The Overcoat is a short story set in St Petersburg about Akaky Akakievich, a poor and timid copying clerk who is ignored or teased by his colleagues. His shabby coat can no longer survive the bitter winter, and the need for a new one becomes the great project of his quiet life. The story mixes gentle comedy with real sympathy for a small man in a harsh, rank-obsessed city. It is one of the most influential short stories in Russian literature.