Samples taken from ten illustrations designed for Russian short story 'The Nose' by Nikolai Gogol.

"The Nose" (Russian: Нос) is a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogal written during his time living in St. Petersburg. Written between 1835 and 1836, "The Nose" tells the story of a St. Petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own.

 

The use of a nose as the main source of conflict in the story could have been due to Gogol's own experience with an oddly shaped nose, which was often the subject of self-deprecating jokes in letters.The use of iconic landmarks in the story, as well as the sheer absurdity of the story, has made "The Nose" an important part of St. Petersburg's literary tradition.