The Cloak or the Overcoat as in some translations, is a story by Ukrainian-born 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'." It is pointed to as the start of the realistic style of writing. Summary by phil c