The Gambler (Arcturus Classics) - Softcover

Alexei Ivanovich is tutor to a Russian family. They are bankrupt and eagerly awaiting the death of 'Grandmother'. Alexei falls in love twice: first, with the beautiful but impossible Polina; and second, with the game of roulette. Hi addiction turns out to be shared by Grandmother who suddenly appears, very much alive, and willing to gamble down to her last banknote.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-81) was one of Russia's foremost writers, producing novels, short stories, essays and philosophical texts. Born in Moscow, he initially trained as an engineer, spending his spare time translating books. The publication of his first book, Poor Folk, saw him enter the literary circles of St Petersburg, but he developed a gambling habit as he toured around Europe and then fell foul of the Russian authorities who sent him into exile in Siberia in 1849 for reading banned works.