About this audiobook
News that an official inspector may arrive secretly throws a provincial town's administration into panic. When an unfamiliar young traveller is mistaken for the expected visitor, the officials begin trying to protect their positions. Their own fears make the misunderstanding convincing, and the guest soon discovers how much attention an assumed authority can attract.
Nikolai Gogol turns the situation into a comedy of flattery, bribery and increasingly elaborate misinterpretation. People who want to manage appearances reveal more about themselves than they intend. The officials' efforts to secure a favourable judgement continually enlarge the very confusion they hope to control.
The play examines vanity, misconduct and the ease with which fear can become a source of self-deception. Its humour grows from recognisable habits of obedience and ambition, showing how a community preoccupied with influence can construct an authority from little more than an anxious expectation.
