The Inspector-General: Play Guide and Free Edition
The Inspector-General: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The Inspector-General is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich (1809–1852). The listed translation credits are Seltzer, Thomas (1873–1943).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The Inspector-General" by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol is a classic comedy written in the early 19th century, often hailed as one of the greatest works of Russian literature. The play centers around the character of Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, a low-level government clerk who becomes mistakenly identified as a high-ranking inspector by the corrupt officials of a small provincial town. The narrative seamlessly blends humor with sharp social commentary, exploring themes of bureaucracy, corruption, and the absurdity of human behavior. At the start of the play, the Governor and various officials are thrown into a state of panic when they learn that an Inspector-General is coming to their town incognito. Fearing exposure of their corruption and incompetence, they start making frantic preparations to present a façade of efficiency and proper conduct. In the midst of this chaos, Khlestakov arrives at the inn, and a series of misunderstandings leads the officials to believe he is the inspector. As they fawn over him and try to impress, Khlestakov—who is only scraping by himself—becomes embroiled in the absurdity of their grandiose attempts to placate him, setting the stage for a hilarious critique of power dynamics and societal pretensions.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The Inspector-General
- Author credits: Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich (1809–1852)
- Catalogue language: English
- Translator credits: Seltzer, Thomas (1873–1943)
Catalogue subjects
- Comedy plays
- Russia -- Social life and customs -- Drama
- Russian drama -- Translations into English
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Classics of Literature
- Category: Humour
- Category: Plays/Films/Dramas
- Category: Russian Literature
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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