SAN O "DRUGOJ OBALI"
Nikolai V. Gogol was Ukrainian, as was the poet Taras Shevchenko. He was born on March 31. 1809 in Soročinci in a Ukrainian family. He wrote his works in the Ukrainian language, and later in the Russian language, because Ukraine was part of the Imperial Russia at that time. His Ukrainian origin was always important for Gogol. He is included, along with the poet Shevchenko, in the group of "Ukrainian geniuses", who were a bridge between Ukrainian and Russian culture. He became famous for his stories from Ukrainian life, which were imbued with "romanticism without a break", and fantastic motifs with an abundance of folklore decor. "May Night" is one of several short stories from the first phase of the Ukrainian cycle of Gogol's work, in which the supernatural element is present in the most immediate way.
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