Uncle’s Dream; and The Permanent Husband

"The heart of another is a dark forest"—a truth that haunts the biting social satires and psychological duels of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This volume, featuring Frederick Whishaw’s distinguished translation, pairs Uncle’s Dream, a sharp, farcical critique of provincial social climbing, with The Permanent Husband, a sophisticated study of obsession and the complex bond between a cuckolded husband and his wife’s former lover. While the first offers a rare glimpse into Dostoyevsky’s talent for dark comedy, the second plunges into the murky depths of pride and resentment. Together, these stories showcase the author's unrivaled ability to dissect the absurdities of the human ego and the tragicomedy of social existence.