What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gambler and Other Stories
The Gambler and Other Stories is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's collection of one novella and six short stories reflecting his own life - indeed, 'The Gambler', a story of a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian General, was written under a strict deadline so he could pay off his roulette debts. This volume includes 'Bobok', the tale of a frustrated writer visiting a cemetery and enjoying the gossip of the dead; 'The Dream of a Ridiculous Man', the story of one man's plan to commit suicide and the troubling dream that follows, as well as 'A Christmas Party and a Wedding', 'A Nasty Story' and 'The Meek One'.
386 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1914
150 people are currently reading
1001 people want to read
About the author
Fyodor Dostoevsky
3,233 books72k followers
Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский
(Russian)
Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.
Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .
Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.
(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)
Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.
Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .
Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.
(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
November 18, 2025
actual rating: 4.5 stars
December 8, 2020
‘White Nights’ (1848) is a wonderfully engaging, intense story in which a lonely young man – ‘the dreamer’ – meets a distraught young woman on one of his nightly walks. Over the course of four nights, they get to know one another; he falls in love, but she’s pining for a former suitor. It’s all a bit hysterical, as 19th-century romances are wont to be, but so lucidly written; I loved every one of the dreamer’s observations, which often felt as though he was speaking, with urgency, directly to me.
And you ask yourself: Where are your dreams? And you shake your head and say: How quickly do the years fly by! And again you ask yourself: what have you done with your years? Where have you buried your best days? Did you live or not?
At just nine pages, ‘A Christmas Party and a Wedding’ (1848) is by far the shortest piece included here. It's a bit difficult to judge, really: its events – an old man assessing an 11-year-old girl as a potential future wife, since her family have set aside a large dowry – are distasteful to the narrator, but not deplorable, as they might seem to the modern reader.
‘A Nasty Business’ (1862) is a painful, hilarious tale in which an awkward young general chances upon a raucous event, realises it’s the wedding of a man who works beneath him, and decides to attend. He envisions astonished guests and a hero’s welcome. In fact, pretty much everything that can go wrong does, starting with him treading on a tray of food as he walks in. The story is hideously accurate about the disconnect between plans and reality caused by social anxiety. I winced (and smiled, sort of) all the way through.
I had been looking forward to reading The Gambler (1866); I was both surprised and disappointed to find it the least satisfying part of the book. The blurb and introduction for this edition make much of the fact that Dostoyevsky wrote it in 26 days in order to meet a deadline and pay off his real-life gambling debts, and the opening chapters impart some of that urgency, albeit to its detriment: the reader is not so much thrust into the action as left to flounder in a morass of indeterminably-connected characters, which is both confusing and, unfortunately, quite boring. The narrative picks up with the arrival of the formidable Grandmother, and the actual gambling scenes are certainly riveting, capturing the fevered dread of one in the grip of addiction. Still, the tangled relationships completely failed to interest me – something that didn’t happen with any of the shorter stories in the book, despite them all having less space to establish said relationships.
‘Bobok’ (1873) is a humorous fantasy in which a man, wandering through a graveyard, overhears the occupants of tombs conversing with one another. An amusing interlude, albeit not so effective as ‘A Nasty Business’ (and I actually found the opening lines funnier than anything else: ‘This time I’m submitting ‘The Notes of a Certain Person’. It is not I; it is by an altogether different person.’)
‘The Meek One’ (1876) is the only one of these stories I had read before, in a Penguin Little Black Classics edition (same translation – reviewed briefly here). It’s one of my favourite short stories (though, after reading this book, I think ‘White Nights’ may have overtaken it), another fierce and fervent narrative in which a man, eaten up by guilt, confesses his own role in his wife’s suicide.
In ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’ (1877), we have another distressed narrator who makes typically bombastic, and false, proclamations (‘I would have helped a child without fail’, he says, moments after ignoring such a child pleading for help in the street). He has made up his mind to end his life, but an incredible vision forces him to question this choice. There are shades of A Christmas Carol to the plot, and the startlingly modern descriptions reminded me of Anna Kavan’s Sleep Has His House. In a vividly described sequence, the story seems to encapsulate the whole of creation in just a few pages. I know the stories are in chronological order; nevertheless, ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’ seems perfectly placed at the end, with its memorable illusions and uncharacteristic message of hope.
TinyLetter | Linktree
And you ask yourself: Where are your dreams? And you shake your head and say: How quickly do the years fly by! And again you ask yourself: what have you done with your years? Where have you buried your best days? Did you live or not?
At just nine pages, ‘A Christmas Party and a Wedding’ (1848) is by far the shortest piece included here. It's a bit difficult to judge, really: its events – an old man assessing an 11-year-old girl as a potential future wife, since her family have set aside a large dowry – are distasteful to the narrator, but not deplorable, as they might seem to the modern reader.
‘A Nasty Business’ (1862) is a painful, hilarious tale in which an awkward young general chances upon a raucous event, realises it’s the wedding of a man who works beneath him, and decides to attend. He envisions astonished guests and a hero’s welcome. In fact, pretty much everything that can go wrong does, starting with him treading on a tray of food as he walks in. The story is hideously accurate about the disconnect between plans and reality caused by social anxiety. I winced (and smiled, sort of) all the way through.
I had been looking forward to reading The Gambler (1866); I was both surprised and disappointed to find it the least satisfying part of the book. The blurb and introduction for this edition make much of the fact that Dostoyevsky wrote it in 26 days in order to meet a deadline and pay off his real-life gambling debts, and the opening chapters impart some of that urgency, albeit to its detriment: the reader is not so much thrust into the action as left to flounder in a morass of indeterminably-connected characters, which is both confusing and, unfortunately, quite boring. The narrative picks up with the arrival of the formidable Grandmother, and the actual gambling scenes are certainly riveting, capturing the fevered dread of one in the grip of addiction. Still, the tangled relationships completely failed to interest me – something that didn’t happen with any of the shorter stories in the book, despite them all having less space to establish said relationships.
‘Bobok’ (1873) is a humorous fantasy in which a man, wandering through a graveyard, overhears the occupants of tombs conversing with one another. An amusing interlude, albeit not so effective as ‘A Nasty Business’ (and I actually found the opening lines funnier than anything else: ‘This time I’m submitting ‘The Notes of a Certain Person’. It is not I; it is by an altogether different person.’)
‘The Meek One’ (1876) is the only one of these stories I had read before, in a Penguin Little Black Classics edition (same translation – reviewed briefly here). It’s one of my favourite short stories (though, after reading this book, I think ‘White Nights’ may have overtaken it), another fierce and fervent narrative in which a man, eaten up by guilt, confesses his own role in his wife’s suicide.
In ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’ (1877), we have another distressed narrator who makes typically bombastic, and false, proclamations (‘I would have helped a child without fail’, he says, moments after ignoring such a child pleading for help in the street). He has made up his mind to end his life, but an incredible vision forces him to question this choice. There are shades of A Christmas Carol to the plot, and the startlingly modern descriptions reminded me of Anna Kavan’s Sleep Has His House. In a vividly described sequence, the story seems to encapsulate the whole of creation in just a few pages. I know the stories are in chronological order; nevertheless, ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’ seems perfectly placed at the end, with its memorable illusions and uncharacteristic message of hope.
TinyLetter | Linktree
November 9, 2025
An amazing collection of stories, Dostoyevsky continues to captivate me.
May 12, 2024
Took me a while to read through these stories (about a month I think? Maybe just over?). The language is heavier than I’m used to and for my first dive into Dostoyevsky I was very grateful for the extensive notes at the back. Dostoyevsky’s storytelling is incredibly unique, a combination of stream-of-consciousness with great emotional depth and nuance. Although a lot of these stories hurt my brain a lot I thoroughly enjoyed them, even more so after reading the introduction that gave cultural, historical and personal context to each of them.
I tried to rank the stories in order or my most to least favourite but upon reflection I enjoyed very different aspects of all of them and don’t think they’re very comparable lol
I tried to rank the stories in order or my most to least favourite but upon reflection I enjoyed very different aspects of all of them and don’t think they’re very comparable lol
April 30, 2025
Leste ikke alle korthistoriene, men leste «the gambler».
Kort oppsummert: galskap som man selv blir dratt med i.
Mannen kunne nok skrive ekstra bra om gambling ettersom han var en storspeler sjæl.
Kort oppsummert: galskap som man selv blir dratt med i.
Mannen kunne nok skrive ekstra bra om gambling ettersom han var en storspeler sjæl.
May 3, 2020
On the edition: Read the intro only after reading the relevant stories
Stories in order of preference: The Gambler > Bobok > A Nasty Business > The Meek One > The Dream of a Ridiculous Man > A Christmas Party and a Wedding > White Nights
Dostoyevsky as an author can write one thing in a manner none can- 'Delirium'. Passages in his text when on such a phase in the character's life run with such a feverish pace that your head spins at the pace of reading them. Sheer brilliance.
The Gambler is a story (quite autobiographical, written in 26 days by the author) is a story about a man who loses his life to gambling. The story is beautifully written, with my favourite character of the grandmother (Babushka!). The story of the Gambler is similar to Dostoevsky's personal life and losses to gambling, which is the reason that he had to finish the story in 26 days too.
Bobok is a quirky story about a man who hears dead people talk in a grave. It's such a ridiculous setting with even more ridiculous conversations! A Nasty Business is about a high Russian official who wants to implement the 'new ideas' of there being more love to the 'lower levels' of society by gatecrashing a wedding night while drunk. The sequence of events that take shape are ridiculous and most entertaining.
The Meek One is a more reflective story about a man who drives his wife (characterised as meek) to commit suicide. It's tenderly written from the POV of a man ruined. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man has some very well written segments of a perfect world of harmony and how man's self-interest (and 'science') causes havoc to theoretical perfection. A Christmas Party and a Wedding is a curious little story about an older man who identifies a young girl at her birthday, all of 11, to get married at 16 for the dowry amount. White Nights is a story about an isolated man who falls in love with a moment he happens to meet but can never be with. Nice segments of desperation here.
The stories in many parts are a social commentary by Dostoevsky, since they came in his various periodicals. The Gambler is the strongest story, published in the same year as Crime and Punishment (1866). The stories in the book are organised chronologically, and you can see the various stages of Dostoyevsky's writing as it shapes up. The introduction gives important context on the autobiographical nature of some stories, especially the figure of 3000 roubles that Dostoyevsky owed to his editor showing up at many places, like an Easter egg!
All in all, quite a wholesome read. 4 stars because I enjoy his longer works that allow him to whip up the story in his own way, which can in this book be seen in 'The Gambler'.
Stories in order of preference: The Gambler > Bobok > A Nasty Business > The Meek One > The Dream of a Ridiculous Man > A Christmas Party and a Wedding > White Nights
Dostoyevsky as an author can write one thing in a manner none can- 'Delirium'. Passages in his text when on such a phase in the character's life run with such a feverish pace that your head spins at the pace of reading them. Sheer brilliance.
The Gambler is a story (quite autobiographical, written in 26 days by the author) is a story about a man who loses his life to gambling. The story is beautifully written, with my favourite character of the grandmother (Babushka!). The story of the Gambler is similar to Dostoevsky's personal life and losses to gambling, which is the reason that he had to finish the story in 26 days too.
Bobok is a quirky story about a man who hears dead people talk in a grave. It's such a ridiculous setting with even more ridiculous conversations! A Nasty Business is about a high Russian official who wants to implement the 'new ideas' of there being more love to the 'lower levels' of society by gatecrashing a wedding night while drunk. The sequence of events that take shape are ridiculous and most entertaining.
The Meek One is a more reflective story about a man who drives his wife (characterised as meek) to commit suicide. It's tenderly written from the POV of a man ruined. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man has some very well written segments of a perfect world of harmony and how man's self-interest (and 'science') causes havoc to theoretical perfection. A Christmas Party and a Wedding is a curious little story about an older man who identifies a young girl at her birthday, all of 11, to get married at 16 for the dowry amount. White Nights is a story about an isolated man who falls in love with a moment he happens to meet but can never be with. Nice segments of desperation here.
The stories in many parts are a social commentary by Dostoevsky, since they came in his various periodicals. The Gambler is the strongest story, published in the same year as Crime and Punishment (1866). The stories in the book are organised chronologically, and you can see the various stages of Dostoyevsky's writing as it shapes up. The introduction gives important context on the autobiographical nature of some stories, especially the figure of 3000 roubles that Dostoyevsky owed to his editor showing up at many places, like an Easter egg!
All in all, quite a wholesome read. 4 stars because I enjoy his longer works that allow him to whip up the story in his own way, which can in this book be seen in 'The Gambler'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2021
White nights 5/5
A Christmas party and a wedding 4/5
A nasty business 5/5
The gambler 6/5
Bobok 4/5
The meek one 4/5
The dream of a ridiculous man 3.5/5
A Christmas party and a wedding 4/5
A nasty business 5/5
The gambler 6/5
Bobok 4/5
The meek one 4/5
The dream of a ridiculous man 3.5/5
August 6, 2023
I read ~20 pages from "White nights" and had to put the book down. It just isn't my style, it made me feel like I ate raw aloe vera.
August 4, 2025
I got the impression that Dostoyevsky’s is very depressing (perhaps from all the quotes and receptions online), but this turns out to be very far from my experience reading this book! The writing is so emotionally didactic and it’s tiring to read through all his men’s ramblings (ugh!). I couldn’t care less about men’s feelings, esp. in White Nights, The Gambler, or The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (which really compelled me to drop from a 3 to 2 stars rating for this book), when I’m not even allowed the understanding of how their emotions developed. The characters’ dialogues are almost always in senseless rapture and bathed in sentimentality — a no-no for me.
TL;DR: these men have A LOT of verbal emotional orgasms (and perhaps is indicative of how closed off they are in their own perspectives).
The Gambler is indeed an account of addiction as it’s often praised, but the story is quite too long. The grandmother and Ivanovich (main character) are two explicit reflections of gambling addiction.
Some bright gems are the shorter stories: The Meek One is perhaps my fav because it’s hilarious how the man keeps “sternly” justifying for his own values, beliefs, and actions only to himself (the reader) while yearning that his wife would somehow understand all his deepest wishes and darkest past (lol). A Christmas Party and a Wedding is short and sweet (it’s actually a sad ending btw). A Nasty Business is a bit long-winded but the plot’s insinuations of class arrogance and showiness is gold. And Bobok (beans!) is quirky af.
TL;DR: these men have A LOT of verbal emotional orgasms (and perhaps is indicative of how closed off they are in their own perspectives).
The Gambler is indeed an account of addiction as it’s often praised, but the story is quite too long. The grandmother and Ivanovich (main character) are two explicit reflections of gambling addiction.
Some bright gems are the shorter stories: The Meek One is perhaps my fav because it’s hilarious how the man keeps “sternly” justifying for his own values, beliefs, and actions only to himself (the reader) while yearning that his wife would somehow understand all his deepest wishes and darkest past (lol). A Christmas Party and a Wedding is short and sweet (it’s actually a sad ending btw). A Nasty Business is a bit long-winded but the plot’s insinuations of class arrogance and showiness is gold. And Bobok (beans!) is quirky af.
April 29, 2024
Lovely collection of stories that I’m p sure I read a few years ago but, like most of his work, there’s so much frenzy & intensity they kind of demand rereading (the typical Dostoevskian neurotic male narrator recurs in each, mad or drunk or both, working through personal calamity and also profound ideas concerning Russia as whole; the situation of class; what it means to be a Russian etc. Not to mention love and the state of humankind). Interesting note on the disparities between translations at the beginning - how many English translators try to smooth out Dostoevsky’s ‘clumsiness’; the inelegant repetition of the same adjective etc. Fave alongside the gambler was possibly the meek one ? Or maybe a nasty business
April 14, 2023
Great collection. The Gambler is a great tale about the sickness of gambling addiction and the mindset of someone who can’t help but lose everything.
March 3, 2024
This collection had four stories that I hadn't read before - A Christmas Party and a Wedding, A Nasty Business, Bobok and The Gambler, which was so brilliantly written and extremely entertaining that I couldn't put the book down for days. The second story reminded me a lot of the first feelings I got when I picked up Notes from Underground - a combination of secondhand embarrassment, tied with the feeling you get while watching a car crash and burn in slow motion. All in all, a great collection. If you haven't started on your Dostoyevsky journey yet (and why not?!) this is such a good way into it.
Read
January 26, 2025The Gambler
April 18, 2025
Sublime, I see why Kafka liked him so much. Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a "can I copy your homework" for End of Evangelion
June 1, 2025
1. The Gambler (5/5)
2. A Nasty Business (4.5/5)
3. White Nights (4/5)
4. The Meek One (3.5/5)
5. A Christmas Party and a Wedding (3.5/5
6. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (3.5/5)
7. Bobok (3/5)
2. A Nasty Business (4.5/5)
3. White Nights (4/5)
4. The Meek One (3.5/5)
5. A Christmas Party and a Wedding (3.5/5
6. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (3.5/5)
7. Bobok (3/5)
August 31, 2025
“They say that the sun gives life to the universe. The sun will rise and — look at it, isn’t it dead? Everything is dead, the dead are everywhere. There are only people, and all around them is silence — that’s the earth.”
It's been a while since I read some Dostoyevsky. I think the peak of my love for him was when I was about 18-22, and it kind of tapered off. I still love his books, of course, but at 25 I find myself less inclined to pick up as many great Russian classics like I used to when I was just starting out in university. I've no doubt that Dostoyevsky will come back to me again though.
The Penguin Classics edition that I read with a new translation by Ronald Meyer was very informative, and while I was a bit frustrated with how many additional notes he felt needed to be included (I really don't care about how the ranking system works, they're all just rich white people to me, so why are you making me look at a table?), I still commend him for the good compilation work. The contextual notes in the back were adequate, though sometimes I felt like he missed out on explaining something in favor of over-explaining something else that needs no definition or expounding. This is a common feature I find in most of Penguin Classics' editions though. Only God and the editor know why some things are given context and others are taken for granted when they should not be. Overall, this edition was fine, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's just getting into reading Dostoyevsky. Meyer's collection has stories that span all throughout Dostoyevsky's career, and, while it was certainly eye-opening and educational to see how much his writing's changed over the years, the anthology itself doesn't have much organizational charm aside from this chronological narrative diversity. I think Penguin's other collection Poor Folk and Other Stories is much more successful as a short story collection than this one, but I digress.
Prior to this short story collection, I had read The House of the Dead last year. Strangely, I was able to get through the book quickly despite it being really boring. I've never read The Gambler before and was saving it for when I eventually got to this collection, but I was honestly quite bored with it as a novella. Gambling narratives don't really interest me, hence why I've never read many infamous spy novels (sorry, Ian Fleming). I actually found the autobiographical story behind the novella's creation: Dostoyevsky wrote it in under 3 weeks to settle his real-life gambling debts. He feverishly dictated the story to a typist before having it sent off to his editor. He was making a big risk betting everything on this book's success, and luckily he was able to get himself out of his financial problems . . . for little while, at least.
I found Alexei Ivanovich a bland protagonist, although his love slave complex to Polina Alexandrovna Praskovja was amusing:
“You yourself know what has swallowed me up. Since I have no hope and am nothing in your eyes, I can speak my mind: everywhere I look I see only you, nothing else matters. Why and how I love you — I don’t know. Do you know, maybe you’re not good at all?”Because it simply can't be a Dostoyevsky collection without a pathetic man head over insane heels for a woman who's kinda mean?
Polina wasn't the best person -- I actually found her more dull than Alexei -- but I can't deny that she's the main reason why most of the plot starts to kick off around 1/3 of the story:
“Do you know that some day I will kill you? I won’t kill you because I have stopped loving you or because I’m jealous of you, but I’ll kill you simply because sometimes I want to devour you.”Even when it was revealed that she did love Alexei the entire time, I didn't feel all that sorry for her. Maybe I need to reread the novella again; I'm a little unsettled with how scarcely I care for Polina since she (apparently) was worthy of Alexei's fervent desire:
“What’s your anger to me? I love without hope, and I know that after this I will love you a thousand times more. If I kill you some day, I’ll have to kill myself as well, you know; but I’ll put off killing myself as long as possible so that I can feel the unbearable pain of being without you. Do you want to know something incredible? I love you more with every passing day, and that’s all but impossible, you know.”Like, if this woman can inspire in you so much beautiful declarations of love, why don't I like her all that much? Maybe there's something wrong with me.
But, to be fair, I didn't find The Gambler all that interesting to get through until Antonida Vasilevna Tarasevitcheva (The Grandmother) showed up. She was my favorite character. This woman was so fucking funny. She enters and continues to be moved throughout the plot by being carried around like that old Smallweed couple from Charles Dickens' Bleak House. The image of this haughty, nagging, yet heart-of-gold cranky old woman being paraded around was hilarious and added a whimsical, unserious quality to Dostoyevsky that I don't see in his novels often. I would've loved to see The Grandmother in action, but unfortunately I couldn't find an adaptation of The Gambler that had English subtitles. She's delightfully eccentric, takes no shits, and is very (and rightly) bitter against her good-for-nothing relatives. I agree she's not the most pleasant woman to be around, but I don't really blame her for being so moody the entire time -- how would anyone like it if their family made it exceedingly clear that they can't wait for them to die? I loved her for bullying Alexei too. (She hits him several times! Shouting the most exemplary of abuses!) She, most notably, forces him to teach her to gamble, and, even though he begs not to be a part of it, she ends up losing all her fortunes. Then, when she realizes how badly she's screwed up, she, at first, gets upset even though everyone's warnings were correct, but afterwards she kinda just takes a "Ah, well, ya live and ya learn" attitude about it then fucks back to her estate back in Russia before dying later on in the story. She's so iconic. Reminds me so much of many chaotic Filipino titas in my life. I think The Grandmother made reading The Gambler worth it, and, while I do akcnowledge Dostoyevsky's best work is in his more austere and down-to-earth novels like Crime and Punishment, I still enjoyed his satire in this one. Maybe he should've dabbled a bit more in comedy.
Moving on, after I finished The Gambler I reread "Bobok," "The Meek One," and first read "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man." The former two were fun to revisit. I remember reading "The Meek One" in high school and finding the story tragic and piteous:
“You don’t know with what paradise I would have surrounded you. The paradise was in my soul; I would have planted it all round you! Well, you wouldn’t have loved me — so be it, what of it? Everything would have been like that, everything would have stayed like that. You would have talked to me only as a friend — and we would have rejoiced and laughed with joy, as we looked into each other’s eyes. That’s how we would have lived. And if you had fallen in love with somebody else — well, so be it, so be it! You would have walked with him and laughed, while I looked on from the other side of the street . . . Oh, let it be anything, anything, if only she would open her eyes just once! For one moment, just one! . . .”
And, while I did find the story really heartbreaking, I no longer felt much sorrow for the protagonist. I must've missed it when I first got around to reading it, but there's a 30+ age difference between him and his teenage wife, and, despite trying to convince me that he's fond of her, his outward behavior is downright sociopathic, which renders his inner monologuing null to me. "The Meek One" is my second favorite story from this collection. It's a different translation than the one I first read, so I guess that may be why I didn't find the story as sad as I did the first time around, but nevertheless I enjoyed looking at it again with a new set of eyes. I liked that the story begins with his wife already dead and the entire narrative is "told" to us as he's physically with the corpse and waiting for her to be buried. It made his recollection of their "love story" all the more bittersweet and frankly disturbing, and it all comes spilling out once they try to take her body away from him:
“What are your laws to me now? What do I need with your customs, your ways, your life, your government, your faith? Let your judges judge me, let them take me to court, to your public court, and I will say that I acknowledge nothing. The judge will shout: ‘Silence, officer!’ And I will cry out to him: ‘What power do you now possess that I should obey you? Why has dark inertia shattered that which was dearest of all? What need have I now of your laws? I part company with you.’ Oh, it’s all the same to me!”
I think Dostoyevsky portrayed guilty madness better in this story than "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man." I found that one to be only slightly less boring than The Gambler, partly because it does literally read like an esoteric fever dream that just didn't impact me in the way Dostoyevsky intended. The mini "Genesis" story wasn't poignant, it kind of read more like a moralistic H.G. Wells nightmare-scape. Good thing Dostoyevsky never got into sci-fi.
After reading these last three stories, I circled back in the collection and read "A Christmas Party and a Wedding" and "A Nasty Business." I liked "A Christmas Party and a Wedding" a bit better, although the ending made me really uncomfortable. By contrast, I felt the latter tale to be one of the weaker ones, -- why did it keep dragging on for so long? -- although it was obvious what Dostoyevsky was trying to say about the folly of upper class ideals when it comes to actually implementing their highfalutin values once they interact with people they fundamentally deem lesser than them. I felt bad for Pseldonymov, his mother, and his bride the most because I, too, understand what it's like having your day absolutely ruined by rich people who think they're doing you a favor by gracing you with their presence when really all they succeed in doing is make an ass of themselves and waste everybody's time. Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky, though infuriatingly stupid and uninspiring as a main character, was nevertheless accurate in what he represented.
I saved "White Nights" for last because it's my favorite Dostoyevsky story of all time, and it remains so. I didn't write down any of the quotes I liked since I didn't really vibe much with Meyer's translation, but I still liked rereading it. Ah, dreamers. It truly is one of Dostoyevsky's most romantic and best works. Honestly, this collection would've gotten 3 stars if I hadn't reread "White Nights." It's such a great, lyrical, and gorgeous short story that indeed brings forth memories of white winter nights and longing, which is a very tender universal Dostoyevsky mood.
January 22, 2021
A engaging collection of invaluable short stories by the gifted Russian master. Dostoyevsky's themes of human suffering and pathos may often appear somber and tragic but his skill at prose and plot is nothing short of first-class. He also has a great genius for dark comedy. I defy any reader who does not feel for the very flawed, human characters in these stories. Times and fashions may change but human nature never does.
We can relate to the passionate gambling addictions of Alexei Ivanovich and his contradictory feelings of love and hatred for Polina in "the Gambler". Nearly every man has loved a beautiful yet flighty girl like Nastenka; the girl who got away in "White Nights". We've all tried and failed to seize a moment of importance and ended up embarrassing ourselves like Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky in "A Nasty Business" and we've all pondered about life after death as in "Babok".
Each shorty story carried a grand display of human expression and human failings. I throughly enjoyed this grand collection.
We can relate to the passionate gambling addictions of Alexei Ivanovich and his contradictory feelings of love and hatred for Polina in "the Gambler". Nearly every man has loved a beautiful yet flighty girl like Nastenka; the girl who got away in "White Nights". We've all tried and failed to seize a moment of importance and ended up embarrassing ourselves like Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky in "A Nasty Business" and we've all pondered about life after death as in "Babok".
Each shorty story carried a grand display of human expression and human failings. I throughly enjoyed this grand collection.
December 31, 2023
The writing style was really cool. I definitely preferred some stories over others, though, and there was one involving a general going to a party which gave me awful second hand embarrassment.
The story of the gambler, though, I really liked, although I did find the ending a little abrupt. White Nights was also one I really enjoyed.
The story of the gambler, though, I really liked, although I did find the ending a little abrupt. White Nights was also one I really enjoyed.
May 31, 2022
A reread of one of Dostoevsky's best works never disappoints. The first time I came across this book my attention was completely devoted to Alexei Ivanovich's (a tutor at the disposal of a retired general) addiction to gambling and his lack of self-control. This time around, I found more interest in the relationship dynamics within this piece, which were dysfunctional, to say the least.
The first dysfunctional relationship dynamic introduced—and in my opinion, the most significant—is that of Alexei and Polina (the general's stepdaughter). Polina sets Alexei to run her errands and perform nonsensical acts that render Alexei a fool and somewhat of a clown. Alexei does all her bidding and is madly eager to please her and is completely pliant to her will.
Alexei's obsession with Polina is tantamount to his obsession with gambling. Both fixations are entirely illogical and neither subject of his fixation act in a consistent manner.
In gambling, he wins incredible sums and yet loses incredible sums. In his relationship with Polina, he receives moments of immense (delirium-driven) passion and yet is thought of as less than a slave at best. Alexei is driven and possessed completely by his infatuation with gambling, his infatuation with Polina, and of course—his complete lack of self-control.
Going back to the main theme (gambling):
One of the things, that to me, really emphasised the lack of sense in Alexei's infatuations and fixations was the lack of system when it came to gambling. Almost all gamblers are known to devise their own systems to adhere to meaning and apply sense to their gambling. At the very least a gambler will show a set of superstitions that he will follow... Alexei shows none of this, he is merely the hollow embodiment of the need to gamble and nothing more.
What I find most amusing about Alexei's systemless, nonsensical gambling is that Dostoevsky—a known gambler himself—most definitely did not forget to add in this detail. Dostoevsky even hints at other gamblers' systems and calculations during each game of roulette. The most that is described of Alexei's "system," however, is Alexei's mention of the frequency of some of the numbers that come up. He does not pay too much attention to this and does not make a real system out of it either.
The other stories in this edition of the gambler were ones that I had not read before. Those stories being "Poor People" and "The Landlady."
I found "Poor People" rather interesting in terms of its layout. The back and forth between Varvara and Makar through letters describing their pitiful financial state were very well executed and invoked real emotion towards these characters. The fatherly affection and devotion of Makar were written beautifully and felt very real in all senses.
"The Landlady," on the other hand, was really not for me and felt a tad tedious to read at bits. I would retract a star from the reading due to this story but I am too fond of the first two stories to do so.
To finalise this immensely long (and yet not exhaustive) review: 5/5 A definite recommend, I am also very glad I chose to reread this edition of the book instead.
The first dysfunctional relationship dynamic introduced—and in my opinion, the most significant—is that of Alexei and Polina (the general's stepdaughter). Polina sets Alexei to run her errands and perform nonsensical acts that render Alexei a fool and somewhat of a clown. Alexei does all her bidding and is madly eager to please her and is completely pliant to her will.
Alexei's obsession with Polina is tantamount to his obsession with gambling. Both fixations are entirely illogical and neither subject of his fixation act in a consistent manner.
In gambling, he wins incredible sums and yet loses incredible sums. In his relationship with Polina, he receives moments of immense (delirium-driven) passion and yet is thought of as less than a slave at best. Alexei is driven and possessed completely by his infatuation with gambling, his infatuation with Polina, and of course—his complete lack of self-control.
Going back to the main theme (gambling):
One of the things, that to me, really emphasised the lack of sense in Alexei's infatuations and fixations was the lack of system when it came to gambling. Almost all gamblers are known to devise their own systems to adhere to meaning and apply sense to their gambling. At the very least a gambler will show a set of superstitions that he will follow... Alexei shows none of this, he is merely the hollow embodiment of the need to gamble and nothing more.
What I find most amusing about Alexei's systemless, nonsensical gambling is that Dostoevsky—a known gambler himself—most definitely did not forget to add in this detail. Dostoevsky even hints at other gamblers' systems and calculations during each game of roulette. The most that is described of Alexei's "system," however, is Alexei's mention of the frequency of some of the numbers that come up. He does not pay too much attention to this and does not make a real system out of it either.
The other stories in this edition of the gambler were ones that I had not read before. Those stories being "Poor People" and "The Landlady."
I found "Poor People" rather interesting in terms of its layout. The back and forth between Varvara and Makar through letters describing their pitiful financial state were very well executed and invoked real emotion towards these characters. The fatherly affection and devotion of Makar were written beautifully and felt very real in all senses.
"The Landlady," on the other hand, was really not for me and felt a tad tedious to read at bits. I would retract a star from the reading due to this story but I am too fond of the first two stories to do so.
To finalise this immensely long (and yet not exhaustive) review: 5/5 A definite recommend, I am also very glad I chose to reread this edition of the book instead.
October 12, 2022
The Gambler was a fantastic story full of fantastic Dostoevsky characters. They are always so engrossing, though I find it hard to nail down why that is the case. I guess Russians themselves are so wonderfully interesting (at least in 19th century Russian literature); they vacillate so drastically between emotions and it makes for great reading. Loved the view that The Gambler gave of Europe and its gambling habits in the 19th century. Gut punch of an ending. The other stories were great, too, especially White Nights.
Highly recommend to the fan Dostoevsky or Russian literature.
Highly recommend to the fan Dostoevsky or Russian literature.
July 29, 2024
I thank god every day that dostoyevsky's bibliography is insanely long because i could never be done with him. his prose is so eloquent and frequently jaw droppingly stunning and i have a massive respect for the creative ways in which he presents his opinions and ideals, both subtly and not so subtly (even if i most often disagree with him).
I think what surprises me with Dostoyevsky is his humour. He is such a witty writer and parts of The Gambler (especially in the 1st half) read as down right comedic. I love that he is able to balance this, or at least combine it into the way he writes about the darkness in the world. Humour and devastation can coexist; that's just existence. It can make dire stories entertaining or pull you into thinking a certain way only to turn that completely on its head. Sometimes its the way the characters act, sometimes Dostoyevsky's voice (or at least I like to think so) peaks through and adds a silly, tongue-in-cheek witticism to the narration. For example, one of my favourite lines from White Nights was "Today was a sad, rainy day, without a ray of hope, just like my future old age." It just cracked me up.
And finally, I learnt so much from reading these stories (which is one of the reasons i love reading classics.) I recommend reading the appendix on money in The Gambler, as then you can see just how many millions are lost over the course of less than 200 pages!! But I learnt a lot about European currency in the 1800s (?) and the state of opinions about Russians abroad during Dostoyevsky's time, the Great Reforms in Russia, a lot about Dostoyevsky and his life of course, and many other things that were interesting but I promptly forgot because I have the memory of a goldfish. But I love knowledge. Reading the story of how The Gambler came to be and how Dostoyevsky's MARRIAGE was born of it - it just sounded like a whole story of itself. I'm desperate to read her memoirs now. In fact, I added about 5 new books to my tbr over the course of reading this.
In terms of the separate stories, I don't want to rank them because they are all quite different and unrelated to one another, and I got different things from each. White Nights was one of the most beautiful things I have ever read and literally had me closing the book in shock; A Christmas Party and a Wedding was so horrifying I took a month to recover; A Nasty Business sent me down a rabithole of information on the reforms; The Gambler was showstoppingly brilliant, hilarious, beautiful, frustrating, ANXIETY-INDUCING, concerning and brilliant (yeah i said brilliant twice its great); Bobok was FUNNY, both the actual story and because he wrote it in response to someone criticising him in the papers;The Meek One I found really interesting as its something Dostoyevsky chose to write about based on a real person he couldn't stop thinking of and it was a very in depth character study of an awful person, struggling with the realisation that they are awful. And the Dream of a Ridiculous Man was, again, really beautiful.
I think what surprises me with Dostoyevsky is his humour. He is such a witty writer and parts of The Gambler (especially in the 1st half) read as down right comedic. I love that he is able to balance this, or at least combine it into the way he writes about the darkness in the world. Humour and devastation can coexist; that's just existence. It can make dire stories entertaining or pull you into thinking a certain way only to turn that completely on its head. Sometimes its the way the characters act, sometimes Dostoyevsky's voice (or at least I like to think so) peaks through and adds a silly, tongue-in-cheek witticism to the narration. For example, one of my favourite lines from White Nights was "Today was a sad, rainy day, without a ray of hope, just like my future old age." It just cracked me up.
And finally, I learnt so much from reading these stories (which is one of the reasons i love reading classics.) I recommend reading the appendix on money in The Gambler, as then you can see just how many millions are lost over the course of less than 200 pages!! But I learnt a lot about European currency in the 1800s (?) and the state of opinions about Russians abroad during Dostoyevsky's time, the Great Reforms in Russia, a lot about Dostoyevsky and his life of course, and many other things that were interesting but I promptly forgot because I have the memory of a goldfish. But I love knowledge. Reading the story of how The Gambler came to be and how Dostoyevsky's MARRIAGE was born of it - it just sounded like a whole story of itself. I'm desperate to read her memoirs now. In fact, I added about 5 new books to my tbr over the course of reading this.
In terms of the separate stories, I don't want to rank them because they are all quite different and unrelated to one another, and I got different things from each. White Nights was one of the most beautiful things I have ever read and literally had me closing the book in shock; A Christmas Party and a Wedding was so horrifying I took a month to recover; A Nasty Business sent me down a rabithole of information on the reforms; The Gambler was showstoppingly brilliant, hilarious, beautiful, frustrating, ANXIETY-INDUCING, concerning and brilliant (yeah i said brilliant twice its great); Bobok was FUNNY, both the actual story and because he wrote it in response to someone criticising him in the papers;The Meek One I found really interesting as its something Dostoyevsky chose to write about based on a real person he couldn't stop thinking of and it was a very in depth character study of an awful person, struggling with the realisation that they are awful. And the Dream of a Ridiculous Man was, again, really beautiful.
March 10, 2020
My introduction to Dostoyevsky. The main story was enjoyable although it didn't end up going in any particular direction. Dostoyevsky's style is interesting and definitely one of the best I have read when it comes to putting you inside the character's mind. Even without a proper plot to cling on, I could read about the adventures and misfortunes of Alexei and his aristocrat acquaintances at the casino for days without ever getting bored.
This version included short stories, of which I absolutely loved 'Bobok' (about a writer who visits a cemetery and hears the conversations of the deceased inside their graves). I also liked, although way less, 'A Nasty Story' (about officer Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky, drunk on both alcohol and self-perceived intellectual superiority, trying to return home at night. He finds the wedding celebration of someone under his rank, and completely embarrasses himself and ruins the celebration).
[SPOILERS] Plot summary:
In short, the story tells us of Alexei Ivanovich, an educated man involved with all sorts of aristocrats and their sort. There are love triangles, debt and inheritance subplots surrounding all these various people. Most of them enjoy gambling at the casino, specifically roulette, and some times they make copious amounts of much needed money (since they seem to all live above their capabilities).
The grandmother with the juicy inheritance was a very entertaining character, as she is taken to the casino and wins very big betting always on number zero, only to eventually lose everything and then some more a few days later, in a hit of bad luck and fraud and robbery from other people in the casino taking advantage of her. Mr. Astley the Englishman was also likable because of how good a friend he seems to be to Alexei, though also in love with the same woman (unpredictable bipolar Polina) . Alexei makes a fool of himself by publicly ridiculing some noble people to impress Polina (to no avail) which triggers a series of events that move the plot forward to catastrophe.
At the end, Alexei has a winning strike and becomes very rich in a single night, the grandmother basically ridicules everyone who wants her inheritance and everyone leaves the city and each go on with their lives, some in ruin and some marrying for financial reasons. Alexei leaves to Paris with the very spoilt Mademoiselle Blanche who burns his entire fortune in a few weeks on promises of a lavish life. Alexei ends up returning to the city and has hopeful dreams of earning more money and meeting the woman he loves again in the future.
This version included short stories, of which I absolutely loved 'Bobok' (about a writer who visits a cemetery and hears the conversations of the deceased inside their graves). I also liked, although way less, 'A Nasty Story' (about officer Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky, drunk on both alcohol and self-perceived intellectual superiority, trying to return home at night. He finds the wedding celebration of someone under his rank, and completely embarrasses himself and ruins the celebration).
[SPOILERS] Plot summary:
In short, the story tells us of Alexei Ivanovich, an educated man involved with all sorts of aristocrats and their sort. There are love triangles, debt and inheritance subplots surrounding all these various people. Most of them enjoy gambling at the casino, specifically roulette, and some times they make copious amounts of much needed money (since they seem to all live above their capabilities).
The grandmother with the juicy inheritance was a very entertaining character, as she is taken to the casino and wins very big betting always on number zero, only to eventually lose everything and then some more a few days later, in a hit of bad luck and fraud and robbery from other people in the casino taking advantage of her. Mr. Astley the Englishman was also likable because of how good a friend he seems to be to Alexei, though also in love with the same woman (unpredictable bipolar Polina) . Alexei makes a fool of himself by publicly ridiculing some noble people to impress Polina (to no avail) which triggers a series of events that move the plot forward to catastrophe.
At the end, Alexei has a winning strike and becomes very rich in a single night, the grandmother basically ridicules everyone who wants her inheritance and everyone leaves the city and each go on with their lives, some in ruin and some marrying for financial reasons. Alexei leaves to Paris with the very spoilt Mademoiselle Blanche who burns his entire fortune in a few weeks on promises of a lavish life. Alexei ends up returning to the city and has hopeful dreams of earning more money and meeting the woman he loves again in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2024
I find it very difficult to review story collections, so I will instead be reviewing the stories I hadn't read yet. That being the Gambler and Bobok.
The Gambler was truly difficult to read. It's probably the Dostoevsky that's taken me the longest to finish so far - besides the Double which is my least favorite Dostoevsky, so rests in a different category. Because despite the difficulties I think the Gambler is genuinely a fantastic piece of literature. A gambling addict writing about a gambling addict will give you a kind of insight that I think would be much more difficult to achieve from an author who never experienced such an addiction. You really feel the way that gambling puts players into a haze. The way everything else isn't important. The way the strongest people can fall prey to casinos - casinos who have a vested interest in keeping people addicted to their games. In this way the novella is a masterpiece.
It also has a really genuinely heartbreaking and well-writing ending.
However Dostoevsky isn't off the hook. I still noticed the horrific xenophobia that pervades this novel - worse than usual since it takes place in Germany, a place Dostoevsky loathed. A pity Dostoevsky could never reflect on the humanity of most people who weren't (white) Orthodox Russian men. It tarnishes an otherwise beautifully written story.
I don't have much to say about Bobok, except that it is delightfully Dickensian. You can truly see the influence - the story reminded me a bit of the Pickwick Papers. I think it's really interesting to see this side of Dostoevsky, since it's not really talked about in regards to his major works.
I'm slowly (ish) but surely making my way through all of Dostoevsky. We shall see what comes of the next volume of his I pick up. Either way, I'll probably reread both of these in the original someday.
The Gambler was truly difficult to read. It's probably the Dostoevsky that's taken me the longest to finish so far - besides the Double which is my least favorite Dostoevsky, so rests in a different category. Because despite the difficulties I think the Gambler is genuinely a fantastic piece of literature. A gambling addict writing about a gambling addict will give you a kind of insight that I think would be much more difficult to achieve from an author who never experienced such an addiction. You really feel the way that gambling puts players into a haze. The way everything else isn't important. The way the strongest people can fall prey to casinos - casinos who have a vested interest in keeping people addicted to their games. In this way the novella is a masterpiece.
It also has a really genuinely heartbreaking and well-writing ending.
However Dostoevsky isn't off the hook. I still noticed the horrific xenophobia that pervades this novel - worse than usual since it takes place in Germany, a place Dostoevsky loathed. A pity Dostoevsky could never reflect on the humanity of most people who weren't (white) Orthodox Russian men. It tarnishes an otherwise beautifully written story.
I don't have much to say about Bobok, except that it is delightfully Dickensian. You can truly see the influence - the story reminded me a bit of the Pickwick Papers. I think it's really interesting to see this side of Dostoevsky, since it's not really talked about in regards to his major works.
I'm slowly (ish) but surely making my way through all of Dostoevsky. We shall see what comes of the next volume of his I pick up. Either way, I'll probably reread both of these in the original someday.
August 10, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
"The Gambler and Other Stories" by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Reading the 1917 Heinemann Published edition of Constance Garnett's translation, this book's cover being a bright red color, "The Gambler" is the story of Alexei Ivanovich, a young tutor working for an aristocratic family, but mostly indebted to the Frenchman de Grieux. Alexei is hopelessly in love with Polina, the Frenchman's niece, but because of Alexei's lower class standing, they can't be together. This novel heavily details the ideas of Gambling, because Fyodor Dostoevsky himself was a compulsive gambler in Germany and Russia. This novel was written to help Dostoevsky raise funds in order to pay off his debts.
Another work in this edition which I've read, "The Landlady" is one of his earliest works, Published after "Poor Folk" and "The Double". The story is about the poverty of the unnamed character and his relations with a landlady who gives him chances in paying his rent. This edition of "The Gambler and Other Stories" has "Poor Folk" in it too.
MY THOUGHTS:
So I wanted to rate and review this work but because I needed the correct edition to rate, good thing Goodreads has this edition, though not having an actual book cover design possibly because of the antiquity of the 1917 edition of this edition of "The Gambler" I've read. And just having 13 reviews and less than 200 ratings are quite enough for me to know that people still read the first editions of these works.
"The Gambler" is a fine novel, only the main character was a little unbearable because of his hopeless romance with Polina. The novel dealt solely on gambling and other matters it was so intriguing because Dostoevsky wrote a work that must've been deemed "Subversive", of course, because gambling is a bad influence, the notion continuing to the modern day.
"The Landlady" is a fine novella as well, only that this novella could've been longer because the main character's relations with the landlady was a pitiful one. I was reminded of "Crime and Punishment" due to Raskolnikov's own seclusion into an Apartment with Razuhimin and Sonia, as far as I can remember the great other novel.
These works were fine but I like Dostoevsky's other works more than these. I've read "Poor Folk" on a separate edition, so there is no need to rate "Poor Folk" here.
"The Gambler and Other Stories" by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Reading the 1917 Heinemann Published edition of Constance Garnett's translation, this book's cover being a bright red color, "The Gambler" is the story of Alexei Ivanovich, a young tutor working for an aristocratic family, but mostly indebted to the Frenchman de Grieux. Alexei is hopelessly in love with Polina, the Frenchman's niece, but because of Alexei's lower class standing, they can't be together. This novel heavily details the ideas of Gambling, because Fyodor Dostoevsky himself was a compulsive gambler in Germany and Russia. This novel was written to help Dostoevsky raise funds in order to pay off his debts.
Another work in this edition which I've read, "The Landlady" is one of his earliest works, Published after "Poor Folk" and "The Double". The story is about the poverty of the unnamed character and his relations with a landlady who gives him chances in paying his rent. This edition of "The Gambler and Other Stories" has "Poor Folk" in it too.
MY THOUGHTS:
So I wanted to rate and review this work but because I needed the correct edition to rate, good thing Goodreads has this edition, though not having an actual book cover design possibly because of the antiquity of the 1917 edition of this edition of "The Gambler" I've read. And just having 13 reviews and less than 200 ratings are quite enough for me to know that people still read the first editions of these works.
"The Gambler" is a fine novel, only the main character was a little unbearable because of his hopeless romance with Polina. The novel dealt solely on gambling and other matters it was so intriguing because Dostoevsky wrote a work that must've been deemed "Subversive", of course, because gambling is a bad influence, the notion continuing to the modern day.
"The Landlady" is a fine novella as well, only that this novella could've been longer because the main character's relations with the landlady was a pitiful one. I was reminded of "Crime and Punishment" due to Raskolnikov's own seclusion into an Apartment with Razuhimin and Sonia, as far as I can remember the great other novel.
These works were fine but I like Dostoevsky's other works more than these. I've read "Poor Folk" on a separate edition, so there is no need to rate "Poor Folk" here.
May 14, 2025
It would be easy to say all the stories in this collection exude the typical Dostoyevskian narrator, one that is isolated, confused, contradictory. And it does contain some of that.
The narrator in “The Meek One” rambles his way through a stilted justification as to why his wife led a miserable life, pleading with readers to acknowledge that her suffering wasn’t really his fault. “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” showcases an alternate world beyond the sun still in a state of grace that is corrupted by its narrator who accidentally brings about its fall when he tries to introduce rationality to their world. I’m not sure I agree with its message, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t a thought provoking story.
“White Nights,” my favorite of the bunch, provides the crisp images of a snowglobe version of nineteenth century Russia. Its narrator lives by himself in a dream world of his own until he comes across a young girl who he begins a dialogue with. The story hits a nerve about how isolation works and the ways it can be comforting up to the point where reality intrudes.
But there are other tales that are less dreamlike and more straightforward. A few contain pretty overt and pointed social commentary about gender disparities and how entrenched class attitudes can be even after class structures begin breaking down. Of course, the title story is, perhaps, the most grounded of the bunch. It appears to come from Dostoyevsky’s personal life rather than his philosophical excursions. And if you want a detailed story about the dangers of gambling, it’s fine, but it’s honestly less interesting than the ones that deal with the otherworldly universes that exist within us.
The narrator in “The Meek One” rambles his way through a stilted justification as to why his wife led a miserable life, pleading with readers to acknowledge that her suffering wasn’t really his fault. “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” showcases an alternate world beyond the sun still in a state of grace that is corrupted by its narrator who accidentally brings about its fall when he tries to introduce rationality to their world. I’m not sure I agree with its message, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t a thought provoking story.
“White Nights,” my favorite of the bunch, provides the crisp images of a snowglobe version of nineteenth century Russia. Its narrator lives by himself in a dream world of his own until he comes across a young girl who he begins a dialogue with. The story hits a nerve about how isolation works and the ways it can be comforting up to the point where reality intrudes.
But there are other tales that are less dreamlike and more straightforward. A few contain pretty overt and pointed social commentary about gender disparities and how entrenched class attitudes can be even after class structures begin breaking down. Of course, the title story is, perhaps, the most grounded of the bunch. It appears to come from Dostoyevsky’s personal life rather than his philosophical excursions. And if you want a detailed story about the dangers of gambling, it’s fine, but it’s honestly less interesting than the ones that deal with the otherworldly universes that exist within us.
August 1, 2025
I think one of the core traits of Dostoevsky’s genius is his unparalleled understanding of the human soul and his ability to communicate the pain and sufferings of not just those of the average 19th century Russian but those that transcend historical context and can be observed in virtually every generation since the onset of modernization. 10/10 this book changed my life as usual
Alsooo thank you syd for getting this for my birthday!!! The last story alone made this book worth it
“It was a wonderful night, the kind of night, dear reader, which is only possible when we are young. The sky was so starry, it was such a bright sky that looking at it you could not help but ask yourself: is it really possible for bad-tempered and capricious people to live under such a sky?”
- white nights
“The main thing is to love others as yourself, that’s the main thing, and that’s all, absolutely nothing else is necessary: you’ll find out at once how everything is to be arranged. But meanwhile, this is merely an old truth, you see, one that has been repeated and read a billion times, but, you see, it hasn’t taken root! ‘Consciousness of life is higher than life, knowledge of the laws of happiness is higher than happiness’ – that’s what we need to fight against! And I will. If only everyone would want it, it could all be arranged at once!”
- the dream of a ridiculous man
Alsooo thank you syd for getting this for my birthday!!! The last story alone made this book worth it
“It was a wonderful night, the kind of night, dear reader, which is only possible when we are young. The sky was so starry, it was such a bright sky that looking at it you could not help but ask yourself: is it really possible for bad-tempered and capricious people to live under such a sky?”
- white nights
“The main thing is to love others as yourself, that’s the main thing, and that’s all, absolutely nothing else is necessary: you’ll find out at once how everything is to be arranged. But meanwhile, this is merely an old truth, you see, one that has been repeated and read a billion times, but, you see, it hasn’t taken root! ‘Consciousness of life is higher than life, knowledge of the laws of happiness is higher than happiness’ – that’s what we need to fight against! And I will. If only everyone would want it, it could all be arranged at once!”
- the dream of a ridiculous man
November 24, 2025
These stories were so brilliant I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in a weekend.
White Nights is the most pure story about love I have ever read, wanting someone to be happy, even with someone else is really loving.
A Christmas Party and A Wedding was morbid, but highlights the harsh realities of the world.
A Nasty Business resonated with me, being about a man dependent on other people’s opinions, who contradicts what he preaches when it comes time to practice.
The Gambler was incredible. Dostoevsky comes out in this novella especially in the conditions that he was while writing it. Addiction is something everyone struggles with in some way.
Bobok was comedic but horrifying, displaying how even after death, people waste their time on ridiculous Earthly things. I do it often.
The Meek One hit. A man’s thought process going over why his wife killed himself, trying to justify himself and put it on her, but slowly realizing that he was majorly at fault with contradictions in every justification for himself, and only truly learning to love once she’s gone, rips the soul apart.
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man might be the greatest short story I have ever read. No words needed, just go read it, changed my life.
White Nights is the most pure story about love I have ever read, wanting someone to be happy, even with someone else is really loving.
A Christmas Party and A Wedding was morbid, but highlights the harsh realities of the world.
A Nasty Business resonated with me, being about a man dependent on other people’s opinions, who contradicts what he preaches when it comes time to practice.
The Gambler was incredible. Dostoevsky comes out in this novella especially in the conditions that he was while writing it. Addiction is something everyone struggles with in some way.
Bobok was comedic but horrifying, displaying how even after death, people waste their time on ridiculous Earthly things. I do it often.
The Meek One hit. A man’s thought process going over why his wife killed himself, trying to justify himself and put it on her, but slowly realizing that he was majorly at fault with contradictions in every justification for himself, and only truly learning to love once she’s gone, rips the soul apart.
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man might be the greatest short story I have ever read. No words needed, just go read it, changed my life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2025
Took me a while to get through this collection entirely due to my own lack of organisation in regard to my reading around it.
The stories contained do not seem to hold a singular theme; yet seem to fit in a collection together very well. Some themes cross stories and some stories seem rather standalone. The other stories in the collection seem to conflict specifically with The Gambler rather than one another.
The Gambler tells a tale of love, familial ties, and the fickleness of fortune. The other stories seem to still hold true to the love/romance motif but little else connects them to the gambler. The fact the story manages all it does despite a month total of time spent writing it is nothing short of astounding.
There was not a story in the collection I didn’t enjoy, but the last one stood out to me particularly, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, this story flashes between isolation, suicide, hope, and salvation in roughly 20 pages. The story contained also shows the corruption man can cause without intention to do so within the titular dream.
All in all an excellent collection of stories which I’d heavily recommend to anyone with interest in Dostoevsky’s writings.
The stories contained do not seem to hold a singular theme; yet seem to fit in a collection together very well. Some themes cross stories and some stories seem rather standalone. The other stories in the collection seem to conflict specifically with The Gambler rather than one another.
The Gambler tells a tale of love, familial ties, and the fickleness of fortune. The other stories seem to still hold true to the love/romance motif but little else connects them to the gambler. The fact the story manages all it does despite a month total of time spent writing it is nothing short of astounding.
There was not a story in the collection I didn’t enjoy, but the last one stood out to me particularly, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, this story flashes between isolation, suicide, hope, and salvation in roughly 20 pages. The story contained also shows the corruption man can cause without intention to do so within the titular dream.
All in all an excellent collection of stories which I’d heavily recommend to anyone with interest in Dostoevsky’s writings.
August 21, 2020
This dark comedy could have been titled "The Smart Aleck".
Alexey is young and intelligent but also sarcastic, cynical, and insolent. He is in the employ of a nincompoop Russian General, on holiday at a ritzy German resort. He amuses himself by trolling high-society blockheads and phoneys.
But he can't leave Polina, the General's stepdaughter -- an irresistible tease.
The plot continually fooled me. Whenever I started to think that I had seen this movie before, the story would go in some unexpected direction.
In the end, Alexey doesn't fare well. But tomorrow, I believe, he will be reborn and rise up from the dead.
Alexey is young and intelligent but also sarcastic, cynical, and insolent. He is in the employ of a nincompoop Russian General, on holiday at a ritzy German resort. He amuses himself by trolling high-society blockheads and phoneys.
"Oh, how it all disgusts me! What pleasure it would give me to wash my hands of everybody and everything!"
But he can't leave Polina, the General's stepdaughter -- an irresistible tease.
The plot continually fooled me. Whenever I started to think that I had seen this movie before, the story would go in some unexpected direction.
In the end, Alexey doesn't fare well. But tomorrow, I believe, he will be reborn and rise up from the dead.
November 8, 2023
𝘐𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢!" 𝘖𝘩, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦! 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 - 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮! 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥?' 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘺𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 - 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥? 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 - 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳' - 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰'𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 . . . 𝘕𝘰, 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews