About this episode

The episode discusses Nikolai Gogol's absurdist story 'The Nose' and its themes of bureaucracy and identity.

A man wakes up. His nose is gone. That is not the strange part. Nikolai Gogol wrote "The Nose" in 1836 and I am fairly certain he was laughing the entire time. A St. Petersburg official chases his own nose through the city — now dressed as a higher-ranking civil servant, refusing to recognize its former face. Bureaucracy happens. Nothing resolves neatly. Gogol publishes it and goes to breakfast. Absurdist, satirical, slightly horrifying, and genuinely funny. I still don't know if it's a nightmare or a joke. Maybe it's both. Written Works for You, By You — where your words get their first yes, out loud, where someone can hear them. Submissions always open: writtenworksforyoubyyou@gmail.com Leave a five-star review for a shout out: Reddit : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wwfyby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Instagram : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@writtenworksforyoubyyou⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Website : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠writtenworksforyoubyyou.carrd.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and wherever you listen. The room is open. I'm still listening.

People in this episode

Host: Lourdes

Topics covered

• absurdism
• satire
• bureaucracy
• literature
• Nikolai Gogol
• The Nose

Keywords

• Nikolai Gogol
• The Nose
• absurdist literature
• satire
• bureaucracy
• St. Petersburg

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Nose

Places: St. Petersburg

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