"The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" is the last short story Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote before his death in 1881. Published in 1877 in A Writers' Diary, this story departs from the author's traditionally harsh realism, instead presenting a vision of reality that is beautiful in its optimism. The narrator, like many of Dostoyevsky's protagonists, is an introspective Russian with a significant amount of existential depression, but the change wrought in the man in the course of the story is striking.
Often passed over in scholarship in favor of his other works, "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" is still a remarkable piece of literature, and it presents Dostoyevsky's late-in-life conclusions about the practical significance of the Christian religion in everyday life. Unlike most of his other works, there is no continuation of doubt; the story ends with a complete, transformative renewal, one that seems out of character for Dostoyevsky but which explains much of his religious worldview.
There are also interesting parallels between this story and Dickens' 1843 story A Christmas Carol, notably in the use of supernatural visitations in dreams to guide a man from depression to joy. Nevertheless, this short story is an integral part of Dostoyevsky's canon and a fine example of literature all on its own.
