Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (31 March 1809 – 4 March 1852) was a celebrated Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin, renowned for his unique blend of grotesque and proto-surrealist qualities in his works. Gogol's writings, particularly The Nose, Viy, The Overcoat, and Nevsky Prospekt, as well as others like Diary of a Madman, showcased his exceptional use of the "ostranenie" technique of defamiliarization, making the familiar strange to engage readers in a new perspective. His early literary contributions, including Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, culture, and folklore, which played a significant role in shaping the thematic and stylistic directions of his work.

Gogol's later works, such as The Government Inspector and Dead Souls, satirized the political corruption of contemporary Russia, earning both critical acclaim and the patronage of Tsar Nicholas I. His novel Taras Bulba (1835), the play Marriage (1842), and short stories including The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich, The Portrait, and The Carriage, further cemented his reputation as a master storyteller.

Gogol's profound influence on Russian, Ukrainian, and world literature is undeniable, with notable figures like Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Franz Kafka, Mikhail Bulgakov, Vladimir Nabokov, and Flannery O'Connor acknowledging his impact. Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé famously remarked, "We all came out from under Gogol's Overcoat."