One of the leading figures in nineteenth-century Russian literature, Nikolai Gogol (1809-52) is best known for his satirical masterpiece, Dead Souls, and humorous plays and short stories such as The Government Inspector and The Overcoat, written in a highly original and often experimental style.

The mayor and local officials of a small provincial town in Russia have got it made: corruption is rife and they have all the power. Yet, when they learn that an undercover government inspector is about to make a visit, they face a mad dash to cover their tracks. Soon, the news that a suspicious person has recently arrived from St Petersburg and is staying in a local inn produces a series of events and misunderstandings that lead to a hilarious dénouement.

Often quoted as Russian literature's greatest comedy, The Government Inspector is a trenchant satire of the corruption, greed and stupidity of petty officialdom, and the crowning achievement of Gogol's skills as a playwright.

Roger Cockrell's freer and livelier versions, of which there

are many more examples, mean that any company planning

a new production of the play would be well advised to use

this fresh, highly actable (and, for good measure, attractively

produced) translation of Gogol's timeless classic.

Roger Cockrell goes straight for the funny bone. His characters speak their truths in intoxicating, colourful English. [.] This reader of Roger Cockrell's lively and hilarious Government Inspector cannot wait to see it staged.