Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer. Although his early works, such as "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, " were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing and identity, he is often called the "father of modern Russian realism." The novels Taras Bul'ba and Dead Souls, the play The Inspector-General, and the short stories "Diary of a Madman, " "The Nose" and "The Overcoat" (1842) are among his best known works. With their scrupulous and scathing realism, ethical criticism as well as philosophical depth, they remain some of the most important works of world literature.