I love “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol.

Last year I read a biography on Gogol and an excerpt of his short story, “The Nose.” The readings were mandatory assignments in the Russian class I took and yes, both texts are written in Russian. Translating each line was tedious, but I enjoyed it. Reading a foreign text in the language it was written in is rewarding.

Instead of blindly reading, I was forced to take my time and reflect on Gogol’s work. I realized with much help from my teacher that Gogol’s work has many different interpretations. “The Nose” may portray class inequality, gender distinctions or both.

Russian was my favorite class so I loved reading “The Nose” again. Unfortunately, many good memories are tied with “The Nose” so I am inclined to be excited, but I remember how I felt my first time reading it. Amazed. Magical realism is not a genre I have much experience with. How can a man lose his nose, find it, and have an argument with it. Its absurd!

THE NOSE