A Bad Business

This vivid collection of new translations by Nicolas Pasternak Slater and Maya Slater illuminates Dostoevsky’s dazzling versatility as a writer.

His remarkable short fiction swings from wickedly sharp humour to gripping psychological intensity, from cynical social mockery to moments of unexpected tenderness.

The stories in this collection range from impossible fantasy to scorching satire.

A civil servant finds a new passion for his work when he’s swallowed alive by a crocodile.

A struggling writer stumbles on a cemetery where the dead still talk to each other.

An arrogant but well-intentioned gentleman provokes an uproar at an aide’s wedding, and in the marital bed.

A young boy finds unexpected salvation on a cold and desolate Christmas Eve.