The Gambler E-Book

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Herausgeber: Youcanprint
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

A compulsive gambler himself at a certain period of his life, Dostoyevsky wrote this novel with real authority. Set in the appropriately named Roulettenburg, a German spa with a casino and an international clientele, it concerns the gambling episodes, tangled love affairs, and complicated lives of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young gambler; Polina Alexandrovna, the woman he loves; a pair of French adventurers, and other characters. Although not as dark as some of Dostoyevsky's other works, The Gambler nevertheless offers a grim and psychologically probing picture of the fatal attractions of gambling. Among its strengths are its well-drawn characters — Aunt Antonida, although lightly sketched in, is especially delightful — and its faithful depiction of life among the gambling set in fashionable German watering holes.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

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VII

VIII

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XVII

The Gambler

 

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

First digital edition 2018 by Anna Ruggieri

I

At length I returned from two weeks leave of absence to findthat my patrons had arrived three days ago in Roulettenberg. Ireceived from them a welcome quite different to that which I hadexpected. The General eyed me coldly, greeted me in rather haughtyfashion, and dismissed me to pay my respects to his sister. It wasclear that from SOMEWHERE money had been acquired. I thought Icould even detect a certain shamefacedness in the General's glance.Maria Philipovna, too, seemeddistraught, and conversed with me withan air of detachment. Nevertheless, she took the money which Ihanded to her, counted it, and listened to what I had to tell. Toluncheon there were expected that day a Monsieur Mezentsov, aFrench lady, and an Englishman; for, whenever money was in hand, abanquet in Muscovite style was always given. Polina Alexandrovna,on seeing me, inquired why I had been so long away. Then, withoutwaiting for an answer, she departed. Evidently this was not mereaccident, and I felt that I must throw some light upon matters. Itwas high time that I did so.

I was assigned a small room on the fourth floor of the hotel(for you must know that I belonged to the General's suite). So faras I could see, the party had already gained somenotoriety in theplace, which had come to look upon the General as a Russiannobleman of great wealth. Indeed, even before luncheon he chargedme, among other things, to get two thousand-franc notes changed forhim at the hotel counter, which put us in a position to be thoughtmillionaires at all events for a week! Later, I was about to takeMischa and Nadia for a walk when a summons reached me from thestaircase that I must attend the General. He began by deigning toinquire of me where I was going to takethe children; and as he didso, I could see that he failed to look me in the eyes. He WANTED todo so, but each time was met by me with such a fixed, disrespectfulstare that he desisted in confusion. In pompous language, however,which jumbled one sentence into another, and at length grewdisconnected, he gave me to understand that I was to lead thechildren altogether away from the Casino, and out into the park.Finally his anger exploded, and he added sharply: