"The Cloak" (sometimes translated as "Overcoat") is a short story by Russian author Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story and its author have had great influence on Russian literature, as expressed in a quote attributed to Fyodor Dostoyevsky: "We all come out from Gogol's 'Overcoat'." The story narrates the life and death of titular councillor Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, an ...