Short Synopsis
The Gambler paints a stark picture of the attractions—and addictions—of gambling. Using skillful characterization, Fyodor Dostoevsky faithfully depicts life among the gambling set in old Germany.

Full Synopsis
The Gambler is a psychologically probing novel concerning the gambling episodes, tangled love affairs, and complicated lives of Alexis Ivanovitch, a young gambling addict; Polina Alexandrovna, the woman he loves; a pair of French adventurers; and other characters. Narrated by Alexis, this short novel is based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's own experiences as a compulsive gambler. Like so many characters in Dostoevsky's novels, Alexis is trying to break through the wall of the established order and the human condition itself, but instead he is drawn into the vortex of the roulette wheel.

This version of The Gambler is the translation by C. J. Hogarth.