The Gambler is known as Dostoevsky’s most autobiographical novel, written in 26 days to foil the claims of an unscrupulous publisher. For Dostoevsky himself was a gambling addict and made a fool of himself over a girl called Polina when he was much older than his fictional alter ego. I read The Gambler for the 2024 Dostoevsky Readathon hosted by Russophile Reads. You can read his much more thorough evaluation of The Gambler here.
Alexey is a tutor for a Russian family returning at the opening of the story from two weeks’ leave to a German spa and gambling town. He works for the General tutoring his young niece and nephew and he is madly in love with Polina, the General’s older niece.
The General is broke, although he is madly pretending not to be. In fact, during his leave, Alexey has been pawning things for Polina. The General is in love with a Frenchwoman named Blanche, who is clearly after the money he expects to get when his aunt dies. Also hanging around are a Frenchman named des Grieux, whom the General has been borrowing money from and who has his eyes on Polina, and a rich Englishman whom Alexey likes named Mr. Astley.
As usual with Dostoevsky’s main characters, Alexey is in a sort of frenzy, this one of love for Polina. In attempts to gain some kind of equality with the other characters, he instead repeatedly shows his immaturity.
I have read most of Dostoevsky’s novels but I didn’t realize he could be funny until this one. The General hears that his aunt is ill and may be dying, so he keeps sending telegrams asking if she is dead in his desperation to seal the deal with Blanche. Suddenly, his aunt, called Grandmother in the novel because she is Polina’s grandmother, appears in town. And does she appear. She takes over the novel until she departs, making Alexey her escort to the casino, where she at first wins a lot of money.
Then loses it, but has the sense to go home. In the meantime, she disinherits the General. She is the most truly Russian character in the novel, with the other Russians trying to pretend they are cosmopolitan.
Eventually, we learn from Alexey’s experience what it’s like to be a gambling addict. For Alexey goes to the casino to try to win enough money to help Polina.
This is a short, sometimes funny, sometimes sad but always lively story about Alexey’s inability to understand what is going on, and about greed in its various forms. Note that the story contains lots of stereotypes in depicting people from countries other than Russia.
What? Me Read? 
Thank you for alerting me to this Dostoyevsky readathon! And this is one I need to read. Funny?? I am intrigued. I love novels about broke aristocrats desperately trying to restore their fortunes too.
Funny in parts, let’s say.
Delighted to see your review for the Readathon, whatmeread! You raise an interesting point about the foreign stereotypes and the idea of Russianness amongst the characters. I didn’t touch on that in my own review, but it’s very interesting to hear how preoccupied the characters are with trying to be a certain way while abroad, and how they view people who are French, English, German, etc. Dostoevsky could be pretty unflattering in his views of western countries, and that definitely comes through in this novel. Also glad you enjoyed the humour — Granny especially made me laugh out loud! 🙂
Yes, I thought she was a hoot!
Sounds considerably more fun than I’d have expected rom Dostoevsky! I’ve still never read anything by him, but have Crime and Punishment on my CC list.
Yes, and shorter. Russophile Reads is doing Crime and Punishment for the Readathon. I think next by September 23. Too soon for me. I read it in college, but I’m not ready to read such a tome right now. I’m planning to drop in now and then but not for the big ones, because I already reviewed The Brothers Karamazov a year or two ago.