“...Speaking of Dead Souls, one can talk a lot about Russia” – this opinion of the poet and critic P. A. Vyazemsky explains the special place of Gogol’s poem in the history of Russian literature: its enormous success with readers, the extraordinary intensity of the controversy surrounding Gogol’s main book, and the diversity of opinions expressed, each of which, in one way or another, draws us into reflections on the nature of national character and cultural consciousness, on the present and future of Russia.