Considered the high point of Gogol's writing for the stage and a
masterpiece of dramatic satire, The Inspector General skewers the
stupidity, greed, and venality of Russian provincial officials. When it
is announced that the Inspector General is coming to visit incognito,
Anton, the chief of police, hastens to clean up the town before his
arrival. Local officials scurry to hide evidence of bribe-taking and
other misdeeds, setting the stage for the arrival from St. Petersburg of
Ivan, a penurious gambler and rake who is promptly taken by the
townspeople to be the dreaded Inspector General. Ivan, and his servant,
Osip, soon take advantage of the situation with hilarious results. First
performed in 1836, the play transcends regional and national boundaries
to offer a biting, highly entertaining glimpse of universal human
foibles and failings.