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

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.