#35. Title Matches Lyrics From A Song – The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Audible)

I can't even begin to imagine how many books out there have a title which matches the lyrics of a song, however, when you're put on the spot, it's so easy for your mind to go blank. As I looked through all the books in my TBR pile, I noticed The Gambler and immediately thought of both Madonna and Kenny Rogers.  As a child, I listened to them both...one played on my record player...one played on my dad's. I leave you to decide which way round they went!

 

“In this dark and compelling short novel, Dostoevsky tells the story of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young tutor working in the household of an imperious Russian general. Alexey tries to break through the wall of the established order in Russia, but instead becomes mired in the endless downward spiral of betting and loss. His intense and inescapable addiction is accentuated by his affair with the General’s cruel yet seductively adept niece, Polina. In The Gambler, Dostoevsky reaches the heights of drama with this stunning psychological portrait..”

 

I suppose the biggest irony of this novel is that it was only written in order to pay off Dostoevsky's gambling debts. If you've never read anything by him before, this short story (at just over six hours long) is a good introduction to Dostoevsky's work. As a man who was a compulsive gambler, he is able to transport the reader into the world of the addicted; he shows the attraction and addiction of the roulette wheel whilst capturing the feelings of guilt and self-loathing, knowing that what you are doing is wrong, but somehow cannot be stopped. Do not let the fact that this story revolves around the roulette wheel put you off. This is not just the story of a gambler, but the tale of a man who is driven by hope, despite living his days full of fear, dread and constant anxiety.

This is a work both gloomy and humorous as it delves into the sordid world of the desperate gambler, and the gambling of the elite, where money doesn't seem to matter...or does it?! 

‘At that point I ought to have gone away, but a strange sensation rose up in me, a sort of defiance of fate, a desire to challenge it…’

Set in the fictitious German town of Roulettenberg, this is the tale of Alexei Ivanovitch, a tutor to a Russian General's family, who wishes to pursue his affections towards the General's ward Polina Alexandrovna. Unfortunately for Alexei, Polina has set her heart towards a fake French Marquis who is supplying the General with loans at exorbitant rates. In a bid to rise above his station, Alexei's gambling addicted mind thinks some luck at the roulette wheel will give him the money he requires for Polina to switch her affections towards him.

Polina, however is in a bit of a fix, she asks Alexei to pawn her jewellery and gamble with the proceeds in order that she can pay off her debts. Alexei does so, but then advises Polina he has lost everything at the roulette table. Meanwhile the General has arrived at the same hotel and casino with his young mistress Blanche, an Englishman and the French Marquis. When quizzed by Blanche about the money he has lost, Alexei pretends the money was his.

Annoyed with Alexei, Polina makes him insult a German Baroness as a bet, which in turn invokes her husband's wrath. Hearing what has happened, the General dismisses Alexei as the family tutor, so Alexei, enraged, challenges the Baron to a duel. The General wishes to avoid any scandal in case it jeopardises his marriage to Blanche, and he tries to smooth things out, but then he is reminded he cannot marry Blanche unless he receives his inheritance, and for that to happen Grammy, Polina's grandmother, must have died. Fortunately the old lady is ill and as far as the General is aware, due to die any day soon.

The Marquis tries to speak with Alexei about his impropriety, but as he will not listen to reason, the Marquis hands him a note (apparently written by Polina) telling him to stop acting like a child. Alexei is furious and storms out of the room refusing to believe Polina could write such a thing. The General wants to know if the Marquis has managed to smooth things over with Alexei and so of course he lies and quickly changes the conversation towards Grammy. The General advises she will be dead before they know it, cue the arrival of a remarkably healthy Grammy at the hotel. She is in high spirits and looking forward to gambling away her money. Unfortunately for the General, this is what she does. She is losing huge amounts of money, drawn into the vortex of the roulette wheel, hoping that with each spin her luck will change and she will win back her money.

The General is of course frantic with the old woman as she is gambling away his inheritance. He can't find any way to stop her and so calls the police. Blanche by this point has had enough and leaves with another man. Having lost all the money she brought with her, Grammy wants to return to Moscow with Polina but she refuses.

The General reappears, distraught because he is financially ruined and Blanche has left him. Polina admits to Alexei the extent of her relationship with the dastardly Marquis, and that he now wants her to repay the money that she owes him. Alexei is delighted that Polina has confided in him and is determined to win both her money back, and her heart on the spin of the roulette wheel.

The story behind The Gambler is as fascinating as the novel itself. Dostoevsky had run up immense debts with his publisher, and so struck a deal that he would complete a novel in 30 days. If he lost the bet, he would forfeit his rights to all past, present and future work. Dostoevsky's affair with a woman called Polina Suslova had broken down in 1862, that was followed by the death of his wife Maria in 1864 from tuberculosis. It could be said that he wasn't probably of sound mind when he made the bet with his publisher, and it is highly likely that the characters of Paulina and the French Marquis are based on his ex-mistress and the chap she left him for. As with all good writers who have a deadline, he managed to get the work completed in just the nick of time to give us a novel that feels as though it is verging on the maniacal.

Whilst there have been numerous translations of this work, I did enjoy listening to this version. I was surprised to find myself laughing out loud at the absurd situations this cast of sordid characters found themselves in. I can't say I particularly liked or disliked them due to Dostoevsky's ability to make them all well rounded life-like characters.  Other than the Marquis, who Dostoevsky obviously hated, the characters were both loveable and obnoxious in equal measure. I just found them all intriguing in their different ways.

The novel might be short in length, but Dostoevsky welcomes you into his pit of hell with open arms, and allows you to understand where he and others with a gambling addiction are coming from. This is a delightful novel considering how quickly it was thrown together and certainly one for those readers who want to dip a toe into his work without reading the doorstop tomes of The Brothers Karamazov or Crime and Punishment (although I would heartily recommend them!)  

 

Genre: Fiction, Classics, Russian Literature, Psychological

Release Date: 11^th January 2010

Publisher: Blackstone Audio Inc

Listening Time: 6h 14m

 

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