Fyodor Dostoevsky — Short Works

"Mr. Prokharchin", also translated as "Mr. Prohartchin", is a short story written in 1846 by Fyodor Dostoevsky and first published in the Annals of the Fatherland. Inspired by a true story, it depicts the miserly life of the protagonist, Mr. Prokharchin, a patronym derived from the Russian word for 'grub' or 'vittles', kharchi. He seems to be extremely poor, eating frugal meals and sleeping on a mattress directly on the floor. His landlady and the other tenants feel sorry for him. On his death, they eventually discover that the man was in fact wealthy and was living in that way voluntarily. A large sum of money is found hidden inside his mattress.

"A Christmas Tree and a Wedding" is a short story written by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky published in 1848. The piece is narrated by a guest at a New Year's Eve ball. He observes the party's guest of honour who takes special interest in one of the children.

Also translated as "A Faint Heart."

"An Honest Thief" is an 1848 short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The story recounts the tale of the tragic drunkard, Emelyan Ilyitch.

"Another Man's Wife and a Husband Under the Bed" is an 1848 short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Also translated as "A Disgraceful Affair."

"A Nasty Story", also translated as "A Disgraceful Affair", "A Most Unfortunate Incident", "An Unpleasant Predicament", "A Bad Business" and "A Nasty Anecdote", is a satirical short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was published in 1862 in Dostoevsky's magazine Vremya.

"The Crocodile" is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that was first published in 1865 in his magazine Epoch. It is a work of satire, parodying political, social and economic themes prevailing in Russia at the time.

"Bobok" is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky that first appeared in 1873 in his self-published Diary of a Writer. The story consists largely of a dialogue between recently deceased occupants of graves in a cemetery, most of whom are fully conscious and retain all the features of their living personalities. The dialogue is overheard by a troubled writer who has lain down near the graves.

Also translated as "The Meek One"

"A Gentle Creature", sometimes also translated as "The Meek One", is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky written in November 1876. A first-person stream of consciousness narrative, the piece comes with the subtitle of "A Fantastic Story", and it chronicles the relationship between a pawnbroker and a girl that frequents his shop. The story was inspired by a news report that Dostoyevsky read in April 1876 about the suicide of a seamstress. Dostoyevsky referred to it as a "meek suicide" that "keeps haunting you for a long time."

"The Peasant Marey", written in 1876, is both the "best-known autobiographical account" from the Writer's Diary of Fyodor Dostoevsky, and a frequently anthologized work of fiction. This "double encoding" arises from its framing as both short story, narrated by the fictional prisoner Goryanchikov from The House of the Dead, and as reminiscences of Dostoevsky himself, as a way to evade censorship.

"The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It chronicles the experiences of a man who decides that there is nothing of any value in the world. Slipping into nihilism with "terrible anguish", he is determined to commit suicide. However, after a chance encounter with a young girl, he begins an inner journey that re-instills a love for his fellow man. The story first appeared in Dostoevsky's self-published monthly journal A Writer's Diary in 1877.