Gogolās great Russian classic is the Pickwick Papers of Russian Literature. It takes a sharp but humorous look at life in all its strata, but especially the devious complexities in Russia with its landowners and serfs. We are introduced to Tchitchikov, a businessman who, in order to trick the tax authorities, buys up dead āsoulsā or serfs whose names still appear on the government census. Despite being a dealer in phantom crimes and paper ghosts, he is the most beguiling of Gogolās characters. Gogolās obsession with attempting to display āthe untold riches of the Russian soulā eventually led him to madness, religious mania and death. Dismissed by him as merely āa pale introduction to the great epic poem which is taking shape in my mindā, Dead Souls is the culmination of Gogolās genius.