Nicolai (also spelled "Nikolai") Gogol was a Russian writer, who was born in 1809 in what is now Ukraine. He wrote plays, novels, and short stories and had a significant influence on Russian literature. Gogol grew up in the Ukrainian countryside where he was influenced by its Cossack traditions and folklore. These elements of his childhood ultimately became part of his work. In 1828, he went to St. Petersburg with the goal of becoming a civil servant, but without money or connections, he struggled. He began writing during this time, hoping to earn a living. He was not immediately successful, but he was ultimately discovered by other esteemed poets, including Pushkin, which bolstered his...
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