The Gambler
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
A compulsive gambler himself at a certain period of his life, Dostoyevsky wrote this novel with real authority. Set in the appropriately named Roulettenburg, a German spa with a casino and an international clientele, it concerns the gambling episodes, tangled love affairs, and complicated lives of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young gambler; Polina Alexandrovna, the woman he loves; a pair of French adventurers, and other characters.
Although not as dark as some of Dostoyevsky's other works, The Gambler nevertheless offers a grim and psychologically probing picture of the fatal attractions of gambling. Among its strengths are its well-drawn characters — Aunt Antonida, although lightly sketched in, is especially delightful — and its faithful depiction of life among the gambling set in fashionable German watering holes. This edition reprints Constance Garnett's authoritative translation.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in Moscow in 1821. Between 1838 and 1843 he studied at the St Petersburg Engineering Academy. His first work of fiction was the epistolary novel Poor Folk (1846), which met with a generally favourable response. However, his immediately subsequent works were less enthusiastically received. In 1849 Dostoevsky was arrested as a member of the socialist Petrashevsky circle, and subjected to a mock execution. He suffered four years in a Siberian penal settlement and then another four years of enforced military service. He returned to writing in the late 1850s and travelled abroad in the 1860s. It was during the last twenty years of his life that he wrote the iconic works, such as Notes from the Underground (1864), Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1868) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), which were to form the basis of his formidable reputation. He died in 1881.
Read more from Fyodor Dostoyevsky
White Nights: And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of the Dead: Or, Prison Life in Siberia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Very Russian Christmas: The Greatest Russian Holiday Stories of All Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gothic Novel Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Satanic Classics (Illustrated): The Book of Lies, The Antichrist and Notes from Underground Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gospel in Dostoyevsky: Selections from His Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhite Nights Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Christmas Library: 250+ Essential Christmas Novels, Poems, Carols, Short Stories...by 100+ Authors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5White Nights: Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Existential Literature Collection Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Grand Inquisitor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Disgraceful Affair: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dostoevsky's Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greatest Christmas Stories of All Time: Timeless Classics That Celebrate the Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Double Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fyodor Dostoyevsky: The Complete Novels (Centaur Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalled to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Book of Christmas Tales: 250+ Short Stories, Fairytales and Holiday Myths & Legends Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Beautiful Christmas Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Gambler
Titles in the series (60)
Droll Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Looking Backward Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Man Who Would Be King: and Other Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Story of an African Farm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelect Short Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Greek and Roman Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mill on the Floss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poems and Songs Celebrating America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTarzan of the Apes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Love Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selected Federalist Papers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Speeches by Native Americans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Revolt of "Mother" and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAs You Like It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/528 Great Inaugural Addresses: From Washington to Reagan Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Poems and Songs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Modest Proposal and Other Satirical Works Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Little Flowers of Saint Francis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Speeches of the 20th Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalden; Or, Life in the Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hedda Gabler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everyman Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Open Boat and Other Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Favorite Tales from the Arabian Nights' Entertainments Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Theory of the Leisure Class Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCivil War Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twelve Classic One-Act Plays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas Carols: Complete Verses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related ebooks
The Overcoat: And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Souls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ulysses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Gatsby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Side of Paradise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Notes from Underground Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Death of Ivan Ilych Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrime and Punishment: Bestsellers and famous Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crime and Punishment Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Beautiful and Damned Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don Quixote Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Double Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Confessions of an English Opium-Eater Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dead: Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Idiot Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Trial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gambler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tales of the Jazz Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'd Die For You: And Other Lost Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Men Without Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frankenstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Illusions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Father Goriot Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hamlet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songs of Innocence and of Experience Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Franz Kafka: The Best Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sorrows of Young Werther (Centaur Classics) [The 100 greatest novels of all time - #83] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Classics For You
A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights (with an Introduction by Mary Augusta Ward) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5East of Eden (Original Classic Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn French! Apprends l'Anglais! THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: In French and English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mythos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Master & Margarita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Odyssey: (The Stephen Mitchell Translation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Women (Seasons Edition -- Winter) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Iliad: The Fitzgerald Translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jungle: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Animal Farm: A Fairy Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Titus Groan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Farewell to Arms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ulysses: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility (Centaur Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Count of Monte-Cristo English and French Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quiet American Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Gambler
777 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Wow, this guy likes his descriptive writing. He's good at it though. The Grandma is a great character, not only because she's called exactly that through the whole bit. I think there was a lesson here, but it's about being Russian or something and I don't really get it. This was one of those books that you're glad you read because it's a good story, but you don't spend the rest of the day imagining about it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As typical of Dostoyevsky, a very good novel. A good look at gamblers; though the novel doesn't truly cover gambling as much as I thought it might - given Dostoyevsky's gambling nature. Working as a dealer in a casino I definitely identify (through customers) the habits, mindsets, and thoughts of 'the gambler'. The novel only details roulette and doesn't go into the numerous other games (blackjack, craps, etc), but it's still poignant - perhaps moreso with it being jut roulette which is even more 'chance based' than say blackjack, or pai gow, or Mini-Bac, etc.It's a short, good novel(la?) that shows how gamblers are, how we all gamble on love/life/money/etc, and the ability for any person - sane person or otherwise - to get caught up in the thrill of gambling, or love. Addendum - (edit add) - I will say the proposed outline sounds more interesting than the novel turned out to be, but thats not truly a bashing on the novel, just a thought and notice.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I must have been thinking of playing Let It Ride and Poker at the Bellagio when I picked this up. As a classic, this does not really age well into today's gabling world. But to be fair, I have to re-read and get my mind out of the tables and read for a story about human nature and not doubling down on an 11.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Believe it or not, Dostoevsky wrote a short novel. It isn't his best. He left a couple of probable plot devices hanging, But then he wrote it in a month (with the help of a stenographer, who became his wife) on a bet. So it's a good novel about obsessive gambling, a problem which Dostoevsky knew all too much about. The protagonist, who tutors the two young children of a very odd family of obsessives and is obsessed with his employer's adult step-daughter, adds obsessive gambling to his list of quirks. The result is a story that isn't only sad; sometimes it's hilarious.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Passe, manque, noir, rouge.......words which can destroy a life! Dostoevsky's novella, based on his personal experience, portrays the destructive force of gambling. The tutor, the wealthy grandmother, the ingenue.....each is ruined in the course of this story, while surrounded by observers and others who make their way in life by latching on to the winners and dumping the losers. Powerful psychological insight lends great depth to this story of being human, of being Russian, and of being vulnerable to risk-taking in love and in finance! Great read!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I was disappointed by this short book. Unlike other short works such as Notes from the Underground and The Ridiculous Man, which were witty, concise and often incredibly entertaining, The Gambler seemed dated and routine. On a positive note, the grandmother's character's was a highlight, and sections on the appeal of the roulette wheel were well done. Nonetheless, the majority of characters were simply not particularly engaging, nor was the story line memorable. A decent read, however Dostoevsky has many far better works.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Een erg atypisch werk voor Dostojevski. Gelezen toen ik 17 was, vond het toen een van zijn mindere.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5There are many things to like about "The Gambler" (1866), which Dostoyevsky wrote simultaneously with "Crime and Punishment" and under great duress. He had lost his first wife, failed at business, and accumulated large debts gambling in Baden Baden, Germany; as with his other works the angst this produced led to raw, memorable fiction.At its highest level the novel is about the difficulty of controlling one's passions. This is seen in several characters and in a few different forms (women, money, and gambling); Dostoyevsky writes of these passions convincingly, particular the love/hate, obsessive relationship between the narrator and Polina ("When I talk to you I long to tell you everything, everything, everything." ... "I shall simply kill you because I have an impulse to devour you." .... "I often have an irresistible longing to beat you, to disfigure you, to strangle you.") The descriptions of "systems" to beat roulette are of course flawed by fascinating; Dostoyevsky also reflects the gambler's thought process and philosophy ("Why, what, what can they tell me that I do not know? And is that the point? The point is that - one turn of the wheel, and all will be changed, and those very moralists will be the first (I am convinced of that) to come up to congratulate me with friendly jests.").The character of Granny and her ups and downs in gambling are memorable. I also enjoyed insight into the Russian psyche, in particular, the struggle Russians had in the 19th century with their own identity, wanting to preserve Russia from bad Western influences but at the same time feeling inferior. ("Why am I to model myself upon our Russians here? They sit, not daring to open their lips, and almost ready to deny they are Russians." ... "The Russian is not only incapable of amassing capital, but dissipates it in a reckless and unseemly way." ... "The Russian abroad is sometimes too easily cowed, and is horribly afraid of what people will say, how they will look at him, and whether this or that will be the proper thing." ... and lastly, "Yes, you have destroyed yourself. You had some abilities, a lively disposition, and were not a bad fellow; you might have even been of service to your country, which is in such need of men, but - you will remain here, and your life is over. I don't blame you. To my mind all Russians are like that, or disposed to be like that. If it is not roulette it is something similar.")As a corollary to that, the culture clash with other nationalities at the spa town is interesting. This takes strongest form with the French, reflecting disdain, admiration, and envy at the same time ("De Grieux was like all Frenchmen; that is, gay and polite when necessary and profitable to be so, and insufferably tedious when the necessity to be gay and polite was over. ... The natural Frenchman is composed of the most plebeian, petty, ordinary practical sense - in fact, he is one of the most wearisome creatures in the world. In my opinion, only the innocent and inexperienced - especially Russian young ladies - are fascinated by Frenchmen." .... "The national type of Frenchman, or, rather, of Parisian, had been moulded into elegant forms while we were still bears."Final quote; on lawyers and arguing metal illness as a self-defense (yes it was happening then too):"Lawyers have taken to arguing in criminal cases that their clients were not responsible at the moment of their crime, and that it was a form of disease. 'He killed him,' they say, 'and has not memory of it.' And only imagine, General, the medical authorities support them - and actually maintain that there are illnesses, temporary aberrations in which a man scarcely remembers anything..."
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There is a big difference between reading just any book or a major classic author. Dostoevsky clearly belongs to the latter. This short novella may not be his best but is still counted among his master pieces. It describes the lifestyle, and obsession of a gambler in the author's time. It is a very short work of just about 100 pages.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dostojewski soll ja selbst spielsüchtig gewesen sein. In seinem Buch lässt er wohl eigene Erfahrungen einfließen und des ist wohl auch ein Spiegel der damaligen Zeit bzw. des damaligen gesellschaftlichen Zeitvertreibs. Ein tiefgründiges Psychogramm eines Spielsüchtigen ist es aber wohl eher nicht. Mich hat der kurze Roman enttäuscht, v.a. nach Romanen die "Der Idiot" oder "Die Brüder Karamasow". Deren Lektüre ist allerdings einige Jahre her und daher hoffe ich, dass sich nicht meine Sichtweise auf Dostojewski im Allgemeinen geändert hat, sondern nur "Der Spieler" einfach nicht gut ist.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A new portuguese translation of the classical russian novel Igrok. Not knowing the russian language it is impossible for me to really judge the quality of this translation by Nina and Filipe Guerra, who in recent years have been responsible for the translation into portuguese of about half a dozen works by Dostoiévski. All I can do is to assert the extremely captivating nature of the final result!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I feel a little cheated by this book. The back cover states the book “offers a grim and psychologically probing picture of the fatal attractions of gambling.” For such a small book, I expected a quick deep dive into the throes of gambling sooner than later, becoming lost in all its negativity from start to end. Not quite. The book begins with a somewhat whiny Alexey Ivanovitch, a trilingual tutor for a formerly wealthy Russian General, playing roulette for the first time because his unrequited love (we are led to believe), Polina Alexandrovna, stepdaughter of the general, asked him to play for her and to win. He notes the gentlemanly way of winning, and more importantly losing. “A real gentleman should not show excitement even if he loses his whole fortune. Money ought to be so much below his gentlemanly dignity as to be scarcely worth noticing.” But the control of gambling creeps in unconsciously. Alexey notes, “… I ought to have gone away, but a strange sensation rose up in me, a sort of defiance of fate, a desire to challenge it, to put out my tongue at it. I laid down the largest stake allowed – four thousand guldens – and lost it.” Alexey isn’t the only love sick puppy in the book. The General pines for Mlle. Blanche, who is willing to marry the General because of his title, pension, and pending inheritance from his Aunt Antonida – “Granny”. The General’s lovesickness provided some of the humor, crying for his love and soothed like a baby. There’s also a Mr. Astley, a wealthy Englishman, who desires Polina and becomes her confidante. Granny was by far the best character. Direct and cantankerous, her mind is sharp and she sees people clearly. Through his characters, Dostoyevsky doled out the perspectives of Russians and the cultural stereotypes from the early 1800’s. The Poles are the leeches that hang about the gambling table, making unwanted suggestions and awaiting opportunities to steal winnings. The Jews are the shrewd, advising the winning gamblers to get up and leave – before they lose it all. I quinched a bit reading these repeated negative stereotypes, reminding myself it’s normal back then. On Russians and On Frenchman: “Why, am I to model myself upon our Russians here? They sit, not daring to open their lips, and almost ready to deny they are Russians.” “A Frenchman is not often naturally polite. He is always polite, as it were, to order, with a motive. If he sees the necessity for being fantastic, original, a little out of the ordinary, then his freakishness is most stupid and unnatural, and is made up of accepted and long-vulgarized traditions. The natural Frenchman is composed of the most plebeian, petty, ordinary practical sense…”If I were to expand the definition of gambling (and its implied addiction) beyond money onto love and life, then Dostoyevsky tells a much more interesting story. Alexey exhibits a callousness towards love and life. (hmm, perhaps that’s the whole point of gambling addiction.) Does one declare love with the following?To Polina: “You are hateful to me, just because I’ve allowed you to take such liberties, and even more hateful because you are so necessary to me.”And “…I answered for the hundredth time that I hated her. Yes, she was hateful to me. There were moments (on every occasion at the end of our talks) when I would have given my life to strangle her! I swear if it had been possible on the spot to plunge a sharp knife in her bosom, I believe I should have snatched it up with relish…” Mr. Astley summed up gambling the best – to Alexey: “You have not only given up life, all your interests, private and public, the duties of a man and a citizen, your friends (and you really had friends) – you have not only given up your objects, such as they were, all but gambling – you have even given up your memories. I remember you at an intense and ardent moment of your life; but I am sure you have forgotten all the best feelings you had then; your dreams, your most genuine desires now do not rise above pair, impair, rouge, noir, the twelve middle numbers, and so on, I am sure!”All in all, not bad.