Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
In this satirical novel, a man travels through Russia buying up the titles to deceased serfs (or "souls") from their naive landowners, under the guise of a get-rich-quick scheme. However, his real plan is to use these "dead souls" to create a phantom estate and secure a massive loan. The story explores the corruption and greed prevalent in 19th-century Russian society and provides a unique perspective on the human condition.
The 152nd greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 1683
This book was first published in 1842
16 Lists
- score: 151 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 150)
- score: 150 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature - 2002 (Weight: 150)
- score: 150 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 150)
- score: 126 -- Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale - 1956 (Weight: 126)
- score: 108 -- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher - 2009 (Weight: 108)
- score: 106 -- The Main Works of Russian literature - 2018 (Weight: 102)
- score: 102 -- Finest Works of Fiction - 1980 (Weight: 102)
- score: 102 -- The Bigger Read List - 2003 (Weight: 102)
- score: 99 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 99)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 96)
- score: 93 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 93)
- score: 90 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 90)
- score: 83 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 81)
- score: 78 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 78)
- score: 75 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 75)
- score: 72 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 72)