How the Two Ivans Quarrelled and Other Russian Comic Stories

"There are plenty of humorous sketches ... but only a few first-rate comic stories. Hence the limited scope of this collection. Indeed, of the authors represented here, only one--Gogol--was primarily a creator of comic fiction. Indeed, in a sense Gogol was the creator of the comic short story, and his 'How the Two Ivans Quarrelled'(1834) is perhaps the best, and certainly the first, masterpiece of its kind ..."--Intro. (p. 4).