Taras Bulba, and Other Tales

In Short

This classic collection gathers six vibrant stories showcasing the breadth of early nineteenth-century Russian life. Moving between the epic Cossack wars on the Polish frontier and the absurdly bureaucratic streets of St. Petersburg and provincial towns, the tales contrast fierce military devotion with comic provincial rivalries and supernatural dread. Through dramatic shifts between romantic myth and biting satire, the stories examine how pride, obsession, and vanity corrupt the human spirit. Its vivid portraits of local life and revolutionary prose style established a foundational blueprint for modern Russian fiction.

The Story

The book opens with its title masterpiece, an epic chronicle of Cossack warrior Taras Bulba. Upon his sons Ostap and Andrii returning from their studies in Kiev, the veteran chieftain immediately whisks them off to the Zaporozhtzi Cossack stronghold to transform them into hardened soldiers. Desperate for glory and plunder, Taras goads the Cossack leaders into marching against Poland. During the grueling siege of Dubno, the younger son, Andrii, is secretly contacted by a Tatar servant girl. She leads him into the starving city, where he reunites with a noble Polish lady he fell in love with years ago in Kiev. Smitten by her beauty and moved by the citizens' agony, Andrii forsakes his faith, his family, and his homeland to fight for Poland.

When battle resumes, Taras discovers his son's betrayal. Intercepting Andrii on the battlefield, the enraged patriarch confronts the young man and kills him with his own hands for breaking his oath. Soon after, the Cossacks are overwhelmed; Ostap is captured by Polish forces, while Taras is left gravely wounded. After recovering, Taras sneaks in disguise into enemy territory, only to watch in helpless grief as Ostap is publicly tortured and executed. Consumed by vengeance, Taras lays waste to Polish towns until he is finally trapped, captured, and burned alive by his enemies, shouting defiant words of glory to his comrades as the flames rise.

The remaining stories pivot sharply into gothic horror, social satire, and absurd comedy. "St. John’s Eve" follows a doomed young man who makes a pact with a dark force for gold to win his bride, only to suffer terrible psychological torment. "The Cloak" presents the tragic life of Akakiy Akakievitch, an impoverished civil servant who starves himself to afford a new coat, only to have it stolen and return as a vengeful phantom. In "How the Two Ivans Quarrelled," two lifelong neighbors in the town of Mirgorod turn into bitter enemies over a trivial insult, destroying their lives through endless, futile lawsuits. "The Mysterious Portrait" explores a young artist's descent into ruin after buying a portrait containing a cursed usurer's terrifyingly lifelike eyes, which corrupts his artistic integrity. Finally, "The Calash" delivers a crisp, humorous story of a boastful landowner who invites high-ranking military officers to inspect his prized carriage, only to be found hiding inside it in his nightgown after a night of heavy drinking.

How It Unfolds

To the Cossack stronghold Old Taras Bulba welcomes his educated sons home, equips them with warrior gear, and immediately marches them off to the Zaporozhtzi Cossacks to test their mettle in combat.

The betrayal at Dubno While besieging a starving Polish town, Andrii follows a Tatar servant through a secret passage into the city, choosing love for a Polish noblewoman over his Cossack heritage and faith.

A father's vengeance Taras discovers Andrii fighting alongside the enemy, traps him in the woods, and kills his own son for treason before seeing his elder son Ostap captured in battle.

Horror and pettiness The focus shifts to dark legends and provincial life, where a murderously acquired fortune destroys a young husband in "St. John's Eve" and two close friends become lifelong enemies over a trivial dispute in "How the Two Ivans Quarrelled."

Spirits and vanity A cursed portrait corrupts an artist's soul, an impoverished clerk haunts the streets after losing his cherished coat in "The Cloak," and a foolish landowner is humiliated while hiding inside his own carriage in "The Calash."

The People

• Taras Bulba wants to preserve Cossack military honor and crush the enemies of his Orthodox faith. What stands in his way is his younger son's betrayal and the overwhelming Polish army. He ends up losing both his children and dies burned at the stake, utterly unrepentant in his fierce zeal.
• Andrii wants to fulfill his passion for a noble Polish woman he fell in love with in Kiev. Standing in his way is his loyalty to his father, his brother, and his Cossack brothers-in-arms. He chooses love over country, resulting in his tragic death at the hands of his own father.
• Akakiy Akakievitch wants nothing more than to secure a warm, well-sewn coat to endure the brutal St. Petersburg winter. Standing in his way is his meager clerk's salary and the indifference of high-ranking bureaucrats. After dying from a fever brought on by the loss of his coat, he returns as a restless ghost stripping coats from passersby.
• Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch want to maintain their pride and spite one another after a trivial disagreement over a gun. Standing in their way is their own stubbornness and the clumsy local legal system. Both end up wasting their lives in endless, petty litigation.

In Its Own Voice

"Red morocco boots with silver heels took the place of their dirty old ones; trousers wide as the Black Sea, with countless folds and plaits, were kept up by golden girdles..."

Taras Bulba dresses his sons in traditional Cossack attire before departing for the steppe.

"A fine pelisse has Ivan Ivanovitch! splendid! And what lambskin! deuce take it, what lambskin! blue-black with silver lights."

The narrator admiringly details the luxurious coat and high social standing of one of Mirgorod's prominent citizens.

"And Tchertokoutski appeared before the officers’ eyes, clad in his dressing-gown and doubled up in a singular fashion."

A boasting host is discovered hiding inside his own carriage after forgetting his dinner invitation to the general.

What It's Really About

At its core, this collection investigates how human obsession—whether for military glory, romantic passion, material possessions, or social status—inevitably leads to ruin. In the epic tales, devotion to war or love destroys family bonds and claims young lives, asking whether grand ideals are worth absolute sacrifice. In the urban and provincial stories, the focus shifts to how tiny, absurd fixations can swallow human dignity whole. A stolen coat, a cursed painting, or a petty insult becomes a crucible that exposes the emptiness of bureaucratic hierarchies and the fragility of human relationships. The book contrasts the wild, vanishing freedom of the Cossack past with the soul-crushing materialism of modern society, mourning a lost world of vitality.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers an unforgettable journey into the dramatic contrasts of nineteenth-century fiction, blending sweeping historical epic with bizarre, satirical comedy. Readers who enjoy rich folk atmosphere, intense moral dilemmas, and sharp social observational humor will find it deeply rewarding. The prose moves fluidly between grand descriptions of open landscapes and intimate, often hilarious character studies.

While hugely influential, the collection presents a few hurdles for modern audiences. The epic depiction of Cossack warfare features brutal violence, intense religious conflict, and period prejudice toward neighboring nations that reflect the historical era's harsh realities. Furthermore, the provincial stories rely on lengthy, winding descriptions of minor local figures and rigid administrative ranks. Yet beneath these historic details lies a deeply humane, imaginative voice. The image of Taras standing defiant on the steppe, or the tragic phantom roaming St. Petersburg's frosty streets, creates an enduring atmosphere that stays in the memory long after the final page.