Author: Dostoievski, Fiodor M.
Publisher: Penguin Clasicos
Pages:216
A pioneering novel about gambling addiction and its tragic consequences for individuals and society, based on Dostoevsky’s own experiences. First released in 1866, The Gambler is one of the most famous novels about gambling ever published. The young protagonist, Alexei Ivanovitch, works as a tutor for a formerly wealthy Russian family in Germany. Seeing his employers’ careless attitude toward money, he starts gambling and becomes addicted to roulette. Alexei wins and loses staggering amounts of money while searching for love, wealth and acceptance. His human relationships are fleeting and superficial and are ultimately sacrificed on the altar of addiction. Dostoevsky paints a devastating picture of the tragic consequences of gambling, a problem he was familiar with firsthand. In fact, he wrote the novel in a race against the clock to earn enough money to pay off his own debts.