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    Viy
    Viy
    Viy
    Ebook58 pages57 minutes

    Viy

    By Nikolai Gogol

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    About this ebook

    Based on Slavic superstitions of the "midnight dead', Nikolai Gogol's classic horror story VIY (1835) serves up a macabre mixture of demons, witches, exorcisms and Satanic pacts. VIY was the inspiration for Mario Bava's classic gothic horror film The Mask Of The Demon (1960).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherElektron Ebooks
    Release dateMar 4, 2015
    ISBN9781908694652
    Author

    Nikolai Gogol

    Nikolai Gogol was a Russian novelist and playwright born in what is now considered part of the modern Ukraine. By the time he was 15, Gogol worked as an amateur writer for both Russian and Ukrainian scripts, and then turned his attention and talent to prose. His short-story collections were immediately successful and his first novel, The Government Inspector, was well-received. Gogol went on to publish numerous acclaimed works, including Dead Souls, The Portrait, Marriage, and a revision of Taras Bulba. He died in 1852 while working on the second part of Dead Souls.

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    Reviews for Viy

    4/5

    18 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I enjoyed Viy for the most part. It had an interesting main story, pleasant and even fascinating descriptions of the village life.
      The main protagonist, in the form of the Philosopher, was interesting to follow with his quirks and, among them, the enormous hunger. That guy ate a lot, lol
      Then there were things I didn't enjoy. Like the oversaturation with characters, that is stuck in my mind the most.
      The writer introduces us to three characters at first, and later a ton of people that just randomly pop up and get named during conversations. - At least that's how it feels like when you're reading.
      It created chaos and made it hard to follow the story (and small tales told by other characters, that also had named characters in them - how many characters can you name!?).
      Not to mention following what each person said was a nightmare at times. - Especially in exchanges that involved more than three people. You can manage it after a read or two, but at first I'd say it's rather confusing and unpleasant to deal with.
      I'd like to add, that I found translation mistakes, such as
      "He would He safe" in the translation.
      That said, again, I enjoyed the story, and I think that it would be better if fewer characters were involved (especially the named ones). Besides that, the rest of the problems I encountered are quite possibly related to the fact it was an imperfect translation.

      P.S: Read it with a clear mind, not when you're sleepy, or you'll have to re-read some bits more than two times ^^
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite short stories. The 1967 movie based on this is one of my favorites as well.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    Viy - Nikolai Gogol

    credits

    VIY

    BY NIKOLAI GOGOL

    AN EBOOK

    ISBN 978-1-908694-65-2

    PUBLISHED BY ELEKTRON EBOOKS

    COPYRIGHT 2012 ELEKTRON EBOOKS

    www.elektron-ebooks.com

    No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a database or retrieval system, posted on any internet site, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holders. Any such copyright infringement of this publication may result in civil prosecution

    I

    As soon as the clear seminary bell began sounding in Kieff in the morning, the pupils would come flocking from all parts of the town. The students of grammar, rhetoric, philosophy, and theology hastened with their books under their arms over the streets.

    The grammarians were still mere boys. On the way they pushed against each other and quarrelled with shrill voices.

    Nearly all of them wore torn or dirty clothes, and their pockets were always crammed with all kinds of things — push-bones, pipes made out of pens, remains of confectionery, and sometimes even young sparrows. The latter would sometimes begin to chirp in the midst of deep silence in the school, and bring down on their possessors severe canings and thrashings.

    The rhetoricians walked in a more orderly way. Their clothes were generally untorn, but on the other hand their faces were often strangely decorated; one had a black eye, and the lips of another resembled a single blister, etc. These spoke to each other in tenor voices.

    The philosophers talked in a tone an octave lower; in their pockets they only had fragments of tobacco, never whole cakes of it; for what they could get hold of, they used at once.

    They smelt so strongly of tobacco and brandy, that a workman passing by them would often remain standing and sniffing with his nose in the air, like a hound.

    About this time of day the market-place was generally full of bustle, and the market women, selling rolls, cakes, and honey-tarts, plucked the sleeves of those who wore coats of fine cloth or cotton.

    Young sir! Young sir! Here! Here! they cried from all sides. Bolls and cakes and tasty tarts, very delicious! I have baked them myself!

    Another drew something long and crooked out of her basket and cried, Here is a sausage, young sir! Buy a sausage!

    Don’t buy anything from her! cried a rival. See how greasy she is, and what a dirty nose and hands she has! But the market women carefully avoided appealing to the philosophers and theologians, for these only took handfuls of eatables merely to taste them.

    Arrived at the seminary, the whole crowd of students dispersed into the low, large class-rooms with small windows, broad doors, and blackened benches. Suddenly they were filled with a many-toned murmur. The teachers heard the pupils’ lessons repeated, some in shrill and others in deep voices which sounded like a distant booming. While the lessons were being said, the teachers kept a sharp eye open to see whether pieces of cake or other dainties were protruding from their pupils’ pockets; if so, they were promptly confiscated.

    When this learned crowd arrived somewhat earlier than usual, or when it was known that the teachers would come somewhat late, a battle would ensue, as though planned by general agreement. In this battle all had to take part, even the monitors who were appointed to look after the order and morality of the whole school. Two theologians generally arranged the conditions of the battle : whether each class should split into two sides, or whether all the pupils should divide themselves into two halves.

    In each case the grammarians began the battle. and after the rhetoricians had joined in, the former retired and stood on the benches, in order to watch the fortunes of the fray. Then came the philosophers with long black moustaches, and finally the thick-necked theologians. The battle generally ended in a victory for the latter, and the philosophers retired to the different class-rooms rubbing their aching limbs, and throwing themselves on the benches to take breath.

    When the teacher, who in his own time had taken part in such contests, entered the class-room he saw by the heated faces of his pupils that the battle had been very

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