The Double and The Gambler

Written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Narrated by Michael Page

The Double, written in Dostoevsky's youth, was a sharp turn away from the realism of his first novel, Poor Folk. The first real expression of his genius, The Double is a surprisingly modern hallucinatory nightmare in which a minor official named Goliadkin becomes aware of a mysterious doppelgänger—a man who has his name and his face and who gradually and relentlessly begins to displace him with his friends and colleagues. In the dilemma of this increasingly paranoid hero, Dostoevsky makes vividly concrete the inner disintegration of consciousness that would become a major theme of his work.



The Gambler was written twenty years later, under the pressure of crushing debt. It is a stunning psychological portrait of a young man's exhilarating and destructive addiction, a compulsion that Dostoevsky—who once gambled away his young wife's wedding ring—knew intimately from his own experience. In the disastrous love affairs and gambling adventures of his character, Alexei Ivanovich, Dostoevsky explores the irresistible temptation to look into the abyss of ultimate risk that he believed was an essential part of the Russian national character.



The two strikingly original short novels brought together here—in new translations by award-winning translators—were both literary gambles of a sort for Dostoevsky.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Translator: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
• Release date: Jan 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977334541

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881) was a Russian novelist and philosopher whose works examined the human psyche of the nineteenth century. Dostoyevsky is considered one of the greatest writers in world literature, with titles such as Crime and Punishment; Notes from Underground, one of the first existential novellas ever written; and Poor Folk, Russia’s first “social novel.”

Reviews for The Double and The Gambler

[KattaZapatta · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Double" by Dostoevsky, although it does not reach the mastery of his more well-known works, offers a fascinating exploration of the human psyche. The reading, at times tedious, is compensated by the creation of a maddened, absurd, and contradictory protagonist. Dostoevsky takes the character to extreme situations, immersing him in overwhelming despair. This complex psychological narrative reflects the author's mastery in delving into the depths of the mind and exploring the internal tensions that shape the human condition. (Translated from Spanish)

[Tina Glez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this story, somewhat unusual; classics are my weakness, and with this author, I was enchanted.
The protagonist is a man named Goliadkin; he is an honest and calm man, but inexplicably, he starts to receive humiliations from his bosses and coworkers. At the same time, he meets a man who looks exactly like him, as if they were twins, and everything aligns in that this man brings him misadventures. Goliadkin frustrated me a little regarding his personality, and I'm not sure if I understood correctly, but I think he wasn't quite sane since he thought too much and overanalyzed everything, even in his interactions with people. Everything worsens when his double starts working in the same office as him, and the situation seems overwhelming as they come to have a mutual hatred. The ending made me reflect a lot. (Translated from Spanish)

[AlejoCeron · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Poor Goliadkin, living between dreams and reality. Not knowing how to distinguish between what really happens and what his thoughts abstract. I don't know if this is what happens to all of us, but I am sure it will never be to the extent that it happens to this being.

He poses for the world with the mask that culture imposes, that of a good official, a good member of society, a collaborator, and a decent person. But that mask tends to abandon him at times, an abandonment that stems from his state of health. He knows it but doesn't understand it, cannot interpret it. He feels he must seek help from others, but which of those people actually exists? Could it be that his option is to provide that necessary help himself?

Dostoevsky manages with this novel to develop a problem that would later be studied from a medical point of view. It could be determined that not only for the art of his writing, this author is a visionary and advanced thinker.

The book has sublime moments in which it narrates how a person finds and coexists with themselves. How frustrating it can be not to understand the way in which other people act. How that delirium characteristic of those who are affected makes one think that the world conspires against oneself. How a double can usurp our role within society.

Although the reading can become heavy at times, I was struck by the way a theme that can seem quite common today is addressed. It is true, there are moments when I got lost due to the complexity of the description, but how could it be any other way if it was dealing with the thoughts of a man? How could it be any other way if every time we think, we are making analytical leaps between various situations happening in our lives? How could it be any other way if the brain and imagination are the most extensive places in the universe, where reality is designed by a single architect who allows the construction of everything that exists and what has yet to exist?

Anyone willing to face the situation, I recommend this great read. (Translated from Spanish)

[Marahya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Despite being a book that felt short to me, it was not a light read, as the description before each dialogue is masterful, and within it lies the details of this novel that tasted to me like psychological terror at certain moments, and I even felt frustration and occasionally a chuckle. The plot revolves around a Russian official who one day encounters a "double" that displays a humorous attitude and personality, unlike the real one who sees himself as a nihilist and an ordinary man preferring not to get involved in improper matters, and it is these two poles that depict schizophrenia in the monologues and embarrassing or awkward events that accompany our protagonist. (Translated from Spanish)

[Joan-Manel10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story of a Russian official from high society, named Goliadkin, unfolds in a city where he discovers he has a double, Goliadkin II. People think it is a divine action, but despite being physically identical, they are opposites in character. Goliadkin I senses that something is being plotted against him, and everyone—the clerk, the German woman from the tavern, even His Excellency—conspires against him. At the meeting to which he is summoned at His Excellency's house, he is surprised that everyone is so incredibly amiable towards him. Although he continues to suspect, he is pleased, thinking he might have been wrong in his thoughts. But, almost by force, as he lets himself be carried away, they put him in a carriage, and the horses move him forward as if they were in such a hurry that he perceives again that something bad is going to happen. In the carriage is a man he knows, but they have neither looked at nor spoken to each other during the journey. A path appears at the beginning of a forest that Goliadkin I does not know, and suddenly the man beside him informs him of what his new life will be; he will have a house just like the one he had before, with light and heating, but it has been decided that Goliadkin II will take over his job. In his great astonishment, he eventually discovers that the man he knew was his personal doctor, but..., in reality, he was also a double. (Translated from Spanish)

[PuchiVedia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Double by Dostoevsky is a book whose reading is extremely heavy, and I have not been captivated by it at any moment. I finished reading it because it is a short book; I give it three stars because the concept is interesting and because it carries the signature of Fyodor, nothing more. "The idea that I have let down expectations and ruined something that could have been great kills me. Golyadkin is loathsome to me. There is much in him written hurriedly and in a state of exhaustion. The first half is better than the second. Alongside brilliant pages, there is trash, filth, it turns the stomach, and it discourages one from reading." There is little to add to these words from the author himself, a book that passes without pain or glory. (Translated from Spanish)

[Kike Flores · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The significant changes in society lead the protagonist to imagine that he could be someone important where he would never reach. His mind becomes so sickly that he creates a character and introduces it into his real life; little by little, this character begins to destroy him through a series of experiences that the author manages to make amusing. The author explores the power of the mind over the person; for me, he is ahead of his time. The cities where the novels are set and the era are among the things I like the most. Ancient streets filled with horse-drawn carriages trampling in the mud, the social classes that began to be the great entrepreneurs living lives detached from the problems of the townspeople. More or less like today. (Translated from Spanish)

[Juan J. Guzmán · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent narrative that tells the story from the perspective of a sick mind, the double is its opposite, its antagonist, and could be categorized as a psychological novel. (Translated from Spanish)

[Kirastrayed · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is complex, very much so, and sometimes distressing to read. I still have many doubts about it, but that doesn't take away from how brilliant it is and the magnificent writing style and setting of Dostoevsky. F in the chat for Mr. Goliadkin. (Translated from Spanish)

[GuilloHerrera · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Double," a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky from 1846. I believe it is a reflection on shyness and insecurity in a crowded society, and that was in the 19th century. It's an interesting book; the games of duplicity have always seemed so to me. In 2013, a curious case arose: on one hand, the version of "The Double" by Saramago premiered, under the title "Enemy," directed by the notable Canadian Denis Villeneuve and featuring performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Mélanie Laurent, a quite interesting version. At the same time, "The Double" was released, directed by British Richard Ayoade and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska. The film, conceived as a sort of black comedy, at times felt heavy to me due to an overly surreal pretense. (Translated from Spanish)

[YeiYei · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Goliadkin is a victim of an elitist society; I was optimistic and hoped that things would improve over the course of the novel, but that was not the case. Unfortunately, each page took on a different, less favorable shade for our protagonist. In the 19th century, Dostoevsky delves again into the nooks and crannies of the human being to try to unravel the great mysteries that enclose it. Two important themes emerge: a possible double as a means of escape and defense or a possible daydreaming also to escape from a society that oppresses and destroys him every day. "The Double" shows us the multiple facets and masks that the human being hides and how they use them in society according to their convenience. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lector de Colectivo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This must be Dostoyevsky's least good work or at least the worst executed. Honestly, I didn't find it captivating at all and it is filled with dense descriptions of the protagonist's thoughts. At times, I would get lost and didn't understand what the book was aiming for. It even seemed characteristic of a mediocre author. The theme was original, but it constantly falls on the same issues. (Translated from Spanish)