A Bad Business

With stories ranging from impossible fantasy to scorching satire, this wonderful collection from the renowned author of Crime and Punishment is the perfect introduction to one of the greatest of all fiction writers.

A civil servant finds a new passion for his work – and a taste for fame – 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 a subordinate's wedding, and in the marital bed.

A widowed pawnbroker remembers the events leading to his marriage, in an attempt to understand his wife’s death.

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