for a serious study, Florencia's review will slay you; unlike yours truly's (the Assclown's).
There's some variety of castration complex going on in the story with a dollop of class obsession (that started in Russia during the reign of Peter the Great), a generous sprinkling of neurotic fixation with physical appearance (I am waggling my eyebrows at you, Kardashian Klan), blah blah fish paste.
Oh, look! There goes My Nose wearing a pink tutu, a kokoshnik and a cape galloping on a horse. *runs after it with a bazooka*
[Voldanya] (A portmanteau of Voldemort and Ananya, geddit geddit? :D :D :D)
Notice how the patch is as uniform as a newly fried pancake.
Gogol's short story Nose (Нос) is about a Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov who one day wakes up with his nose missing (I was reminded a little of Kafka's sad novella Metamorphosis). The novelette is bizarrely humorous and follows the noseless adventures of Kovalyov running after his nose trying to catch it red-handed(?) and making it sit on his face (heh heh).
Poor Kovalyov nearly went out of his mind. He did not know what to make of it. How, in fact, could a nose, which only yesterday was in the middle of his face, and which could not possibly walk around or drive in a carriage, suddenly turn up in a uniform!
The Nose in my culture is an allegory for a person's (or their family's) status/honour. So the Hindi phrase 'Naak kaat lena' (to cut one's own nose; and hence, bring shame upon themselves) can be considered this story's phoren dark skinned little cousin.
I won't go much into thematic/symbolic analysis. In case you're looking for a serious study, Florencia's review will slay you; unlike yours truly's (the Assclown's).
There's some variety of castration complex going on in the story with a dollop of class obsession (that started in Russia during the reign of Peter the Great), a generous sprinkling of neurotic fixation with physical appearance (I am waggling my eyebrows at you, Kardashian Klan), blah blah fish paste.
Oh, look! There goes My Nose wearing a pink tutu, a kokoshnik and a cape galloping on a horse. *runs after it with a bazooka*
April 6, 2024
The Nose is the most surrealistic story that I've read. I mean, a "nose" becoming a "self"! :) The absurdity is too funny to disregard. But then, Gogol is known for his interest in the absurd and the grotesque, so the chosen subject shouldn't surprise us.
This little story first arrests our attention with its absurd and grotesque nature. But this very absurdity and the grotesque nature is what makes this story fun and enjoyable. And that is not all. Another contributing fact toward the enjoyment of this story is his satirical writing. Even in this short work, Gogol has not spared the Russian bureaucracy, although some rubbing has been done with the use of an honest police officer.
It was a fun read overall, and despite my initial confusion and discomfort, I enjoyed it. If any of you want to indulge in a little absurdity coupled with satire, please do remember Gogol. :)
This little story first arrests our attention with its absurd and grotesque nature. But this very absurdity and the grotesque nature is what makes this story fun and enjoyable. And that is not all. Another contributing fact toward the enjoyment of this story is his satirical writing. Even in this short work, Gogol has not spared the Russian bureaucracy, although some rubbing has been done with the use of an honest police officer.
It was a fun read overall, and despite my initial confusion and discomfort, I enjoyed it. If any of you want to indulge in a little absurdity coupled with satire, please do remember Gogol. :)
September 6, 2021
"Strangely enough, I mistook it for a gentleman at first. Fortunately I had my spectacles with me so I could see it was really a nose."
it was kind of entertaining....
it was kind of entertaining....
Read
August 2, 2019Αυτό το βιβλίο το πήρα για δύο λόγους
Πρώτο: Τον περασμένο Δεκέμβρη διάβασα το Βυζί του (αείμνηστου πια) Φίλιπ Ροθ το οποίο λέγεται ήταν επηρεασμένο από την Μεταμόρφωση του Κάφκα και τη Μύτη του Γκόγκολ.
Δεύτερο: η έκδοση αυτή από τις εκδόσεις Ερατώ είναι υπέροχη.
Έτσι κατέληξα να διαβάζω αυτή τη μικρή νουβέλα, ή μεγάλο διήγημα, ή κάτι ανάμεσα, μια νουβελέτα.
Πολύ προχωρημένη η γραφή για την εποχή του, σουρεαλιστικά έξυπνη, αστεία και με καυστική κριτική στη γραφειοκρατία της Ρωσίας του 19ου αιώνα.
Πέρα όμως από αυτά δεν μου πρόσφερε κάτι περισσότερο, ένα λόγο που έγιναν όλα όσα έγιναν στο βιβλίο, ένα τέλος που κάπως να τα συμμαζεύει όλα αυτά τα χαοτικά που γίνονταν, μια κάπως, έστω στο ελάχιστο ρεαλιστική απάντηση..
Αλλά και πάλι βρίσκει κανείς νόημα στους πίνακες του Νταλί ή του Μαγκρίτ;
Απολαμβάνεις το έργο χωρίς πολλές ερωτήσεις μη σου καεί η ασφάλεια.
Έτσι και εδώ, απόλαυσα το έργο χωρίς να καταλάβω τι ήθελε (αν ήθελε δηλαδή) να πει ο ποιητής.
Σίγουρα όμως θα διαβάσω κι άλλα του Γκόγκολ, και θα αγοράσω κι άλλα από τις εκδόσεις Ερατώ.
Άλλη μια μίνι κριτική έφτασε στο τέλος της λόγω του ότι έχω μείνει πολύ πίσω με τις κριτικές.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Πρώτο: Τον περασμένο Δεκέμβρη διάβασα το Βυζί του (αείμνηστου πια) Φίλιπ Ροθ το οποίο λέγεται ήταν επηρεασμένο από την Μεταμόρφωση του Κάφκα και τη Μύτη του Γκόγκολ.
Δεύτερο: η έκδοση αυτή από τις εκδόσεις Ερατώ είναι υπέροχη.
Έτσι κατέληξα να διαβάζω αυτή τη μικρή νουβέλα, ή μεγάλο διήγημα, ή κάτι ανάμεσα, μια νουβελέτα.
Πολύ προχωρημένη η γραφή για την εποχή του, σουρεαλιστικά έξυπνη, αστεία και με καυστική κριτική στη γραφειοκρατία της Ρωσίας του 19ου αιώνα.
Πέρα όμως από αυτά δεν μου πρόσφερε κάτι περισσότερο, ένα λόγο που έγιναν όλα όσα έγιναν στο βιβλίο, ένα τέλος που κάπως να τα συμμαζεύει όλα αυτά τα χαοτικά που γίνονταν, μια κάπως, έστω στο ελάχιστο ρεαλιστική απάντηση..
Αλλά και πάλι βρίσκει κανείς νόημα στους πίνακες του Νταλί ή του Μαγκρίτ;
Απολαμβάνεις το έργο χωρίς πολλές ερωτήσεις μη σου καεί η ασφάλεια.
Έτσι και εδώ, απόλαυσα το έργο χωρίς να καταλάβω τι ήθελε (αν ήθελε δηλαδή) να πει ο ποιητής.
Σίγουρα όμως θα διαβάσω κι άλλα του Γκόγκολ, και θα αγοράσω κι άλλα από τις εκδόσεις Ερατώ.
Άλλη μια μίνι κριτική έφτασε στο τέλος της λόγω του ότι έχω μείνει πολύ πίσω με τις κριτικές.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
March 15, 2024
لا تعليق الروائي بيحكي كان اللي حصل حقيقي فعلًا هتغرق في القصة و بعد ما هتخلصها بس هتقول ايه ده.
اللي حصل ده لم يحكي علي انه خيال و لم يحكي علي انه سحر و شعوذة بل كان واقعي الي ابعد الحدود.
نحب نيكولاي غوغول و نحب من يحبوا نيكولاي غوغول.
اللي حصل ده لم يحكي علي انه خيال و لم يحكي علي انه سحر و شعوذة بل كان واقعي الي ابعد الحدود.
نحب نيكولاي غوغول و نحب من يحبوا نيكولاي غوغول.
June 30, 2024
خدایا چقدر بامزه بود😂😂 من که تهش قانع شدم هرازگاهی از این اتفاقها میافته و واقعاً ممکنه یه روزی بیدار شی ببینی دماغت وانمود میکنه یه افسر ارزیابه.
ترجمه هم خوب بود، خشایار دیهیمی
ترجمه هم خوب بود، خشایار دیهیمی
March 7, 2016
The Goodreads account
Collegiate Assessor Chabolyov woke up rather early and looked at the notifications on his phone. He wanted to have a look at the likes and comments on the Goodreads review he had posted the previous night, but to his great surprise he found that instead of the 'g' icon there was nothing but an absolutely empty spot! Perplexed, Chabolyov clicked on the All apps icon, but the app could not be found. He began trying his other apps to make sure the phone was not malfunctioning, but to all intents and purposes his phone was in perfect order. Collegiate Assessor Chabolyov sprang out of bed and turned his laptop on.
Since the old laptop takes a couple of minutes until it functions smoothly, Chabolyov went to the bathroom, washed his face, and refilled his glass of water in the kitchen. As he returned to the screen, he loaded up Chrome, typed in 'g' in the address bar and pressed Enter, but to his extreme astonishment he was directed not to Goodreads but to gstatic.com/generate_204, the internet login page he used at a Malaysian hotel in September. Confused, he typed in goodreads.com, but only reached the generic homepage. No matter - this happens occasionally, especially after the laptop crashes (I really need to buy a new one soon, Chabolyov thought). Having typed in his email and password, he was shaken at the red letters telling him that there was no account linked to this address. He tried again, this time slowly, but the same haunting words appeared.
In a terrible panic Chabolyov called his good friend Mikhail, who was more of a casual reader but had a Goodreads account nevertheless.
"...Hello?"
"Hey Mikhail, it's J. Yeah, I'm sorry to call you this early in the morning, you must've still been sleeping but umm, here's the thing...Goodreads disappeared from my phone, and I can't seem to log in on my laptop either. Would you mind just logging in and checking my profile?"
"Uh, sure! Give me a minute. Uhh...Alright...Goodreads...how should I find you? Oh right, Friends list...J...hmm, that's strange. I can't find you in my list."
"Did you go through the whole list? My avatar is a picture of my cats now."
"Yeah, I did. Did you deactivate your account or something? No, you wouldn't do that actually, considering how much you use Goodreads."
"Don't think you can on this site anyway. Can you...try checking out your notifications? I liked your status when you started reading The Count of Monte Cristo last week."
"Ah alright. Hmm nope, my last notification is from two weeks ago, it says."
"Really? Uhm...never mind, maybe it's a site glitch and my account is floating in limbo for some reason. Thanks for the help, I'll talk to you later."
"No worries man! Hope it gets fixed soon. See ya."
Telling himself that this must be a temporary glitch (but then why was Mikhail unaffected?), and realising his hunger, Chabolyov went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. He got the usual bowl, and put in it three Weet-Bix, some Nutri-Grain and Corn Flakes, honey, pieces of red grapefruit, and milk. Back at the screen and without Goodreads, he had to make do with the news feed on Facebook and playing over last night's games from the London Chess Classic while eating.
Chabolyov had an ordinary day at work, but Goodreads was on his mind a fair bit. Even if the website was glitching for some reason (he thought of other readers around the world who might be having the same issues), how had the app disappeared from his phone? How was it possible? He had re-installed the app on his phone and had tried logging in several times throughout the day, but to no avail. After getting home in the evening and trying once more on his laptop, he fared no better. Thinking that he shouldn't lose too much time or sleep over this, he answered some emails and got some work done in the evening, since he might as well be productive when he can't procrastinate on Goodreads.
He had decided to give the issue a rest until the following morning and read until going to bed, when Mikhail called him around midnight (his friends all know he is a night owl).
"Hey man! I was curious after your call in the morning so I checked before, I'm glad it's been resolved."
"Wait, what? Damn, thanks for letting me know, I'd given up for the night! Let me just log in...uh...what? Incorrect password?...hmm, this is weird. So you can see my profile again?"
"Yeah, I can. You just posted a review an hour ago, right? Uh, I haven't read it yet, but it looks like a long one on The Book of Disquiet."
"Huh? I haven't been on the whole day, and besides, I haven't written my review on that book yet. Are you sure that's me?"
"Yeah, of course. What do you mean, it isn't you on your account?"
"Nope. Hmm...damn, says the password is incorrect on my phone, too. Hey, mind if I quickly pop over to check this out?"
"Yeah feel free! I'm actually at the uni computer lab and I was about to go home so I'll leave my computer on for you. Lab 21, Computer 14."
On Mikhail's computer in the lab, Chabolyov's worst fears were realised: someone had somehow got into his account, had changed the password, and was impersonating him. The review on The Book of Disquiet was...he must admit, pretty good. Descriptive and with a rich vocabulary (clearly superior to his own), convincing in elucidating just what made the book so good. But it was dry and indifferent, absolutely dry and impersonal, as if the review was typed up with a keyboard of sand. Already, comments from friends were coming in, praising the new writing style. It isn't me! Chabolyov thought, and with a red face he checked the profile page to see if there were any changes there. In the about me section, curiously, he realised 'Russian, with a rank of Major.' had been changed to 'Russian, State Councillor'. Although more agitated with every passing minute, Chabolyov was momentarily amused that his impostor was not only a keen writer, but cared very much for his position in society like himself. However, he quickly banished these thoughts. The matter was serious.
He saw that the scoundrel had made a comment on the review just two minutes ago, so it was very likely he was still online. Chabolyov sent his own account a message, and the state councillor replied immediately.
"My dear sir, how did you do this?"
"What do you want?"
"I don't know how best to put it, sir, but it strikes me as very malicious...Don't you have decency?"
"Please forgive me, but would you mind telling me what you're talking about?...Explain yourself."
"My dear sir," continued Chabolyov with shaking fingers, "I really don't know how you can say that. It's plain enough for anyone to see...you have taken over my Goodreads account!"
"My dear fellow, you are mistaken. I am a reviewer in my own right. I don't remember how we became friends, but I do not know any Mikhail in Goodreads."
"I am using my friend's account at the moment. I am the real Chabolyov. Now, before I contact the Internet Police, I would suggest you tell me how you infiltrated my account, and leave my virtual life in peace."
However, the thief's responses ceased. At that moment he saw in the other tab that a friend who had been inactive for months had commented on the aforementioned review, and, smiling all over his face, read the lovely comment slowly. But suddenly he jumped up in his chair as though he were sticking his head out of the pool for a breath: he remembered that the review was not his but written by the scoundrel, and tears welled in his eyes. Should he comment in the thread, message all of his friends, that his account has been taken over? Putting his forefinger across his lips in one of his many contemplative poses, Chabolyov weighed up the situation for a few minutes, and decided against it, after seeing in the 'Friends' page that 'Chabolyov' was still offline and might be for who knows how long. He left Goodreads management an email, and over the next hour he copied all of his own reviews and sent them off to himself, in case the state councillor were to delete all of them, as well as his bookshelves (oh, how powerless he was!). Leaving a brief message of thanks to Mikhail upon arriving home, he planned to set up a new account to keep a tab on his own for the night, but an absolute feeling of exhaustion came over him, and not wanting to face up to this difficult situation in reality (I just want to read books and talk about them, he thought), crept into his bed and let the dark current take him away.
He had a vivid dream where he had the name of Yakov Golyadkin (he somehow knew he had become a titular councillor), and he was in a gunfight in a large and deserted library in the town of Babel with a well-built man called Mondego, whom wore a gold-braided uniform with a high stand-up collar, chamois trousers and a plumed hat. Mondego had a Nabokov-47 rifle and a special move called Gravity's Rainbow, while he only had a worn out Meursault rifle and the special move Crime and Punishment. It was clear that Mondego was the better fighter. Golyadkin, however, had aflame an indestructible feeling of determination and justice, and not fearing death, leapt towards Mondego in his last burst of energy his wounded body would allow. Mondego was taken by surprise. The two faces were only a metre apart. The N47 and MR fired at the same moment - Golyadkin saw, in slow motion, the pale bullet was not made of metal but a swirling infinitude of words, but all the ones he didn't like. The words were...
Chabolyov woke up, surprisingly calm and feeling cold - the blankets were off the bed. Without any conscious thought, he picked up his phone and clicked on the 'g' icon. He was in. The new notifications were on the review he wrote a couple of nights ago. His profile was back to normal. There was no message from Mikhail. There was no review on The Book of Disquiet.
And from that time onward Major Chabolyov was able to use Goodreads in peace.
Collegiate Assessor Chabolyov woke up rather early and looked at the notifications on his phone. He wanted to have a look at the likes and comments on the Goodreads review he had posted the previous night, but to his great surprise he found that instead of the 'g' icon there was nothing but an absolutely empty spot! Perplexed, Chabolyov clicked on the All apps icon, but the app could not be found. He began trying his other apps to make sure the phone was not malfunctioning, but to all intents and purposes his phone was in perfect order. Collegiate Assessor Chabolyov sprang out of bed and turned his laptop on.
Since the old laptop takes a couple of minutes until it functions smoothly, Chabolyov went to the bathroom, washed his face, and refilled his glass of water in the kitchen. As he returned to the screen, he loaded up Chrome, typed in 'g' in the address bar and pressed Enter, but to his extreme astonishment he was directed not to Goodreads but to gstatic.com/generate_204, the internet login page he used at a Malaysian hotel in September. Confused, he typed in goodreads.com, but only reached the generic homepage. No matter - this happens occasionally, especially after the laptop crashes (I really need to buy a new one soon, Chabolyov thought). Having typed in his email and password, he was shaken at the red letters telling him that there was no account linked to this address. He tried again, this time slowly, but the same haunting words appeared.
In a terrible panic Chabolyov called his good friend Mikhail, who was more of a casual reader but had a Goodreads account nevertheless.
"...Hello?"
"Hey Mikhail, it's J. Yeah, I'm sorry to call you this early in the morning, you must've still been sleeping but umm, here's the thing...Goodreads disappeared from my phone, and I can't seem to log in on my laptop either. Would you mind just logging in and checking my profile?"
"Uh, sure! Give me a minute. Uhh...Alright...Goodreads...how should I find you? Oh right, Friends list...J...hmm, that's strange. I can't find you in my list."
"Did you go through the whole list? My avatar is a picture of my cats now."
"Yeah, I did. Did you deactivate your account or something? No, you wouldn't do that actually, considering how much you use Goodreads."
"Don't think you can on this site anyway. Can you...try checking out your notifications? I liked your status when you started reading The Count of Monte Cristo last week."
"Ah alright. Hmm nope, my last notification is from two weeks ago, it says."
"Really? Uhm...never mind, maybe it's a site glitch and my account is floating in limbo for some reason. Thanks for the help, I'll talk to you later."
"No worries man! Hope it gets fixed soon. See ya."
Telling himself that this must be a temporary glitch (but then why was Mikhail unaffected?), and realising his hunger, Chabolyov went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. He got the usual bowl, and put in it three Weet-Bix, some Nutri-Grain and Corn Flakes, honey, pieces of red grapefruit, and milk. Back at the screen and without Goodreads, he had to make do with the news feed on Facebook and playing over last night's games from the London Chess Classic while eating.
Chabolyov had an ordinary day at work, but Goodreads was on his mind a fair bit. Even if the website was glitching for some reason (he thought of other readers around the world who might be having the same issues), how had the app disappeared from his phone? How was it possible? He had re-installed the app on his phone and had tried logging in several times throughout the day, but to no avail. After getting home in the evening and trying once more on his laptop, he fared no better. Thinking that he shouldn't lose too much time or sleep over this, he answered some emails and got some work done in the evening, since he might as well be productive when he can't procrastinate on Goodreads.
He had decided to give the issue a rest until the following morning and read until going to bed, when Mikhail called him around midnight (his friends all know he is a night owl).
"Hey man! I was curious after your call in the morning so I checked before, I'm glad it's been resolved."
"Wait, what? Damn, thanks for letting me know, I'd given up for the night! Let me just log in...uh...what? Incorrect password?...hmm, this is weird. So you can see my profile again?"
"Yeah, I can. You just posted a review an hour ago, right? Uh, I haven't read it yet, but it looks like a long one on The Book of Disquiet."
"Huh? I haven't been on the whole day, and besides, I haven't written my review on that book yet. Are you sure that's me?"
"Yeah, of course. What do you mean, it isn't you on your account?"
"Nope. Hmm...damn, says the password is incorrect on my phone, too. Hey, mind if I quickly pop over to check this out?"
"Yeah feel free! I'm actually at the uni computer lab and I was about to go home so I'll leave my computer on for you. Lab 21, Computer 14."
On Mikhail's computer in the lab, Chabolyov's worst fears were realised: someone had somehow got into his account, had changed the password, and was impersonating him. The review on The Book of Disquiet was...he must admit, pretty good. Descriptive and with a rich vocabulary (clearly superior to his own), convincing in elucidating just what made the book so good. But it was dry and indifferent, absolutely dry and impersonal, as if the review was typed up with a keyboard of sand. Already, comments from friends were coming in, praising the new writing style. It isn't me! Chabolyov thought, and with a red face he checked the profile page to see if there were any changes there. In the about me section, curiously, he realised 'Russian, with a rank of Major.' had been changed to 'Russian, State Councillor'. Although more agitated with every passing minute, Chabolyov was momentarily amused that his impostor was not only a keen writer, but cared very much for his position in society like himself. However, he quickly banished these thoughts. The matter was serious.
He saw that the scoundrel had made a comment on the review just two minutes ago, so it was very likely he was still online. Chabolyov sent his own account a message, and the state councillor replied immediately.
"My dear sir, how did you do this?"
"What do you want?"
"I don't know how best to put it, sir, but it strikes me as very malicious...Don't you have decency?"
"Please forgive me, but would you mind telling me what you're talking about?...Explain yourself."
"My dear sir," continued Chabolyov with shaking fingers, "I really don't know how you can say that. It's plain enough for anyone to see...you have taken over my Goodreads account!"
"My dear fellow, you are mistaken. I am a reviewer in my own right. I don't remember how we became friends, but I do not know any Mikhail in Goodreads."
"I am using my friend's account at the moment. I am the real Chabolyov. Now, before I contact the Internet Police, I would suggest you tell me how you infiltrated my account, and leave my virtual life in peace."
However, the thief's responses ceased. At that moment he saw in the other tab that a friend who had been inactive for months had commented on the aforementioned review, and, smiling all over his face, read the lovely comment slowly. But suddenly he jumped up in his chair as though he were sticking his head out of the pool for a breath: he remembered that the review was not his but written by the scoundrel, and tears welled in his eyes. Should he comment in the thread, message all of his friends, that his account has been taken over? Putting his forefinger across his lips in one of his many contemplative poses, Chabolyov weighed up the situation for a few minutes, and decided against it, after seeing in the 'Friends' page that 'Chabolyov' was still offline and might be for who knows how long. He left Goodreads management an email, and over the next hour he copied all of his own reviews and sent them off to himself, in case the state councillor were to delete all of them, as well as his bookshelves (oh, how powerless he was!). Leaving a brief message of thanks to Mikhail upon arriving home, he planned to set up a new account to keep a tab on his own for the night, but an absolute feeling of exhaustion came over him, and not wanting to face up to this difficult situation in reality (I just want to read books and talk about them, he thought), crept into his bed and let the dark current take him away.
He had a vivid dream where he had the name of Yakov Golyadkin (he somehow knew he had become a titular councillor), and he was in a gunfight in a large and deserted library in the town of Babel with a well-built man called Mondego, whom wore a gold-braided uniform with a high stand-up collar, chamois trousers and a plumed hat. Mondego had a Nabokov-47 rifle and a special move called Gravity's Rainbow, while he only had a worn out Meursault rifle and the special move Crime and Punishment. It was clear that Mondego was the better fighter. Golyadkin, however, had aflame an indestructible feeling of determination and justice, and not fearing death, leapt towards Mondego in his last burst of energy his wounded body would allow. Mondego was taken by surprise. The two faces were only a metre apart. The N47 and MR fired at the same moment - Golyadkin saw, in slow motion, the pale bullet was not made of metal but a swirling infinitude of words, but all the ones he didn't like. The words were...
Chabolyov woke up, surprisingly calm and feeling cold - the blankets were off the bed. Without any conscious thought, he picked up his phone and clicked on the 'g' icon. He was in. The new notifications were on the review he wrote a couple of nights ago. His profile was back to normal. There was no message from Mikhail. There was no review on The Book of Disquiet.
And from that time onward Major Chabolyov was able to use Goodreads in peace.
...when all is said and done, one can concede this point or the other and perhaps you can even find...well then you won't find much that isn't on the absurd side somewhere, will you?
And yet, if you stop to think for a moment, there's a grain of truth in it. Whatever you may say, these things do happen in this world - rarely, I admit, but they do happen.
August 20, 2021
A surreal, sometimes slapstick, comedy about the constraints of a rigid social hierarchy. It could be adapted as a children’s picture book (and has been: The Nose), or perhaps a Monty Python sketch, although in its full form, it’s a satire about rank.
A barber finds a customer’s nose in his freshly-baked morning loaf of onion bread and tries to dispose of it. Meanwhile, that customer awakes and is shocked to discover that his nose is missing, so he tries to find it. When he does, it is the size of a man, is wearing a uniform of superior rank to his own, and asserts its right to independent existence.
Image: Cover of "The Nose": A Stylistic and Critical Companion to Nikolai Gogol’s Story (which I’ve not read)
I thought of all the nasal idioms in English: toffee-nosed, turning one’s nose up, being nosey, putting someone’s nose out of joint, and apparently there are similar ones in Russian:
“‘Torn off’ (if it is too curious), ‘lifted up’ (if you have a high opinion of yourself), or ‘hung up’ (with obvious defeat and failure). By the 19th century, there has been an extensive literature in Russian prose dedicated to nose references” (from Wikipedia).
Indeed, Gogol makes lots of references to noses in The Squabble, and was apparently teased for his own nose.
I’ve reviewed four Gogol short stories, including this, in a GR review, HERE.
A barber finds a customer’s nose in his freshly-baked morning loaf of onion bread and tries to dispose of it. Meanwhile, that customer awakes and is shocked to discover that his nose is missing, so he tries to find it. When he does, it is the size of a man, is wearing a uniform of superior rank to his own, and asserts its right to independent existence.
Image: Cover of "The Nose": A Stylistic and Critical Companion to Nikolai Gogol’s Story (which I’ve not read)
I thought of all the nasal idioms in English: toffee-nosed, turning one’s nose up, being nosey, putting someone’s nose out of joint, and apparently there are similar ones in Russian:
“‘Torn off’ (if it is too curious), ‘lifted up’ (if you have a high opinion of yourself), or ‘hung up’ (with obvious defeat and failure). By the 19th century, there has been an extensive literature in Russian prose dedicated to nose references” (from Wikipedia).
Indeed, Gogol makes lots of references to noses in The Squabble, and was apparently teased for his own nose.
I’ve reviewed four Gogol short stories, including this, in a GR review, HERE.
December 4, 2022
از کلاسیک های روسی میتوان انتظارات زیادی داشت، اما فانتزی و طنز اولین گزینه هایی نیست که به ذهن میرسد. با این وجود، دماغ اثر نیکولای گوگول هر دو است: داستانی فوقالعاده خنده دار که در یک نشست خوانده میشود.
مردی دماغ خود را از دست میدهد. صبح از خواب برمیخیزد و برای شستشوی شمایل خود به سوی آینه میرود و وقتی انعکاس رخسار خود را میبیند متوجه میشود که بینی اش ناپدید شده. این مرد افسر ارزیابی است اما خوش دارد دیگران سرگرد صدایش کنند: بدون شک نداشتن بینی برای همگی ما مشکل است، اما برای او، یک جنتلمن برجسته با زندگی اجتماعی چشم��یر، این یک فاجعه واقعیاست. هنگامی که غافلگیری اولیه به پایان میرسد، سرگرد با ناراحتی به خیابان میدود تا به دنبال بینی خود بگردد، اما نگرانی او زمانی که به طور تصادفی متوجه میشود بینیاش در حال راه رفتن در خیابان با لباس کارمند دولتیاست به رعب و وحشت بدل میشود. مقامی بالاتر از خودش!
طرح هذیانی دماغ ممکن است به نوعی یادآور (مسخ) باشد، اما تفاوت زیاد بین این دو وجود دارد: در حالی که پوچی در اثر کافکا که سرآغازی بر اندوه و تنهاییاست، در اثر گوگول ذره بینیاست، که با آن طنز تند خود به تشریح جامعه ای که در آن زندگی میکند و نقد نظام تحمیلی که بر آن حاکم بودهاست میپردازد.
با وجود پوچ بودن، رمانی واقعگرایانه در دل یک داستان مسخرهاست. ماجرای پوچ سرگرد در جستجوی دماغ گمشدهاش، گذرا اما درخشان، گالری کاملی از شخصیت های روزمره را نشان میدهد که مشخصه روسیه در آن زمان بود. از طریق طنز غمانگیز نویسنده میتوان آثار تلخ نابرابری ها و بیعدالتی های جامعه روسیه در قرن نوزدهم را مشاهده کرد که به راحتی میتوان آن را به جامعه امروز ما نیز تعمیم داد.
مردی دماغ خود را از دست میدهد. صبح از خواب برمیخیزد و برای شستشوی شمایل خود به سوی آینه میرود و وقتی انعکاس رخسار خود را میبیند متوجه میشود که بینی اش ناپدید شده. این مرد افسر ارزیابی است اما خوش دارد دیگران سرگرد صدایش کنند: بدون شک نداشتن بینی برای همگی ما مشکل است، اما برای او، یک جنتلمن برجسته با زندگی اجتماعی چشم��یر، این یک فاجعه واقعیاست. هنگامی که غافلگیری اولیه به پایان میرسد، سرگرد با ناراحتی به خیابان میدود تا به دنبال بینی خود بگردد، اما نگرانی او زمانی که به طور تصادفی متوجه میشود بینیاش در حال راه رفتن در خیابان با لباس کارمند دولتیاست به رعب و وحشت بدل میشود. مقامی بالاتر از خودش!
طرح هذیانی دماغ ممکن است به نوعی یادآور (مسخ) باشد، اما تفاوت زیاد بین این دو وجود دارد: در حالی که پوچی در اثر کافکا که سرآغازی بر اندوه و تنهاییاست، در اثر گوگول ذره بینیاست، که با آن طنز تند خود به تشریح جامعه ای که در آن زندگی میکند و نقد نظام تحمیلی که بر آن حاکم بودهاست میپردازد.
با وجود پوچ بودن، رمانی واقعگرایانه در دل یک داستان مسخرهاست. ماجرای پوچ سرگرد در جستجوی دماغ گمشدهاش، گذرا اما درخشان، گالری کاملی از شخصیت های روزمره را نشان میدهد که مشخصه روسیه در آن زمان بود. از طریق طنز غمانگیز نویسنده میتوان آثار تلخ نابرابری ها و بیعدالتی های جامعه روسیه در قرن نوزدهم را مشاهده کرد که به راحتی میتوان آن را به جامعه امروز ما نیز تعمیم داد.
October 4, 2018
وهكذا جرت مقادير الأمور ، تحدث المشاكل دائما،
نيقولاي غوغول الاديب الكبير في هذه القصة لايأخذ الأمور بجدية ، يحاول إضفاء روح الهزل بدون معنى بالضرورة ، ولكل امة طريقتها في الاضحاك، فقط خذه بحلمك..
نحن في هذه القصة القصيرة مع موعد مع حادثة مؤسفة لضياع انف الرائد كوفاليوف، يهرع الرائد خارجا للتبليغ عن فقده للأنف الذي ادرك لأول مرة أهميته الشديدة بالنسبة له، فجأة يراه بالصدفة فيحاول اقناع الانف بالرجوع له لأنه من ملكيته، فيجد الانف الذي يرتدي بدلة رسمية برتبة عالية يستغرب منه طلبه هذا ويقول انه لا ينتمي له، يغادر الانف فيطارده الرائد فيفلت منه ، يرجع الى منزله فيفاجئ بأن الانف قد عثر عليه !
هل عثر عليه كبيرا يلبس بدلة ويمشي في الشوارع كما رآه للتو ؟!
"لا لا .. هذا غير معقول" .. يقول الضابط الذي احضر الأنف واحضر سارقه
انه صغير وعلى حاله ويمكنك ان تلبسه.. أقصد تلصقه، اما السارق من يكون ؟! اسمه ايفان وهو حلاق الرائد الذي يحلق له دائما
في الحقيقة ايفان المسكين ليس سارقا.. هو عثر على الانف في طعامه، وعرف انه انف الرائد، لكن لأنه لا يعرف كيف يتعامل مع مشكلة كهذه فحاول ان يتبع أسلوب الفقراء في التخلص من المشكلة دون التفكير بحلول مثلى.. فقام برمي الانف في النهر كي ��ا يسائله احد، ولسوء حظه المعتاد فقد امسكه الضابط
"لماذا سرقت الانف يا ايفان ؟!".. يقول الرائد
ايفان لا يعلق.. ولا يجب ان يعلق.. كان لا بد لأي مشكلة في العالم ان يتحمل مسؤوليتها شخص فقير من امثاله
حسنا هذا غير مهم دعنا نضع هذا الانف المشاكس على وجهك أيها الرائد
ما هذا انه لا يلتصق! من السبب يا ترى؟ يفكر الرائد ويفكر، هو دائما يبحث عن معنى وتفسير
وجد تفسيرا منطقيا.. ربما هي تلك المرأة التي تريدني أن اتزوج ابنتها
أرسل رسالة لها يتهمها بانها السبب في مشكلته .. وبالمناسبة غريب كيف يتحدث الروس لبعضهم البعض،
من الغريب ان تكتب لشخص رسالة تتهمه فيها بالسحر والشعوذة وتغلفها بكثير من التحية وكلمات التعبير عن الاحترام
فترد عليه رسالة يفهم منها انها لم تأخذه على محمل الجد وأنها لازالت ترغب بأن يتزوج ابنتها
وهكذا جرت الشائعات بأن الانوف قررت الانفصال عن أصحابها المتغطرسين بلا فائدة، ربما سيكون لها فائدة أفضل لو كانت لحما شهيا في طبق انسان فقير، او ان كان ولا بد.. يمكنها ان تكون انوفا مستقلة وستكون بالتأكيد أقدر على تقلد المناصب الرفيعة فكلنا نعرف أنك لا تحتاج الا الى انف شامخ كي تقوم بمهام عالية المستوى..
لحسن حظ الرائد ان الشائعات كانت مجرد شائعات، فها هو قد استيقظ ذات يوم وانفه قد عاد اليه، يا للسعادة ..
انتهت القصة على فكرة
حسنا، يوجد نفس التوجه الذي رسمه غوغول في الانحياز للفقراء وللنقد السياسي والاجتماعي، في القصة نرى توثيقا للحياة العادية في روسيا قبل قرنين تقريبا.. عرضا يبعث على التأمل بشكل عام
يقال.. في الرواية تنتهي من الرواية عندما تقرأ اخر صفحة، اما القصة القصيرة فتبدأها بعد ان تنتهي من قراءة اخر صفحة
لا اعرف هل انا الوحيد الذي كان يشعر طول قراءة القصة بالتوتر وعدم الراحة والرغبة في التوقف، وعندما انهيت القصة وفكرت فيها وجدت انها تستحق ان تُقرأ.. تبدو القصة اعتباطية.. ولو قلتها لاحد المراهقين لضحك من سخافة محتواها.. ولكن هذا هو الأسلوب الادبي.. يتعمق في الشيء العادي بصورة غير عادية
نيقولاي غوغول الاديب الكبير في هذه القصة لايأخذ الأمور بجدية ، يحاول إضفاء روح الهزل بدون معنى بالضرورة ، ولكل امة طريقتها في الاضحاك، فقط خذه بحلمك..
نحن في هذه القصة القصيرة مع موعد مع حادثة مؤسفة لضياع انف الرائد كوفاليوف، يهرع الرائد خارجا للتبليغ عن فقده للأنف الذي ادرك لأول مرة أهميته الشديدة بالنسبة له، فجأة يراه بالصدفة فيحاول اقناع الانف بالرجوع له لأنه من ملكيته، فيجد الانف الذي يرتدي بدلة رسمية برتبة عالية يستغرب منه طلبه هذا ويقول انه لا ينتمي له، يغادر الانف فيطارده الرائد فيفلت منه ، يرجع الى منزله فيفاجئ بأن الانف قد عثر عليه !
هل عثر عليه كبيرا يلبس بدلة ويمشي في الشوارع كما رآه للتو ؟!
"لا لا .. هذا غير معقول" .. يقول الضابط الذي احضر الأنف واحضر سارقه
انه صغير وعلى حاله ويمكنك ان تلبسه.. أقصد تلصقه، اما السارق من يكون ؟! اسمه ايفان وهو حلاق الرائد الذي يحلق له دائما
في الحقيقة ايفان المسكين ليس سارقا.. هو عثر على الانف في طعامه، وعرف انه انف الرائد، لكن لأنه لا يعرف كيف يتعامل مع مشكلة كهذه فحاول ان يتبع أسلوب الفقراء في التخلص من المشكلة دون التفكير بحلول مثلى.. فقام برمي الانف في النهر كي ��ا يسائله احد، ولسوء حظه المعتاد فقد امسكه الضابط
"لماذا سرقت الانف يا ايفان ؟!".. يقول الرائد
ايفان لا يعلق.. ولا يجب ان يعلق.. كان لا بد لأي مشكلة في العالم ان يتحمل مسؤوليتها شخص فقير من امثاله
حسنا هذا غير مهم دعنا نضع هذا الانف المشاكس على وجهك أيها الرائد
ما هذا انه لا يلتصق! من السبب يا ترى؟ يفكر الرائد ويفكر، هو دائما يبحث عن معنى وتفسير
وجد تفسيرا منطقيا.. ربما هي تلك المرأة التي تريدني أن اتزوج ابنتها
أرسل رسالة لها يتهمها بانها السبب في مشكلته .. وبالمناسبة غريب كيف يتحدث الروس لبعضهم البعض،
من الغريب ان تكتب لشخص رسالة تتهمه فيها بالسحر والشعوذة وتغلفها بكثير من التحية وكلمات التعبير عن الاحترام
فترد عليه رسالة يفهم منها انها لم تأخذه على محمل الجد وأنها لازالت ترغب بأن يتزوج ابنتها
وهكذا جرت الشائعات بأن الانوف قررت الانفصال عن أصحابها المتغطرسين بلا فائدة، ربما سيكون لها فائدة أفضل لو كانت لحما شهيا في طبق انسان فقير، او ان كان ولا بد.. يمكنها ان تكون انوفا مستقلة وستكون بالتأكيد أقدر على تقلد المناصب الرفيعة فكلنا نعرف أنك لا تحتاج الا الى انف شامخ كي تقوم بمهام عالية المستوى..
لحسن حظ الرائد ان الشائعات كانت مجرد شائعات، فها هو قد استيقظ ذات يوم وانفه قد عاد اليه، يا للسعادة ..
انتهت القصة على فكرة
حسنا، يوجد نفس التوجه الذي رسمه غوغول في الانحياز للفقراء وللنقد السياسي والاجتماعي، في القصة نرى توثيقا للحياة العادية في روسيا قبل قرنين تقريبا.. عرضا يبعث على التأمل بشكل عام
يقال.. في الرواية تنتهي من الرواية عندما تقرأ اخر صفحة، اما القصة القصيرة فتبدأها بعد ان تنتهي من قراءة اخر صفحة
لا اعرف هل انا الوحيد الذي كان يشعر طول قراءة القصة بالتوتر وعدم الراحة والرغبة في التوقف، وعندما انهيت القصة وفكرت فيها وجدت انها تستحق ان تُقرأ.. تبدو القصة اعتباطية.. ولو قلتها لاحد المراهقين لضحك من سخافة محتواها.. ولكن هذا هو الأسلوب الادبي.. يتعمق في الشيء العادي بصورة غير عادية
December 23, 2018
The nose. The only part of your body that you can constantly see but almost never notice unless there is something wrong with it. Like, for instance, if you got a runny nose, or – and this is more serious! – if your nose is running away from you.
What if you wake up one morning from anxious dreams and discover you had been changed into a noseless monstrosity? That’s exactly what happens to Major Kovaloff of St Petersburg in this story. Looking into a mirror he saw a “perfectly smooth vacancy” where his honker used to be! His nose thumbed itself to him and decided to take a leave and lead a life of its own; to stand on its own two feet, so to speak. Roaming the city, not knowing what to do, K. suddenly sees his former schnoz as it is stepping out of a carriage in the uniform of a “councillor of state” which means the nose outranks the Major. Apparently the snotty nose made a career over night and has had enough of poor K. who is now going to move heaven and hell in order to rejoin with his essential body part.
Surrealistic nonsense, you might exclaim. Yes, of course, I reply. But Shostakovich made an opera from Gogol’s story, so it can’t be that much nonsense, can it? I’d call it nonosesence (geddit? ) and it was so much fun to read indeed that I couldn’t stop laughing until my own nose started acting strange. Hope I’ll find it in its proper place in the morning. I promise I’ll look after it more, and you should do too, because, as the old Russian saying goes “Береги нос в большой мороз!”, or, in other words…
Noses are red,
other parts blue.
when winter is coming
and rampant’s the flu!
PS: Free (English) Version here
PPS: On the subject of loosing ones nose see the reaction of these little kids after their inconsiderate daddies stole their theirs:
a weak Boy — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ke_...
a strong Girl — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oZhH...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
What if you wake up one morning from anxious dreams and discover you had been changed into a noseless monstrosity? That’s exactly what happens to Major Kovaloff of St Petersburg in this story. Looking into a mirror he saw a “perfectly smooth vacancy” where his honker used to be! His nose thumbed itself to him and decided to take a leave and lead a life of its own; to stand on its own two feet, so to speak. Roaming the city, not knowing what to do, K. suddenly sees his former schnoz as it is stepping out of a carriage in the uniform of a “councillor of state” which means the nose outranks the Major. Apparently the snotty nose made a career over night and has had enough of poor K. who is now going to move heaven and hell in order to rejoin with his essential body part.
Surrealistic nonsense, you might exclaim. Yes, of course, I reply. But Shostakovich made an opera from Gogol’s story, so it can’t be that much nonsense, can it? I’d call it nonosesence (geddit? ) and it was so much fun to read indeed that I couldn’t stop laughing until my own nose started acting strange. Hope I’ll find it in its proper place in the morning. I promise I’ll look after it more, and you should do too, because, as the old Russian saying goes “Береги нос в большой мороз!”, or, in other words…
Noses are red,
other parts blue.
when winter is coming
and rampant’s the flu!
PS: Free (English) Version here
PPS: On the subject of loosing ones nose see the reaction of these little kids after their inconsiderate daddies stole their theirs:
a weak Boy — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ke_...
a strong Girl — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oZhH...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
April 13, 2023
¡Genial!
Lo acabo de leer dos veces seguidas en bucle. Se trata de un cuento absolutamente disparatado y surrealista. Y por supuesto genial. Tengo el convencimiento de que sirvió como influencia a otro disparate tan fabuloso como La metamorfosis o El proceso.
La gran novedad para mí, es que ese mérito de romper los límites de la narración clásica que siempre le atribuí a Kafka, ya se ve claramente aquí en La nariz, casi un siglo antes... Repito, un producto como este se publicó en 1836, ¡ahí es nada!. La dificultad para que le publiquen al protagonista un anuncio sobre la pérdida de su nariz, esa dificultad administrativa sin sentido (El proceso), o la propia trama absurda de fondo en la que no quiero espoilear (La metam.). En otras palabras, hay una clarísima influencia de Gogol sobre Kafka que no lo imaginaba ni por asomo. Sorpresón muy grato.
La nariz, es anterior también al Barlevy, o a Chesterton, o a Bulgakov, por no hablar de escritores más recientes. La diferencia entre la obra de Kafka y Gogol se encuentra en la forma de afrontar la desgracia de un fenómeno extraño: Kafka la carga de existencialismo y amargura con sello propio diferenciador, y Gogol por el contrario le da un sentido humorístico, unas veces humor negro y otras humor burlón, pero más amable en cualquier caso.
Loco totalmente y totalmente fantástico. Habrá opiniones muy contrarias a mi comentario, pero yo veo así la literatura, cosas frescas, nuevas y distintas, y esto lo es sin duda.
El tema es simplísimo, como en El capote. Lo importante es la trama en que logra involucrar al lector partiendo de tan poco (a poco que te dejes llevar como lector, claro). La imaginación desbordante al poder y la apertura a nuevos campos narrativos, sin límites ni trabas.
Tiempo estimado de lectura, una hora.
Lo acabo de leer dos veces seguidas en bucle. Se trata de un cuento absolutamente disparatado y surrealista. Y por supuesto genial. Tengo el convencimiento de que sirvió como influencia a otro disparate tan fabuloso como La metamorfosis o El proceso.
La gran novedad para mí, es que ese mérito de romper los límites de la narración clásica que siempre le atribuí a Kafka, ya se ve claramente aquí en La nariz, casi un siglo antes... Repito, un producto como este se publicó en 1836, ¡ahí es nada!. La dificultad para que le publiquen al protagonista un anuncio sobre la pérdida de su nariz, esa dificultad administrativa sin sentido (El proceso), o la propia trama absurda de fondo en la que no quiero espoilear (La metam.). En otras palabras, hay una clarísima influencia de Gogol sobre Kafka que no lo imaginaba ni por asomo. Sorpresón muy grato.
La nariz, es anterior también al Barlevy, o a Chesterton, o a Bulgakov, por no hablar de escritores más recientes. La diferencia entre la obra de Kafka y Gogol se encuentra en la forma de afrontar la desgracia de un fenómeno extraño: Kafka la carga de existencialismo y amargura con sello propio diferenciador, y Gogol por el contrario le da un sentido humorístico, unas veces humor negro y otras humor burlón, pero más amable en cualquier caso.
Loco totalmente y totalmente fantástico. Habrá opiniones muy contrarias a mi comentario, pero yo veo así la literatura, cosas frescas, nuevas y distintas, y esto lo es sin duda.
El tema es simplísimo, como en El capote. Lo importante es la trama en que logra involucrar al lector partiendo de tan poco (a poco que te dejes llevar como lector, claro). La imaginación desbordante al poder y la apertura a nuevos campos narrativos, sin límites ni trabas.
Tiempo estimado de lectura, una hora.
July 1, 2024
با کافکا حرف بزنی سوسکت میکنه، با گوگول دماغ.
May 5, 2019
Se começássemos por Gógol e então lêssemos Kafka, já não estranharíamos tanto o segundo. Tanto num como noutro, o absurdo é-nos entregue como facto, solto, não havendo lugar a explicações ou esclarecimentos. Ano e meio após ter lido O Processo fafkiano, continuo a perguntar-me: por que raio foi Josef K. alvo de uma acusação cujo fundamento nunca lhe foi revelado? E no momento a seguir logo me lembro que, no fundo, perguntas como essa não têm a menor relevância para a história. O mesmo se passa aqui: que importa que um nariz ganhe vida e decida deambular por aí de fato e gravata, liberto daquele a quem pertence? E que importa toda a inverosimilhança espelhada por um cenário desse género? Nada, como acabamos eventualmente por perceber.
Não é o objecto do absurdo em si que merece consideração, mas antes a forma como as pessoas (as personagens e, através delas, o leitor) reagem a ele. Diz o autor no fim, e bem, que incongruências acontecem por toda a parte, acontecimentos que não se explicam. Tão absurdas quanto esta? Raramente, sim... mas acontecem! E nesse “mas”, nessa mínima ocorrência, estão contidas as respostas aos porquês com que nos deparamos ao ler narrativas tão surreais e a legitimidade daqueles que as escrevem.
Muito recomendado a apreciadores do género!
Não é o objecto do absurdo em si que merece consideração, mas antes a forma como as pessoas (as personagens e, através delas, o leitor) reagem a ele. Diz o autor no fim, e bem, que incongruências acontecem por toda a parte, acontecimentos que não se explicam. Tão absurdas quanto esta? Raramente, sim... mas acontecem! E nesse “mas”, nessa mínima ocorrência, estão contidas as respostas aos porquês com que nos deparamos ao ler narrativas tão surreais e a legitimidade daqueles que as escrevem.
Muito recomendado a apreciadores do género!
September 14, 2020
2020 لسه بتضرب كمان و كمان
انا عملت رقم قياسى فى النجمة الواحدة مع انى معروف انى باضعف و مش باحب اقيم ب نجمة لكن لازم قلبى يموت .
الواحد مش عارف يقيم القصة ديه ب ايه
هل هى عبثية ؟
هل هى رمزية ؟
هل هى سريالية ؟
حتى مراجعات الاصدقاء كل واحد تفسيره غير التانى !!
هل جوجول يسخر من انفه الطويل ام الانف اسقاط على التعجرف ام الطبقية فى هذا القرن .
اعتقد مدلول القصة واضح لمن عاش او مطلع على الفترة الزمنية التى كتب بها جوجول القصة و روسيا فى هذا الوقت .
لكن انا ك قارئ لم افهم شئ و كاتب اخر يختبر قدرات قراءه :(
انا عملت رقم قياسى فى النجمة الواحدة مع انى معروف انى باضعف و مش باحب اقيم ب نجمة لكن لازم قلبى يموت .
الواحد مش عارف يقيم القصة ديه ب ايه
هل هى عبثية ؟
هل هى رمزية ؟
هل هى سريالية ؟
حتى مراجعات الاصدقاء كل واحد تفسيره غير التانى !!
هل جوجول يسخر من انفه الطويل ام الانف اسقاط على التعجرف ام الطبقية فى هذا القرن .
اعتقد مدلول القصة واضح لمن عاش او مطلع على الفترة الزمنية التى كتب بها جوجول القصة و روسيا فى هذا الوقت .
لكن انا ك قارئ لم افهم شئ و كاتب اخر يختبر قدرات قراءه :(
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