Le Joueur

French language

Published Dec. 19, 2000

ISBN:
978-2-7427-2821-3
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4 stars (1 review)

The Gambler (Russian: Игрокъ, romanized: Igrok; modern spelling Игрок) is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoevsky completed the novella in 1866 under a strict deadline to pay off gambling debts.

13 editions

A well deserved classic

4 stars

I wasn't surprised to learn that Dostoyevski had a gambling problem himself because his insight into his narrator, Alexey's, compulsive behaviour is wonderfully realistic. Apparently this novella was written in great haste because the profits from its publication were needed to settle gambling debts! I liked the evocation of high society shenanigans in a German casino town called Roulettenberg where everyone knows everyone and strict rules of class and etiquette abound. There seems to be little entertainment other than strolling through the park or gracing the roulette tables, yet from this Dostoyevsky has created an interesting story of selfish, back-stabbing people all unashamedly out to gain as much of each other's fortunes as they can.

I am not sure I would have enjoyed The Gambler so much if I had read the book, because most of the story is presented through often overly melodramatic dialogue, but listening to Zimmerman's deft …