| "A Nasty Story" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky | |
| Original title | Скверный анекдот (Skverny anekdot) |
| Translator | Jessie Coulson |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre(s) | Satire |
| Publication | |
"A Nasty Story" (Russian: Скверный анекдот, Skverny anekdot), also translated as "A Disgraceful Affair", "A Most Unfortunate Incident", "An Unpleasant Predicament", "A Bad Business" and "A Nasty Anecdote", is a satirical short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was published in 1862 in Dostoevsky's magazine Vremya.
The story is about a general in the civil service, Ivan Pralinksky, who has been proudly defending his liberal-humanistic social ideals to two other generals. On his way home, he spontaneously decides to test his theory by presenting himself, uninvited, at the wedding feast of one of his lowliest subordinates.