The Crocodile and Other Tales Author:Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Amy Sterling Casil "The Crocodile" is a wickedly ironic "true story" of a gentleman swallowed alive by a crocodile on the display at the Arcade. Fyodor Mikhailovitch Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) is best known for his exploration of the human dark side of the psyche, but this collection shows he is equally adept at sarcastic and absurdist commentary.