The Gambler (novel)

The Gambler is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is about the bad side of gambling and has to do with Dostoyevsky's own experiences from his travels to Wiesbaden, Baden-Baden and other casinos. At the time when he wrote The Gambler he had serious financial problems. The Gambler was also turned into an opera by Sergei Prokofiev.

Background

The Gambler was made public in 1867 short time after Crime and Punishment. In the summer 1865 Dostoyevsky had promised to his publisher Stellovsky to create a novel until 1. November. Otherwise the publisher would get the publishing rights for other works of Dostoyevsky without having to pay. Dostoyevsky accepted this. So Dostoyevsky dictated the novel in only 26 days to his typist and later wife Anna. Stellovsky left St. Petersburg on 31. October to make the delivery impossible. But Anna had the idea to deliver the novel to a notary (a kind of a lawyer) and like that they were able to deliver the novel until the promised date.