In a story by this author, a man anxious about getting married has a dream in which a shopkeeper sells him a hot new type of fabric called “wife.” A fictional version of this author gives the name “Caracas” (15[1])to an inanimate object that manages to contract syphilis. This writer marries a humanoid balloon in a story titled for his “wife,” (15[1])by Tommaso Landolfi. This author wrote a story in which a painter buys opium from a Persian, gets high, proposes marriage to a (*) prostitute, and finally slits his throat. (10[1])The dogs Meggy and Fidel are overheard gossiping in another story by this author, in which the impending accession of Isabella II inspires Poprishchkin (poe-PRISH-kin) to declare himself king of Spain. For 10 points, name this Ukrainian author of fantastical stories like “Nevsky Prospect” and “Diary of a Madman.” ■END■