Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella The Dream of a Ridiculous Man appeared in 1877.
The story was published in A Writer’s Diary, the periodical-style work through which Dostoevsky presented fiction, commentary, and reflections on Russian society. Its narrator is a man who has concluded that nothing matters, but a dream transforms his understanding of humanity and moral responsibility.
In the dream, he reaches an idealized world whose inhabitants live in harmony. His presence introduces corruption, jealousy, and violence, creating a symbolic account of how innocence can be lost.
The work is often read alongside Dostoevsky’s religious and philosophical concerns. It is not a conventional realistic novel and should not be confused with Notes from Underground, another short work centered on an alienated first-person narrator.