The Gambler (Illustrated)

"But gamblers know how a man can sit for almost twenty-four hours at cards, without looking to right, or to left." -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Gambler.. The Gambler is a riveting portrait of a desperate young man in the grip of gambling addiction, a compulsion that author Dostoyevsky knew about intimately. In this succinct but powerful novel, the Russian master examines the irresistible impulses in human nature that take us to the dark side. The heroine of the story, Polina, is based on Polina Suslova, Dostoyevsky's lover in 1862-63.. Includes Dostoyevsky image gallery.