Nikolai Gogol is one of the most original Russian writers, whose fame has gone far beyond the borders of the domestic cultural space. And at the same time, there is no more mysterious figure in Russian literature than Gogol. There are more myths about his life and death than about any other writer. Why was Gogol never married? Why did he never have his own home? Why did he burn the second volume of Dead Souls? And, of course, the biggest mystery is the terrible secret of his fatal illness and death... The famous French writer Henri Troyat in his book tries to understand Gogol’s secrets, to find out the truth about his work, life and death.