The Overcoat — Nikolai Gogol

The Overcoat — Nikolai Gogol

From Written Works For You, By You by Lourdes

June 29, 2026 · 1h 14m

About this episode

Lourdes discusses Nikolai Gogol's 'The Overcoat', exploring themes of dignity and the human experience amidst satire.

The room is back. I was away for a minute — moving, no WiFi, life in boxes. But the light stayed on, and now the microphone is warm again. Literally. I finally got a real mic. A Snowball Blue. No more skull headphones. So if I sound different tonight, that is why. Today: "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol. Written in 1842, in St. Petersburg, Russia. A clerk named Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin has one threadbare overcoat. When it falls apart, he saves every kopeck to have a new one made. The names are absurd. The bureaucracy is absurd. But underneath the satire, there is something real: a man who wants dignity, who wants to be seen, who freezes in the Russian winter and dreams of warmth. Gogol wrote comedy, but he never forgot the person underneath. I read whatever you send me — fragments, poems, screenplays, journal entries, 3am thoughts, any genre. Real or imagined, anonymous or named. No judgement, no critique, just your words out loud. Your first yes. writtenworksforyoubyyou@gmail.com Leave a five-star review for a shout out: Reddit : ⁠⁠⁠⁠wwfyby⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Instagram : ⁠⁠⁠⁠@writtenworksforyoubyyou⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Website : ⁠⁠⁠⁠writtenworksforyoubyyou.carrd.co⁠⁠⁠⁠ Available on Spotify…

People in this episode

Host: Lourdes

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Overcoat

Places: St. Petersburg

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