Nikolai Gogol 
Diary of a Madman 

"Diary of a Madman" by Nikolai Gogol is a darkly comedic tale narrated by Poprishchin, a low-ranking civil servant who descends into madness. His diary reveals a skewed perception of reality, fueled by delusions of grandeur and a fixation on the King of Spain’s daughter. The story explores the dehumanizing effects of bureaucracy and the thin line between sanity and insanity in a society obsessed with status and hierarchy.