Nikolai Gogol

About Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852) was a seminal figure in Russian literature, whose influence earned him a Historical Popularity Index (HPI) rank of #718 among the world's most impactful figures. He is celebrated for pioneering literary realism, most notably through his satirical short stories like "The Nose" and his monumental, unfinished novel *Dead Souls*, which offered a searing critique of 19th-century Russian society and bureaucracy.

Despite this historical weight, Gogol's modern digital footprint appears relatively small. In 2025, his Wikipedia page accrued an annualized total of 432K views, resulting in an Attention Gap ratio of approximately $1 ext{x}$, suggesting his online attention is roughly commensurate with his established importance. This contrasts sharply with contemporaries in the writer pool, such as George Bernard Shaw (\#834 importance) who garnered 772K views. However, his viewership is significantly less than that of Kurt Vonnegut (\#849 importance) with $1.0 ext{M}$ views, showing that his historical rank does not automatically translate to higher engagement in the contemporary digital sphere.

While not experiencing a surge, the annualized data indicates a slight decline in interest, with Wikipedia views dropping by $6.9\%$ year-over-year. Furthermore, his 2025 momentum—comparing Q1 to Q3—shows a $34\%$ dip, suggesting a cooling of recent online interest.