Dostoevsky and World Culture Dostoevsky and World Culture 2619-0311 2712-8512 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-1-90-104 Research Article Articles The Specifics of the Presence of Books in Gogol’s Works Vladislav Sh. Krivonos fedor@dostmirkult.ru 25 03 2026 1 1 90 104 Gogol book reading reader non-reader story novel poem Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The article examines books that are read or mentioned by characters in several of Gogol’s works. It demonstrates that the interest in books—and the attitude toward them—displayed by Gogol’s characters reflects specific aspects of their personalities. Books are also considered as material objects that are part of the material world surrounding a particular character. An analysis of Gogol’s works shows that his characters have not developed a habit of reading and lack not only the ability but also the desire and need to read. When they do turn to a book, they tend more to imitate the act of reading than to engage in genuine reading. As their interests are in no way connected with reading, they appear more as non-readers than as readers. The article argues that Gogol does not draw a clear distinction between characters on this basis: he does not oppose types of non-readers to types of readers. Readers appear as non-readers in his works; it is another matter how and what they read. In those few works where books are present, Gogol treats the act of reading with undisguised irony. All these points are illustrated in the article with specific examples. The analysis draws on such works by Gogol as Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and His Aunt, Diary of a Madman, The Inspector General, and Dead Souls. The analysis reveals that Gogol’s characters combine, each in their own way, traits of both readers and non-readers. The specific form in which a book appears in Gogol’s works directly reflects the particular configuration of these traits.