‘Viy’ is a grand creation of popular imagination. The Little Russians (Ukrainians) call it the head of gnomes whose eyelids touch the ground. The whole story is a folk legend. I did not want to change anything in it, so I tell it almost in the simple form in which I heard it.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, born in Ukraine, is considered the founder of realism in Russian literature. He despised bureaucrats, political corruption, and aristocrats, often mentioning them negatively in his works and art. His works had a direct influence on the creativity of such Russian writers as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, two of the most famous Russian authors.

In addition to realism, it is noted that Gogol was one of the first to include elements of surrealism and grotesque (the art of intertwining human and animal forms) in his works. This includes ‘Viy’, a story revolving around a witch and old misconceptions about women. In ‘Viy’, the witch is initially presented as a typical old woman with a bulbous nose and a hairy chin, and then transforms into an image reminiscent of the witch from the 2016 film ‘The Love Witch’. Although the book is not directly erotic, it contains an erotic subtext and the idea that women/witches exist only to corrupt men, reveling in their malice.

In 1967, Gogol's book was adapted into the film ‘Viy’, which overcame any possible technical limitations that films in the late 60s might have faced. It is still celebrated for the artistic achievements of three individuals: special effects master Alexander Ptushko, cinematographers Viktor Pishchalnikov and Fyodor Provorov. Now, in the horror season, it is the perfect time to read or watch ‘Viy’.