of sheer play, almost sheer nonsense. In it more than anywhere else Gogol displays his extraordinary magic power of making great comic art out of nothing." Ever since it was published, "The Nose" has intrigued critics with its absurd story and social commentary. The absurdity of the story creates a certain distance between the author and the reader, which provides an opportunity for readers to enjoy the comedic aspects of the story, but closer analysis allows readers to see that the story is a critique of their everyday lives. Saint Petersburg landmarks As a Petersburg tale, "The Nose" has many references to the city of Saint Petersburg, where the action of the story takes place. Voznesensky Avenue: Ivan, the barber, lives on this street. Isaakievsky Bridge: Ivan throws the nose into the river Neva from this bridge. Sadovaya Street: Major Kovalyov lives on this street. Nevsky Prospect: Major Kovalyov takes daily walks down this street. Tavrichevsky Gardens: A rumor arises that the nose took to walking in these gardens Gostiny Dvor: Major Kovalyov stops here, happily, after his nose returns to his face Adaptations Dmitri Shostakovich's opera The Nose, first performed in 1930, is based on this story. A short film based on the story was made by Alexandre Alexeieff and Claire Parker in 1963 and used pinscreen animation. Another animated short film, made in 1966, directed by Mordicai Gerstein and narrated by Brother Theodore, shifted the story to Pittsburgh and changed the names (the barber is named "Theodore Schneider" and the nose-loser is named "Nathan Nasspigel"). Rolan Bykov directed a TV film adapted from the story in 1977.Andrei Amalrik's play "Nose! Nose? No-se!", like Gogol's short story, features a Major Kovalyov who wanders around St. Petersburg in search of his nose. The Kovalyov in Amalrik's play lives in a Marxist totalitarian society and is excessively concerned about his middle-class status. A play for radio based on the story was written by UK author Avanti Kumar and first produced and broadcast in Ireland by RTÉ in 1995. In April 2002, the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Three Ivans, Two Aunts and an Overcoat broadcast an adaptation of the story starring Stephen Moore. An album in Romanian, based on the story, was released by Ada Milea and Bogdan Burlăcianu in 2007. A play based on the short story was written by Tom Swift and produced by The Performance Corporation in 2008.