About this item
One of five beloved Christmas classics in collectible hardcover editions Written in 1831 by the father of Russian literature, this uproarious tale tells of the blacksmith Vakula’s battle with the devil, who has stolen the moon and hidden it in his pocket, allowing him to wreak havoc on the village of Dikanka. Both the devil and Vakula are in love with Oksana, the most beautiful girl in Dikanka. Vakula is determined to win her over; the devil, equally determined, unleashes a snowstorm to thwart Vakula’s efforts. Zany and mischievous, and drawing inspiration from the folk tales of Gogol’s far-flung village in Ukraine, The Night Before Christmas is the basis for many movie and opera adaptations, and is still read aloud to children on Christmas Eve in Ukraine and Russia.
About the Author
Nikolai Gogol (1809 - 1852) - Russian writer, playwright, poet, critic, publicist, recognized as one of the classics of Russian literature, author of the immortal works "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", "Taras Bulba", "The Viy", "Inspector", " Dead Souls ", etc. The amazing talent of Gogol is manifested in these so different from each other works in different ways - that striking the reader with the richness of the language and the colorfulness of the Ukrainian theme (and the epic scope of "Taras Bulba") , then captivating the fiction of Petersburg novels , then causing laughter in the "Inspector" and "Dead Souls". The life and creative path of Gogol and his tragic fate still represent a riddle that is unraveled by more than one generation of researchers.He belonged to artists, whose work hides many secrets, exciting imagination, causing controversy, but leaving no one indifferent.
