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spenkevich's review against another edition
4.0
‘At that point 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…’
Whenever I hear the advice “write what you know,” this is one of the first books to come to mind. Dostoevsky has an incredible ability to capture the feeling of guilt and instill it into the reader, and here this is coupled with his own struggles with gambling addiction that not only informed the novel but it was written in order to cover a gambling debt. As a testament to his craft, The Gambler, his short 1866 novel, will have you gripping the pages feeling uncomfortable with dry mouth and glassy eyes as if you too were falling headlong into a gambling addiction, and while this is considered one of his “light” novels it still packs such an emotional hit that resonates long after its over. The story follows Alexey Ivanovitch, a tutor in the house of a dignified Russian general, as he pursues the step-daughter, Polina, in spite of her affections towards a fake French marquis who is involved in a real estate scheme with the General’s money. Alexey gambles for love and also for money in an attempt to rise above his station as Dostoevsky delivers a sharp analysis of the gambling addicted mind, criticism of both Western Europe and the Russian character and satisfies yet again with a darkly existential novel.
‘For why is gambling a whit worse than any other method of acquiring money? How, for instance, is it worse than trade? True, out of a hundred persons, only one can win; yet what business is that of yours or of mine?’
The story behind The Gambler is nearly as interesting as the novel itself. Due to his debts to Russian publisher Stellovski, Dostoevsky made a deal that he could complete a novel in 30 days or lose the publishing rights to all his past and future work. Perhaps the rapid pace and gambling stressors add to the manic tone of the novel. In order to complete it more quickly, he hired a stenographer for the first time, Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina, a woman 25 years younger than him who would quickly become his wife within a year and transcribe many of his famous works. This also follows his heartbreak at the death of his wife, Maria, from tuberculosis in 1864, and the breakdown of an affair he had with Polina Suslova in 1862. The character of Polina here is undoubtedly based on her, and the French marquis is likely based on the man she left him for as Alexey spares no insult for the man in the novel. He also had an idea ready to go, having written about the idea for this novel 3 years prior to a friend:
Like every college essay I ever wrote, Dostoevsky completed The Gambler right at the deadline and when the publisher could not be located (by design, so the rumor goes), he turned it into the police station in order to validate his success of the bet. And now we have this little gem, though Dostoevsky would soon abandon Russia in 1967 and remain outside the country for 4 years due to being pursued by creditors.
‘No, it was not the money that I valued—what I wanted was to make all this mob of Heintzes, hotel proprietors, and fine ladies of Baden talk about me, recount my story, wonder at me, extol my doings, and worship my winnings.’
This is the classic tale of pursuing wealth in all the wrong ways, and not even an Icarus story as he doesn’t fly too close to the sun but merely jumps into the fire with the belief he can pull off a miracle. For much of the book he isn’t at the roulette tables, but merely enticed by them and in a frenzy over Polina and the Frenchman. I had come there not only to look at, but also to number myself sincerely and wholeheartedly with, the mob,’ he says initially before finally in a state of frustration, begins to gamble. Things get dark here. Even when he is losing he feels a foolish hope he can change his fortune, thinking ‘ What may I be tomorrow? Tomorrow I may rise from the dead and begin to live anew!’ Doestoevsky frames the novel as if he is a damned soul and the slide into gambling addiction is an inevitability that we watch in horror as he is pulled towards it.
When he does take the plunge he loses clarity and Doestoevsky shows how hope is a double-edged sword, one that can help you persevere but one that can also cloud your judgment. Not that gambling addiction is something that will destroy everyone forever, and I urge anyone who suspects they may be in danger to seek help because it is out there and you can get through it. Our character here, however, sees gambling as he way to win Polina as well as money, and Doestoevsky does not have a bright future laid out for him. The ending feels similar in vibes to [b:Chess Story|59151|Chess Story|Stefan Zweig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657549823l/59151._SY75_.jpg|57593] by [a:Stefan Zweig|25573|Stefan Zweig|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1190140738p2/25573.jpg], undoubtedly different books and aims, but that feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach reaches a fever pitch as the books come to an end.
Which is something I LOVE so much about Dostoevsky, he can really instill emotion into the reader. I talk about this at length in my review of Crime and Punishment because while reading that I happened to get a seasonal cold that doubled down on my feelings of guilt and dread along with Raskolnikov’s illness and if police were to show up and clap cuffs on me for accessory to murder I would have confessed—Dostoevsky makes you feel that complicit. Which is part of why he has remained such a classic author. There are moments where this book feels dated, particularly the long passages on what gambling addiction is and some sort of time-period issues (as well as some not great generalizations about ethnicities…), but overall it has a powerful impact in the present day.
‘Can I possibly not understand myself that I'm a lost man? But--why can't I resurrect? Yes! it only takes being calculating and patient at least once in your life and--that's all! It only takes being steadfast at least once, and in an hour I can change my whole destiny!’
This novel is unique in a way that it does not take place in Russia and allows Dostoevsky to comment upon Western culture as well as reflect back on Russia. He pretty much has nothing positive to say about anyone, but the French definitely fall under his ire (read [b:Winter Notes on Summer Impressions|35127502|Winter Notes on Summer Impressions New Translation (Alma Classics) (Alma Classics Evergreens)|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494703663l/35127502._SY75_.jpg|1187518] for Doestoevsky having a bummer time across Western Europe and hating on everyone). He also reflects on himself as a Russian and his critiques of Russian culture, as he tends to do. ‘Russians alone are able to combine so many opposites in themselves at one and the same time,’ and these dualities and incongruities are often mined for his best insights into humanity throughout his fabulous career.
While this may not have the huge moments of genius and sweeping insights, The Gambler is an excellent psychological tale on the small scale. If anything, Dostoevsky welcomes you into his hellish state of gambling and makes you understand him in a way that few other writers are able to find the shortcut to so effectively. A highly recommended read, particularly for those who have loved the big novels and are craving more (he does compel you, which is an interesting feeling to be having when suddenly reading his book about addiction and looking over to see you have a tattoo of him on your arm and thinking, maybe I have a literary addiction? Okay maybe that is just me. The Gambler is a minor work but one that still leaves a major impact
4/5
Whenever I hear the advice “write what you know,” this is one of the first books to come to mind. Dostoevsky has an incredible ability to capture the feeling of guilt and instill it into the reader, and here this is coupled with his own struggles with gambling addiction that not only informed the novel but it was written in order to cover a gambling debt. As a testament to his craft, The Gambler, his short 1866 novel, will have you gripping the pages feeling uncomfortable with dry mouth and glassy eyes as if you too were falling headlong into a gambling addiction, and while this is considered one of his “light” novels it still packs such an emotional hit that resonates long after its over. The story follows Alexey Ivanovitch, a tutor in the house of a dignified Russian general, as he pursues the step-daughter, Polina, in spite of her affections towards a fake French marquis who is involved in a real estate scheme with the General’s money. Alexey gambles for love and also for money in an attempt to rise above his station as Dostoevsky delivers a sharp analysis of the gambling addicted mind, criticism of both Western Europe and the Russian character and satisfies yet again with a darkly existential novel.
‘For why is gambling a whit worse than any other method of acquiring money? How, for instance, is it worse than trade? True, out of a hundred persons, only one can win; yet what business is that of yours or of mine?’
The story behind The Gambler is nearly as interesting as the novel itself. Due to his debts to Russian publisher Stellovski, Dostoevsky made a deal that he could complete a novel in 30 days or lose the publishing rights to all his past and future work. Perhaps the rapid pace and gambling stressors add to the manic tone of the novel. In order to complete it more quickly, he hired a stenographer for the first time, Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina, a woman 25 years younger than him who would quickly become his wife within a year and transcribe many of his famous works. This also follows his heartbreak at the death of his wife, Maria, from tuberculosis in 1864, and the breakdown of an affair he had with Polina Suslova in 1862. The character of Polina here is undoubtedly based on her, and the French marquis is likely based on the man she left him for as Alexey spares no insult for the man in the novel. He also had an idea ready to go, having written about the idea for this novel 3 years prior to a friend:
’I have in mind a man who is straightforward, highly cultured, and yet in every respect unfinished, a man who has lost his faith. The main thing though, is that all his vital sap, his energies, his rebellion, daring, have been channelled into roulette…deep down he feels it is despicable, although the need to take risks ennobles him in his own eyes.
Like every college essay I ever wrote, Dostoevsky completed The Gambler right at the deadline and when the publisher could not be located (by design, so the rumor goes), he turned it into the police station in order to validate his success of the bet. And now we have this little gem, though Dostoevsky would soon abandon Russia in 1967 and remain outside the country for 4 years due to being pursued by creditors.
‘No, it was not the money that I valued—what I wanted was to make all this mob of Heintzes, hotel proprietors, and fine ladies of Baden talk about me, recount my story, wonder at me, extol my doings, and worship my winnings.’
This is the classic tale of pursuing wealth in all the wrong ways, and not even an Icarus story as he doesn’t fly too close to the sun but merely jumps into the fire with the belief he can pull off a miracle. For much of the book he isn’t at the roulette tables, but merely enticed by them and in a frenzy over Polina and the Frenchman. I had come there not only to look at, but also to number myself sincerely and wholeheartedly with, the mob,’ he says initially before finally in a state of frustration, begins to gamble. Things get dark here. Even when he is losing he feels a foolish hope he can change his fortune, thinking ‘ What may I be tomorrow? Tomorrow I may rise from the dead and begin to live anew!’ Doestoevsky frames the novel as if he is a damned soul and the slide into gambling addiction is an inevitability that we watch in horror as he is pulled towards it.
’Can I possibly not understand myself that I'm a lost man? But--why can't I resurrect? Yes! it only takes being calculating and patient at least once in your life and--that's all! It only takes being steadfast at least once, and in an hour I can change my whole destiny!’
When he does take the plunge he loses clarity and Doestoevsky shows how hope is a double-edged sword, one that can help you persevere but one that can also cloud your judgment. Not that gambling addiction is something that will destroy everyone forever, and I urge anyone who suspects they may be in danger to seek help because it is out there and you can get through it. Our character here, however, sees gambling as he way to win Polina as well as money, and Doestoevsky does not have a bright future laid out for him. The ending feels similar in vibes to [b:Chess Story|59151|Chess Story|Stefan Zweig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657549823l/59151._SY75_.jpg|57593] by [a:Stefan Zweig|25573|Stefan Zweig|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1190140738p2/25573.jpg], undoubtedly different books and aims, but that feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach reaches a fever pitch as the books come to an end.
Which is something I LOVE so much about Dostoevsky, he can really instill emotion into the reader. I talk about this at length in my review of Crime and Punishment because while reading that I happened to get a seasonal cold that doubled down on my feelings of guilt and dread along with Raskolnikov’s illness and if police were to show up and clap cuffs on me for accessory to murder I would have confessed—Dostoevsky makes you feel that complicit. Which is part of why he has remained such a classic author. There are moments where this book feels dated, particularly the long passages on what gambling addiction is and some sort of time-period issues (as well as some not great generalizations about ethnicities…), but overall it has a powerful impact in the present day.
‘Can I possibly not understand myself that I'm a lost man? But--why can't I resurrect? Yes! it only takes being calculating and patient at least once in your life and--that's all! It only takes being steadfast at least once, and in an hour I can change my whole destiny!’
This novel is unique in a way that it does not take place in Russia and allows Dostoevsky to comment upon Western culture as well as reflect back on Russia. He pretty much has nothing positive to say about anyone, but the French definitely fall under his ire (read [b:Winter Notes on Summer Impressions|35127502|Winter Notes on Summer Impressions New Translation (Alma Classics) (Alma Classics Evergreens)|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494703663l/35127502._SY75_.jpg|1187518] for Doestoevsky having a bummer time across Western Europe and hating on everyone). He also reflects on himself as a Russian and his critiques of Russian culture, as he tends to do. ‘Russians alone are able to combine so many opposites in themselves at one and the same time,’ and these dualities and incongruities are often mined for his best insights into humanity throughout his fabulous career.
While this may not have the huge moments of genius and sweeping insights, The Gambler is an excellent psychological tale on the small scale. If anything, Dostoevsky welcomes you into his hellish state of gambling and makes you understand him in a way that few other writers are able to find the shortcut to so effectively. A highly recommended read, particularly for those who have loved the big novels and are craving more (he does compel you, which is an interesting feeling to be having when suddenly reading his book about addiction and looking over to see you have a tattoo of him on your arm and thinking, maybe I have a literary addiction? Okay maybe that is just me. The Gambler is a minor work but one that still leaves a major impact
4/5
hugogeada's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
makarina_20's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lestradez0's review against another edition
3.0
Such an odd book, this one. For lack of a better word, it feels... sordid. However, Dostoevsky did a fantastic job of capturing Alexei's mental state in the first-person narrative, and I must admit that I felt his feelings and pretty much just drifted through the book the way he did.
I don't have much to say about this book other than it greatly depicts how it feels to gamble. Dostoevsky really did a great job of conveying the addiction through the grandma's story. However, there are many other lessons that I could find through reading this book.
Overall, this is a fun book to read but not the best of Dostoevsky.
I don't have much to say about this book other than it greatly depicts how it feels to gamble. Dostoevsky really did a great job of conveying the addiction through the grandma's story. However, there are many other lessons that I could find through reading this book.
Overall, this is a fun book to read but not the best of Dostoevsky.
mcgbreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
Is this a safe space? Can I be honest and vulnerable? This was so boring. I'm sorry, Dostoevsky, sir.
I appreciate that this is a deep dive into gambling addiction, something I think I've heard Dostoevsky was very familiar with, and there's also some "romance." "Romance" as in "this man is so in love with this woman he offers to kill himself if she asks and also talks about killing her and then killing himself cause he loves her so much" and she's like "okay, cool, I'll take full advantage of that, thanks."
The thing is, I couldn't have cared less about anything. Like, yes, I do see the main character's descent into gambling addiction and madness, and the side character's madness as well. But what else was I supposed to get out of this? It just seems so pointless to me. And it was so dense for what feels like no reason.
I'm tempted to say "maybe this went over my head," but fuck that. I just didn't like it and found no value in it beyond exploring Dostoevsky's work. And I'll continue to do so, but this one wasn't up my alley.
-
Puedo ser sincera y vulnerable??? Qué aburrido este libro, por Diosss. Mis disculpas, Dostoevsky.
Aprecio que es una inmersión en la adicción al juego y también hay algo de "romance". "Romance" tipo “este hombre está tan enamorado de esta mujer que se ofrece a suicidarse si ella se lo pide y también habla de matarla y luego suicidarse porque la ama tanto” y ella está tipo “chévere, lo aprovecharé al máximo, gracias”.
La cosa es que no podría haberme importado menos nada de lo que pasó. Sí, aprecio el descenso del personaje principal a la adicción al juego y la locura, y la locura de los personaje secundarios también. Pero ajá, y??? Fue todo muy irrelevante para mí y se sintió muy denso por nadaaaa.
Me tienta decir que "tal vez no lo entendí", pero fuck that. Simplemente no me gustó y no le encontré ningún valor más allá de, no sé, explorar el trabajo de Dostoevsky. Y lo seguiré explorando, pero este libro no fue para mí.
I appreciate that this is a deep dive into gambling addiction, something I think I've heard Dostoevsky was very familiar with, and there's also some "romance." "Romance" as in "this man is so in love with this woman he offers to kill himself if she asks and also talks about killing her and then killing himself cause he loves her so much" and she's like "okay, cool, I'll take full advantage of that, thanks."
The thing is, I couldn't have cared less about anything. Like, yes, I do see the main character's descent into gambling addiction and madness, and the side character's madness as well. But what else was I supposed to get out of this? It just seems so pointless to me. And it was so dense for what feels like no reason.
I'm tempted to say "maybe this went over my head," but fuck that. I just didn't like it and found no value in it beyond exploring Dostoevsky's work. And I'll continue to do so, but this one wasn't up my alley.
-
Puedo ser sincera y vulnerable??? Qué aburrido este libro, por Diosss. Mis disculpas, Dostoevsky.
Aprecio que es una inmersión en la adicción al juego y también hay algo de "romance". "Romance" tipo “este hombre está tan enamorado de esta mujer que se ofrece a suicidarse si ella se lo pide y también habla de matarla y luego suicidarse porque la ama tanto” y ella está tipo “chévere, lo aprovecharé al máximo, gracias”.
La cosa es que no podría haberme importado menos nada de lo que pasó. Sí, aprecio el descenso del personaje principal a la adicción al juego y la locura, y la locura de los personaje secundarios también. Pero ajá, y??? Fue todo muy irrelevante para mí y se sintió muy denso por nadaaaa.
Me tienta decir que "tal vez no lo entendí", pero fuck that. Simplemente no me gustó y no le encontré ningún valor más allá de, no sé, explorar el trabajo de Dostoevsky. Y lo seguiré explorando, pero este libro no fue para mí.
justnicta's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
esistfynn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
heartzfromli_'s review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pach1904's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5