<DIV><i>The Crocodile</i> is an outstanding piece of satire: It is vicious, dreamlike, scatological, and one of the funniest things that Dostoevsky ever wrote. In this brief work, he reveals his hatred of communism and socialism in an unusually direct caricature. The tongue-in-cheek "true story" follows a civil servant who suddenly gets swallowed alive by a crocodile -- but he survives, carrying on his duties and preaching socialist theories from within the crocodile's belly.<br><br> Dostoevsky is best known for his understanding of the dark side of human nature, but <i>The Crocodile</i> proves he was equally adept at sarcastic, absurdist observations.</div>