Yama — the Pit is as sinister and pitiless as the vice it exposes and condemns. It omits nothing and condones nothing of the abominations of the oldest profession in the world. The stark picture of a brothel and the prostitute's way of life becomes by the artistry of Alexandre Kuprin an indictment more scathing and effective than all the moral indignation of vice crusaders and the periodical revelations of the police. Yama carries horror to a point beyond horror and into the realm of great realistic literature.