Der Mantel: Eine Novelle

“أختفي وغاب ذلك المخلوق الذي لم يكن له من يحميه ،والذي لم يكن عزيزاً علي أحد ،ولا شيقاً بالنسبة لأحد ..””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“How little humane feeling after all was to be found in men's hearts; how much coarseness and cruelty was to be found even in the educated and those who were everywhere regarded as good and honorable men.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“Leave me alone! Why do you insult me?" and in those heart-rending words he heard others: "I am your brother.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“In one of our government departments... but perhaps I had better not say exactly which one. For no one's more touchy than people in government departments, regiments, chancelleries or, in short, any kind of official body. Nowadays every private citizen thinks the whole of society is insulted when he himself is.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“It must be noted that this Person of Consequence had only lately become a person of consequence, and until recently had been a person of no consequence. Though, indeed, his position even now was not reckoned of consequence in comparison with others of still greater consequence.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“His old overcoat and unstylish clothes showed him to be a man who was selflessly devoted to his work and had no time to concern himself with his attire, which always has some mysterious attraction for the young.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“Moreover, he had a peculiar knack, as he walked along the street, of arriving beneath a window just as all sorts of rubbish were being flung out of it: hence he always bore about on his hat scraps of melon rinds and other such articles.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“Il disparut à jamais, cet être sans défense à qui personne n'avait jamais témoigné d'affection, ni porté le moindre intérêt, non, personne, pas même l'un de ces naturalistes toujours prêts à épingler la plus banale des mouches pour l'examiner au microscope.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

“En sus ojos se leía a menudo el ardiente deseo de tomar parte en alguna conversación interesante o de juntarse a otro grupo, pero se retenía al pensar que aquello podía parecer excesivo por su parte o demasiado familiar, y que con ello rebajaría su dignidad. Y por eso permanecía eternamente solo, en la misma actitud silenciosa, emitiendo de cuando en cuando un sonido monótono, con lo cual llegó a pasar por un hombre de lo más aburrido.””

— Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol