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Gogol’s role in Russian history and literature is well known. His importance for Ukraine is, on the other hand, far less well understood. While born in Ukraine, he pursued a career at the heart of the Russian Empire. What place could this genius occupy in a Ukraine that he seemed to have abandoned for good? Although he was rejected by those he left behind and pointed to as an example of integration by those he embraced, his place in Ukrainian culture has nonetheless evolved as Ukrainian national consciousness has grown. This study is devoted to reviewing the stages of that evolution, starting with Gogol’s Ukrainian roots, as testified to by his contemporaries, ending up with the most recent studies showing—to the astonishment of many—that Gogol the Ukrainian largely determined Gogol the Russian.