Sign-In
Cart
The Diary of a Madman
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781918509571
Publisher: Lost Book Project
Published: Jan 22 2026
Pages: 44
Weight: 0.16
Height: 0.11 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol is one of the most important short stories in Russian literature and a foundational work of psychological fiction. First published in 1835 as part of Arabesques, this unsettling and darkly comic narrative takes the form of a civil servant's diary as his grip on reality gradually collapses.
The story follows Poprishchin, a minor bureaucrat in St. Petersburg, whose growing resentment, social humiliation, and obsession with rank lead him into delusion and madness. Through fragmented diary entries, Gogol traces the inner logic of insanity with chilling precision, showing how pride, isolation, and bureaucratic cruelty distort the self. As Poprishchin begins to believe he is the King of Spain, the line between satire and tragedy dissolves, revealing the devastating psychological cost of a rigid, dehumanizing social order.
Blending realism with absurdity, The Diary of a Madman is both a social satire and a pioneering study of mental breakdown. It anticipates modern psychological literature and influenced writers such as Dostoevsky, Kafka, and later modernists. The story remains essential reading for those interested in madness in literature, unreliable narration, bureaucracy, identity, and the origins of existential and absurdist fiction.
This edition presents a classic short work whose portrayal of alienation, delusion, and institutional power remains disturbingly relevant.
Available in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback formats.
Also from
Travers, S. R.
The Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening
Kierkegaard, Søren
Paperback
Also in
Fiction Anthologies
Women on Food: Charlotte Druckman and 115 Writers, Chefs, Critics, Television Stars, and Eaters
Druckman, Charlotte
Paperback
On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Unpublished and Selected Writings
Pirsig, Wendy K.
Pirsig, Robert M.
Hardcover
James Weldon Johnson: Writings (Loa #145): The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man / Along This Way / Essays and Editorials / Selected Poems
Johnson, James Weldon
Hardcover
Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Shelley, Mary
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Stoker, Bram
Paperback
Sez I to Myself: The Collected Essays of Frank and Malachy McCourt
McCourt, Frank
McCourt, Malachy
Hardcover
Sherlock: Short Story Anthology: Ten New Cases. Ten Master Storytellers. One Immortal Detective.
The Conan Doyle Estate
Hardcover
Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All.
Allen, Mel
Paperback
异乡故人（壹嘉-人文）
刘宗坤
Paperback
The Greek Tragedies: Seventeen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
Euripides
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Paperback
Learn Russian with Beginner Stories: Interlinear Russian to English
Van Den End, Kees
Hyplern, Bermuda Word
Gettys, Serafima
Paperback
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings: Poems, Tales, Essays, and Reviews
Poe, Edgar Allan
Hardcover
Obvious Adams -- The Story of a Successful Businessman: New Business Edition
Updegraff, Robert R.
Paperback
The World of Jane Austen: A Conversation Puzzle: 500-Piece Puzzle: Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults
Oakley, Jacqui
Other
Japanese Folktales for Language Learners: Bilingual Legends and Fables in Japanese and English (Free Online Audio Recording)
Sato, Anna
Sato, Eriko
Paperback
Bookin' in the Big House: What I Learned Leading a Women's Prison Book Club
Devoto, Pat Cunningham
Paperback
Jane Austen for Every Day of the Year: A Charming Collection of Wit & Wisdom
Richardson, Tara
Hardcover