‘Taras Bulbas’ is a literary epic following an older Cossack named Taras Bulba who takes his sons to war with him against the Poles who rule all of Ukraine. It is a piece of romantic nationalism, inspired by the historical cultural identity of Ukraine and some of it’s most famous heroes. Taras himself is inspired by multiple famous Ukrainians in history, seen as a paragon of civic virtue, he will do anything for the Ukrainian cause. He is unflinching in his loyalty and kill anyone in his path towards national liberation, friend or foe, and even family. It is an action packed novel, fast paced and powered by the strength of it’s main characters, if you loved the action of ‘Dracula Untold’ you will love this epic. Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was one of the first writers to adopt surrealism and the grotesque in his work as well as being one of Russia’s most acclaimed authors. He is acknowledged as one of the founders of the short story genre alongside Nathaniel Hawthorne and E.T.A Hoffman. His early writing was largely inspired by his time spent growing up in Ukraine, it’s culture and it’s folklore, while his later writing targeted and satirised the political corruption of the Russian Empire. His unique and strange form of writing similar to the ‘ostranenie’ technique, allowed his audience to see familiar topics and stories from a completely new perspective. Acknowledged for his brilliance by many acclaimed authors such as Fedor Dostoevsky his best works include ‘Dead Souls’, ‘Taras Bulba’ and ‘Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka’.