The novel Dead Souls ( 1842 ) , the play Revizor ( 1836 , 1842 ) , and the short story The Overcoat ( 1842 ) count among his masterpieces . The novels Taras Bul ` ba ( 1835 ; 1842 ( revised edition ) ) and Dead Souls ( 1842 ) , the play The Inspector-General ( 1836 , 1842 ) , and the short stories Diary of a Madman , The Nose and The Overcoat ( 1842 ) are among his best known works .