The Gambler and Other Stories
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 10:55:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- ISBN：0140455094
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Summary
The Gambler and Other Stories is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's collection of one novella and six short stories reflecting his own life - indeed， 'The Gambler'， a story of a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian General， was written under a strict deadline so he could pay off his roulette debts。 This volume includes 'Bobok'， the tale of a frustrated writer visiting a cemetery and enjoying the gossip of the dead; 'The Dream of a Ridiculous Man'， the story of one man's plan to commit suicide and the troubling dream that follows， as well as 'A Christmas Party and a Wedding'， 'A Nasty Story' and 'The Meek One'。
Reviews
Daniel Carey
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A engaging collection of invaluable short stories by the gifted Russian master。 Dostoyevsky's themes of human suffering and pathos may often appear somber and tragic but his skill at prose and plot is nothing short of first-class。 He also has a great genius for dark comedy。 I defy any reader who does not feel for the very flawed， human characters in these stories。 Times and fashions may change but human nature never does。 We can relate to the passionate gambling addictions of Alexei Ivanovich an A engaging collection of invaluable short stories by the gifted Russian master。 Dostoyevsky's themes of human suffering and pathos may often appear somber and tragic but his skill at prose and plot is nothing short of first-class。 He also has a great genius for dark comedy。 I defy any reader who does not feel for the very flawed， human characters in these stories。 Times and fashions may change but human nature never does。 We can relate to the passionate gambling addictions of Alexei Ivanovich and his contradictory feelings of love and hatred for Polina in "the Gambler"。 Nearly every man has loved a beautiful yet flighty girl like Nastenka; the girl who got away in "White Nights"。 We've all tried and failed to seize a moment of importance and ended up embarrassing ourselves like Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky in "A Nasty Business" and we've all pondered about life after death as in "Babok"。 Each shorty story carried a grand display of human expression and human failings。 I throughly enjoyed this grand collection。 。。。more
Blair
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‘White Nights’ （1848） is a wonderfully engaging， intense story in which a lonely young man – ‘the dreamer’ – meets a distraught young woman on one of his nightly walks。 Over the course of four nights， they get to know one another; he falls in love， but she’s pining for a former suitor。 It’s all a bit hysterical， as 19th-century romances are wont to be， but so lucidly written; I loved every one of the dreamer’s observations， which often felt as though he was speaking， with urgency， directly to me ‘White Nights’ （1848） is a wonderfully engaging， intense story in which a lonely young man – ‘the dreamer’ – meets a distraught young woman on one of his nightly walks。 Over the course of four nights， they get to know one another; he falls in love， but she’s pining for a former suitor。 It’s all a bit hysterical， as 19th-century romances are wont to be， but so lucidly written; I loved every one of the dreamer’s observations， which often felt as though he was speaking， with urgency， directly to me。And you ask yourself: Where are your dreams？ And you shake your head and say: How quickly do the years fly by！ And again you ask yourself: what have you done with your years？ Where have you buried your best days？ Did you live or not？At just nine pages， ‘A Christmas Party and a Wedding’ （1848） is by far the shortest piece included here。 It's a bit difficult to judge， really: its events – an old man assessing an 11-year-old girl as a potential future wife， since her family have set aside a large dowry – are distasteful to the narrator， but not deplorable， as they might seem to the modern reader。‘A Nasty Business’ （1862） is a painful， hilarious tale in which an awkward young general chances upon a raucous event， realises it’s the wedding of a man who works beneath him， and decides to attend。 He envisions astonished guests and a hero’s welcome。 In fact， pretty much everything that can go wrong does， starting with him treading on a tray of food as he walks in。 The story is hideously accurate about the disconnect between plans and reality caused by social anxiety。 I winced （and smiled， sort of） all the way through。I had been looking forward to reading The Gambler （1866）; I was both surprised and disappointed to find it the least satisfying part of the book。 The blurb and introduction for this edition make much of the fact that Dostoyevsky wrote it in 26 days in order to meet a deadline and pay off his real-life gambling debts， and the opening chapters impart some of that urgency， albeit to its detriment: the reader is not so much thrust into the action as left to flounder in a morass of indeterminably-connected characters， which is both confusing and， unfortunately， quite boring。 The narrative picks up with the arrival of the formidable Grandmother， and the actual gambling scenes are certainly riveting， capturing the fevered dread of one in the grip of addiction。 Still， the tangled relationships completely failed to interest me – something that didn’t happen with any of the shorter stories in the book， despite them all having less space to establish said relationships。‘Bobok’ （1873） is a humorous fantasy in which a man， wandering through a graveyard， overhears the occupants of tombs conversing with one another。 An amusing interlude， albeit not so effective as ‘A Nasty Business’ （and I actually found the opening lines funnier than anything else: ‘This time I’m submitting ‘The Notes of a Certain Person’。 It is not I; it is by an altogether different person。’）‘The Meek One’ （1876） is the only one of these stories I had read before， in a Penguin Little Black Classics edition （same translation – reviewed briefly here）。 It’s one of my favourite short stories （though， after reading this book， I think ‘White Nights’ may have overtaken it）， another fierce and fervent narrative in which a man， eaten up by guilt， confesses his own role in his wife’s suicide。In ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’ （1877）， we have another distressed narrator who makes typically bombastic， and false， proclamations （‘I would have helped a child without fail’， he says， moments after ignoring such a child pleading for help in the street）。 He has made up his mind to end his life， but an incredible vision forces him to question this choice。 There are shades of A Christmas Carol to the plot， and the startlingly modern descriptions reminded me of Anna Kavan’s Sleep Has His House。 In a vividly described sequence， the story seems to encapsulate the whole of creation in just a few pages。 I know the stories are in chronological order; nevertheless， ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’ seems perfectly placed at the end， with its memorable illusions and uncharacteristic message of hope。TinyLetter | Linktree 。。。more
WJEP
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This dark comedy could have been titled "The Smart Aleck"。 Alexey is young and intelligent but also sarcastic， cynical， and insolent。 He is in the employ of a nincompoop Russian General， on holiday at a ritzy German resort。 He amuses himself by trolling high-society blockheads and phoneys。"Oh， how it all disgusts me！ What pleasure it would give me to wash my hands of everybody and everything！" But he can't leave Polina， the General's stepdaughter -- an irresistible tease。The plot continually fool This dark comedy could have been titled "The Smart Aleck"。 Alexey is young and intelligent but also sarcastic， cynical， and insolent。 He is in the employ of a nincompoop Russian General， on holiday at a ritzy German resort。 He amuses himself by trolling high-society blockheads and phoneys。"Oh， how it all disgusts me！ What pleasure it would give me to wash my hands of everybody and everything！" But he can't leave Polina， the General's stepdaughter -- an irresistible tease。The plot continually fooled me。 Whenever I started to think that I had seen this movie before， the story would go in some unexpected direction。In the end， Alexey doesn't fare well。 But tomorrow， I believe， he will be reborn and rise up from the dead。 。。。more
Ribhav Pande
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 On the edition: Read the intro only after reading the relevant storiesStories in order of preference: The Gambler > Bobok > A Nasty Business > The Meek One > The Dream of a Ridiculous Man > A Christmas Party and a Wedding > White NightsDostoyevsky as an author can write one thing in a manner none can- 'Delirium'。 Passages in his text when on such a phase in the character's life run with such a feverish pace that your head spins at the pace of reading them。 Sheer brilliance。The Gambler is a story On the edition: Read the intro only after reading the relevant storiesStories in order of preference: The Gambler > Bobok > A Nasty Business > The Meek One > The Dream of a Ridiculous Man > A Christmas Party and a Wedding > White NightsDostoyevsky as an author can write one thing in a manner none can- 'Delirium'。 Passages in his text when on such a phase in the character's life run with such a feverish pace that your head spins at the pace of reading them。 Sheer brilliance。The Gambler is a story （quite autobiographical， written in 26 days by the author） is a story about a man who loses his life to gambling。 The story is beautifully written， with my favourite character of the grandmother （Babushka！）。 The story of the Gambler is similar to Dostoevsky's personal life and losses to gambling， which is the reason that he had to finish the story in 26 days too。 Bobok is a quirky story about a man who hears dead people talk in a grave。 It's such a ridiculous setting with even more ridiculous conversations！ A Nasty Business is about a high Russian official who wants to implement the 'new ideas' of there being more love to the 'lower levels' of society by gatecrashing a wedding night while drunk。 The sequence of events that take shape are ridiculous and most entertaining。 The Meek One is a more reflective story about a man who drives his wife （characterised as meek） to commit suicide。 It's tenderly written from the POV of a man ruined。 The Dream of a Ridiculous Man has some very well written segments of a perfect world of harmony and how man's self-interest （and 'science'） causes havoc to theoretical perfection。 A Christmas Party and a Wedding is a curious little story about an older man who identifies a young girl at her birthday， all of 11， to get married at 16 for the dowry amount。 White Nights is a story about an isolated man who falls in love with a moment he happens to meet but can never be with。 Nice segments of desperation here。 The stories in many parts are a social commentary by Dostoevsky， since they came in his various periodicals。 The Gambler is the strongest story， published in the same year as Crime and Punishment （1866）。 The stories in the book are organised chronologically， and you can see the various stages of Dostoyevsky's writing as it shapes up。 The introduction gives important context on the autobiographical nature of some stories， especially the figure of 3000 roubles that Dostoyevsky owed to his editor showing up at many places， like an Easter egg！All in all， quite a wholesome read。 4 stars because I enjoy his longer works that allow him to whip up the story in his own way， which can in this book be seen in 'The Gambler'。 。。。more
Odysseus
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My introduction to Dostoyevsky。 The main story was enjoyable although it didn't end up going in any particular direction。 Dostoyevsky's style is interesting and definitely one of the best I have read when it comes to putting you inside the character's mind。 Even without a proper plot to cling on， I could read about the adventures and misfortunes of Alexei and his aristocrat acquaintances at the casino for days without ever getting bored。This version included short stories， of which I absolutely My introduction to Dostoyevsky。 The main story was enjoyable although it didn't end up going in any particular direction。 Dostoyevsky's style is interesting and definitely one of the best I have read when it comes to putting you inside the character's mind。 Even without a proper plot to cling on， I could read about the adventures and misfortunes of Alexei and his aristocrat acquaintances at the casino for days without ever getting bored。This version included short stories， of which I absolutely loved 'Bobok' （about a writer who visits a cemetery and hears the conversations of the deceased inside their graves）。 I also liked， although way less， 'A Nasty Story' （about officer Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky， drunk on both alcohol and self-perceived intellectual superiority， trying to return home at night。 He finds the wedding celebration of someone under his rank， and completely embarrasses himself and ruins the celebration）。[SPOILERS] Plot summary:In short， the story tells us of Alexei Ivanovich， an educated man involved with all sorts of aristocrats and their sort。 There are love triangles， debt and inheritance subplots surrounding all these various people。 Most of them enjoy gambling at the casino， specifically roulette， and some times they make copious amounts of much needed money （since they seem to all live above their capabilities）。The grandmother with the juicy inheritance was a very entertaining character， as she is taken to the casino and wins very big betting always on number zero， only to eventually lose everything and then some more a few days later， in a hit of bad luck and fraud and robbery from other people in the casino taking advantage of her。 Mr。 Astley the Englishman was also likable because of how good a friend he seems to be to Alexei， though also in love with the same woman （unpredictable bipolar Polina） 。 Alexei makes a fool of himself by publicly ridiculing some noble people to impress Polina （to no avail） which triggers a series of events that move the plot forward to catastrophe。 At the end， Alexei has a winning strike and becomes very rich in a single night， the grandmother basically ridicules everyone who wants her inheritance and everyone leaves the city and each go on with their lives， some in ruin and some marrying for financial reasons。 Alexei leaves to Paris with the very spoilt Mademoiselle Blanche who burns his entire fortune in a few weeks on promises of a lavish life。 Alexei ends up returning to the city and has hopeful dreams of earning more money and meeting the woman he loves again in the future。 。。。more
Belle Meade School
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FICDOS
Samuel
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An excellent collection of some excellent stories。 There’s some measure of unity between how the stories are structured together （like two consecutive stories featuring suicide）， but for the most part it is just “The Gambler” surrounded by unrelated short stories and novellas。 But what stories they are！ Four spins of roulette， and a revolver。-WHITE NIGHTSAn emotionally devastating novella with Dostoyevsky’s usual psychological depth。 It’s amazing how can so quickly， with so much clarity， sketch An excellent collection of some excellent stories。 There’s some measure of unity between how the stories are structured together （like two consecutive stories featuring suicide）， but for the most part it is just “The Gambler” surrounded by unrelated short stories and novellas。 But what stories they are！ Four spins of roulette， and a revolver。-WHITE NIGHTSAn emotionally devastating novella with Dostoyevsky’s usual psychological depth。 It’s amazing how can so quickly， with so much clarity， sketch a character out three-dimensionally， make them as alternately endearing and irritating as any real person， make them feel “lived-in”， not like a writerly construct just for a story。The psyche of the nameless narrator is such a common one among people today， I can think of a number of communities online that exemplify a very similar sort of thinking。 Dostoyevsky really does capture timeless attitudes and states of mind。The loneliness， the love， the youth， the decay， the sentimentality， the misery， it all melds together in such a real way。 I give it four letters， and a bench。-A CHRISTMAS PARTY AND A WEDDINGA thin， very short story from Dostoyevsky。 Keen observations on superficiality and inequality （as keen as they could be with only a few pages to cover them）。 Relatable description of being very much an outsider at a party。 A fairly well-sketched depiction of the merciless corruption of the sorts of people depicted。 But not much in the way of a particularly compelling story， although again， its brevity ensures it never has a chance to bore。 I give it three cover-less books， and a fancy doll。-A NASTY BUSINESSA very well-realised look at the great gap between self-perception and social reality， classes， and ultimately what one thinks about themselves and what others actually think of them。Dostoyevsky portrays his protagonist and his exploits in such excruciating deal that it’s both infuriating and invites the reader to cringe often。 The story just escalates， and escalates， and escalates， and what starts as a sort of detached amusement at the protagonist turns into rage and disgust as his ridiculousness， and all that he embodies， is increasingly acutely realised。Yet it’s not all condemnation and satire。 The feeling of being trapped in a social situation is relatable as any， and Dostoyevsky makes it read as all too real。It’s hilarious， and aggravating， and very well-told。 I give it four glasses of champagne， and a bed of chairs。-THE GAMBLERRushed to completion to meet gambling debts， “The Gambler” reads as a kind of Dostoyevsky-lite， about as short as a novel can be before becoming a novella， pacing through a lot of Dostoyevsky’s strengths （keen psychological insight， insight into the Russian character， issues of wealth and poverty） without the depth or creativity of some of his other works， but still to great effect。The insight into the psyche of a problem gambler is interesting in being more pointedly autobiographical than just empathetic， the way the plights of other Dostoyevsky protagonists sometimes are。 Alexei Ivanovich is combative， self-aggrandising， and delights in being needlessly provocative。 He’s bitter， resentful， flighty， and obsessed with women， quick to absolve himself of his own impact upon relationships， and displace his responsibility onto what he’d describe as the whims of others。 Roulette， gambling， isn’t just projection for him， but an opportunity to tap right into that inherent， base self-destructive desire for gratification and satisfaction of the ego。 It’s imposing his will onto the chaos of the world。 The way he describes not just the world and all its worries melting away when he gambles， but even his conscious mind itself， his awareness of the logical fallacies he’s committing slipping away in the rush of the game…Dostoyevsky communicates how intoxicating it is for him very well。Not as ambitious or meaningful as his greater works， but still a powerful insight into addiction。 Four ‘zeroes’， and everything on red。-BOBOKA zippy little atmospheric short story， perhaps inspired by Dostoyevsky’s own writing difficulties at the time。 The irony of the protagonist literally being surrounded by stories ripe for the writing， yet dismissing them as nonsense and wondering where else to get inspiration， seems to key into some of the psyche around writer’s block。 Even setting aside any greater meanings like that， it’s a neat atmosphere in the graveyard and with the spookiness of the talking ghosts and the “inertia of consciousness”。 Plenty of interesting ideas in such a short tale。 Three cards， and a shared anecdote。-THE MEEK ONE“Long live the electricity of human thought” indeed。 Keen， nuanced psychological insight as can be expected from Dostoyevsky。 Intriguing structure that really melds the protagonist’s deluded mindset with the progression of the story itself。 Dostoyevsky includes an author’s note at the beginning of the story explaining both the nature of the unreliable narrator and the conceit of the story being structured like a running narration even though that wouldn’t realistically fit into the story， but both aspects are executed well enough that I think the story would have worked fine without them。 For a story focusing on breakdowns in communication， Dostoyevsky certainly tried to communicate clearly with the reader。The ease with which Dostoyevsky sketches out two complicated characters and details the nuanced interplay of pride， jealousy， possession， gender roles and communication between them is very impressive， especially coming in at so few pages。 Four coffins and a strained silence。-THE DREAM OF A RIDICULOUS MANA captivating short story encapsulating a lot of Dostoyevsky’s specific Christian worldview。Dostoyevsky pushes the fantastical elements here more than he usually does， to great effect。 Some sections almost resound with science-fiction imagery， being read these days at least， but the theology and morality behind the story really are the driving forces。The prose in this story （at least， the English translation by Ronald Meyer） is also more striking than usual， some very lovely turns of phrase here， particularly in the utopian section of the story。It’s didactic to an extent， but not in a cloying way。 It covers a character arc clearly informed by Dostoyevsky’s own beliefs， but I didn’t feel like the story was as much a call to action as an illustration of a worldview。 Four revolvers， and an epiphany。 。。。more
Anonymous
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Actual Rating: 3。7
E。 G。
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