Mirgorod (short story collection)

Mirgorod (Russian: «Миргород») is a collection of short stories written by Nikolai Gogol, composed between 1832 and 1834 and first published in 1835.[1] It was significantly revised and expanded by Gogol for an 1842 edition of his complete works.[2] The title Mirgorod is the Russian pronunciation of the name of the Ukrainian city Myrhorod and means "city of peace" in both languages. It is also the setting for the final story in the collection, “The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich”. The title reflects the stories’ portrayal of provincial Ukrainian life, similar to Gogol’s successful previous collection, Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka. To solidify this connection between the two works, he attached the subtitle: “Stories which are a continuation of the Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka.”[3]

  1. ^ Peace, Richard (1981). The Enigma of Gogol: An Examination of the Writings of N.V. Gogol and Their Place in the Russian Literary Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 28.
  2. ^ Setchkarev, Vsevolod (1965). Gogol: His Life and Works. New York: New York University Press. p.136.
  3. ^ Magarshack, David. (1957) Gogol: A Life. London: Faber and Faber. p.121.