Igrok

This book is in the Russian language. The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky about a young man named Alexy who works as a tutor in the facility of a former Russian general. Alexy tries to break away from a bad habit, but instead only gets more caught up in the vicious circle, gambling on a regular basis. His severe addiction is developing at the backdrop of his love affair with the general's niece Polina, a young woman of a mischievous character. In The Gambler, Dostoevsky masterfully creates psychological drama that, interestingly enough, reflects author's own addiction problem of the same kind. The novel was completed under the rush of a deadline and the royalties were used to pay off Dostoyevsky's own debts. (Igrok, Dostoevsky).