What was the title of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1877 short story about a man who dreams of an ideal society?

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1877 short story about a man who dreams of an ideal society.

The unnamed narrator begins in despair and considers suicide. After falling asleep, he dreams that he travels to another world and encounters a society whose people live in harmony, innocence, and mutual love. His presence and teaching eventually contribute to the corruption of that society.

When he awakens, the narrator believes that the dream has revealed a moral truth rather than merely entertained him. He decides to proclaim love and compassion despite being mocked as ridiculous. The story therefore combines speculative fiction with a religious and ethical parable.

The work appeared in A Writer’s Diary in 1877. It is sometimes grouped with Dostoevsky’s other late short fiction, such as “The Meek One” and “Bobok,” but its distinctive structure centers on a dream of an uncorrupted human community.