Contains stories that range from comic to tragic and describe the isolated lives of low-ranking clerks, lunatics and swindlers including "Diary of a Madman", an amusing but disturbing exploration of insanity; "Nevsky Prospect", a depiction of an artist besotted with a prostitute;...

Contains stories that range from comic to tragic and describe the isolated lives of low-ranking clerks, lunatics and swindlers including "Diary of a Madman", an amusing but disturbing exploration of insanity; "Nevsky Prospect", a depiction of an artist besotted with a prostitute; and "The Overcoat", a moving consideration of poverty.