The Nose by Nikolai Gogol: Hilarious, Obscene and Incredibly Unique

What would you do without your nose?

The Nose is a short story by Nikolai Gogol which follows an incident in which Kovalyov, a Collegiate Assessor, wakes up one morning without his nose.

A Nose walks into the church

After essentially trying to “snap himself out of it” by hoping it was just some bout of madness. Kovalyov, an incredibly vain man, covers his face with a handkerchief and hopes nobody notices this strange plight of his and goes on a chase to try and locate his nose or get someone else to find it for him.

He goes on to find his incredibly well-dressed and employed (presumably) which was busy on a journey of its own, seeking spiritual guidance in a church before disappearing again.

Kovalyov proceeds to delve deeper into anger and mania as he attempts to recapture and convince his nose it must return to his face.

Within his manic and nose-less state he goes on to write one of the funniest letters I’ve ever read in a fiction title.

The appeal of the Nose

This short satire piece has something to say about vanity, gossip, and the ineffective operations of the Russian statutory structure of its era.

Its focus however is definitely not on political commentary or saying something deeply integral to human nature. Gogol wants to make you laugh. And boy was this one entertaining fiction.

It’s a great read from start to finish with random and side-splitting bits of narration spread throughout.

Here’s the story:

Give it a read yourself: The Nose By Nikolai Gogol