The Gambler

A roulette wheel. A desperate man. And the novel that Dostoevsky wrote in twenty-six days to pay off his own gambling debts.

Fyodor Dostoevsky's short, furious novel is a portrait of addiction unlike any other, because it was written by a man who had lost everything at the tables.

Alexei Ivanovich, a young tutor living in a German spa town, is in love with Polina, the cruel, beautiful stepdaughter of a Russian general. The general is broke, waiting for the death of his wealthy grandmother. When the grandmother arrives—and immediately starts gambling—the novel explodes. Alexei watches her win, lose, win, and lose again. Then he takes his own turn at the roulette wheel. He wins. He loses. He cannot stop. The novel ends with Alexei in prison for debt, still dreaming of the next bet, still believing that the next spin will change everything.

This is Dostoevsky at his most autobiographical and urgent: a novel about the thrill of risk, the agony of loss, and the strange, seductive logic of the addict who knows he should stop—but will not. The Gambler is a masterpiece of compression, written in desperate haste, and it burns with the heat of a man who has seen hell and recognized it as home.

• Written in 1866, dictated to the stenographer Anna Grigorievna Snitkina (whom Dostoevsky would soon marry)

• Dostoevsky wrote the novel in just 26 days to fulfill a contract that would have stripped him of his publishing rights

• A deeply autobiographical work, drawing on Dostoevsky's own ruinous gambling addiction

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears—or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the worst prison is the one you choose to enter.

About the Author

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and journalist, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in world literature. Born in Moscow, the second of seven children, he was the son of a military doctor who was murdered by his own serfs. Dostoevsky studied engineering but turned to writing. In 1849, he was arrested for his involvement in a progressive literary circle, sentenced to death, and subjected to a mock execution—the trauma of which shaped his entire worldview. He spent four years in a Siberian prison camp, followed by exile. The Gambler was written during a desperate period: Dostoevsky had lost all his money at the roulette tables in Europe and was threatened with debtor's prison. He hired the young stenographer Anna Snitkina to help him produce a novel quickly; she transcribed his dictation, and they completed the book in 26 days. They married soon after, and Anna managed his finances for the rest of his life, eventually paying off all his debts. His other major works include Notes from Underground (1864), Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). He died of a pulmonary hemorrhage in 1881 and is buried in the Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg.