The Crocodile: A Forgotten Gem of Russian Satire by the Author of Crime and Punishment - Paperback

by Fyodor Dostoevksy (Author), S. D. Cioran (Translator)

The tongue-in-cheek "true story" follows a civil servant who suddenly gets swallowed alive by a crocodile -- but he survives, carrying on his duties and preaching socialist theories from within the crocodile's belly. Dostoevsky is best known for his understanding of the dark side of human nature, but The Crocodile proves he was equally adept at sarcastic, absurdist observations.

Author Biography

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) is a renowned fiction writer, essayist and philosopher. He was born in Moscow and studied from 1838 to 1843 at the Military Engineering College at St. Petersburg. Following the success of his debut novel "Poor Folk" in 1846, he was arrested and sentenced to death (later commuted to exile) in 1849 for participating in the Petrashevsky Circle. Among his most important works are "Notes from the Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed, " and "The Brothers Karamazov."
S. D. Cioran is Professor Emeritus of Russian literature at McMaster University. His other translations include Sologub's "The Petty Demon" and Saltykov's "The Golovlyov Family, " both available from Ardis.