Alexei Ivanovich is a tutor in the household of a Russian general at a German spa town called Roulettenburg. Everyone around him is waiting on an inheritance, and he is hopelessly in love with the general's stepdaughter Polina. Persuaded to gamble for her, he discovers a thrill at the roulette table that he cannot give up. Dostoevsky wrote it in a few weeks to pay off debts, drawing on his own addiction.
For readers who want a short, fast Dostoevsky that captures the pull of compulsion, with characters who are vain, desperate and oddly funny. It makes a good first step into Russian literature before attempting the longer novels.
Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2011
- Language
- RO
