The Government Inspector. A Comedy in Five Acts, M. Beresford Editor with English Introduction and Notes

This play appeals to students of Russian and theatre people alike. This edition, the most comprehensive ever produced, provides the reader with all that is required for a full understanding of Gogol's classic. Every aspect of the play has been carefully researched, and a detailed account of its composition, reception and stage history is given in the introduction. The text, in the original Russian, is accompanied by a commentary on all points of linguistic, literary or historical interest. There are copious notes on colloquial Russian idiom. Misconceptions about the nature and purpose of Gogol's dramatic masterpiece are common, and the editor has taken great pains to set the record straight, using evidence taken from the writings of Gogol and his contemporaries. The play, innocent of any political intent, emerges not as a light-hearted farce, but as a subtle satirical comedy, a brilliant exposé not just of bribery but of corruption in many guises.