The Gambler

The Gambler is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in 1867. It is a semi-autobiographical work, written under pressure to repay gambling debts, and it reflects Dostoevsky’s own experiences with roulette addiction. The story is set in the fictional German spa town of Roulettenburg and follows Alexei Ivanovich, a young tutor working for a Russian general’s family. He becomes entangled in a chaotic social circle dominated by greed, status anxiety, and financial desperation. A central figure is Polina Alexandrovna, the general’s stepdaughter, who holds emotional control over Alexei. His obsessive love for her becomes tightly linked to his equally destructive obsession with roulette, where hope and ruin constantly alternate. The general’s family is waiting for news of a wealthy inheritance from the wealthy “grandmother” (Babulenka), whose arrival and unpredictable behavior dramatically shift everyone’s fortunes. When she begins gambling herself and loses a large sum, it accelerates the collapse of the characters’ financial and emotional stability.