Raymond Chandler Nightmare crime fiction.

Raymond Chandler’s “Nightmare,” a rarely seen sketch, has been published this week in The Strand Magazine. The piece imagines Chandler in prison for a murder he can’t remember committing. His cellmates include strangers, a pregnant woman, and a piano that must be played lying down after nine o’clock. The story becomes even darker as Chandler learns of his likely execution. “Nightmare” was found among the papers of Chandler’s assistant, Jean Vounder-Davis, and was purchased at auction by Strand Managing Editor Andrew F. Gulli. Chandler scholar Tom Williams finds the piece intriguing, especially its reference to rejection.