The Gambler and Other Stories

Apr 22, 2025 3:24 AM

Author:Fyodor Dostoyevsky,Ronald Meyer

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'.

Reviews

Maeve Binchy has a gimlet eye for the seething cauldron of emotions which lies beneath the surface of everyday life

—— Irish Independent

An adept storyteller with a sharp eye for social nuances and a pleasing affection for her characters

—— Sunday Times

Amis's introduction to these five stories is a beautifully judged piece of polemic; a carefully reasoned emotionally charged attack on the unthinkable folly of nuclear war - an elegant, funny, moving book

—— Daily Telegraph

The majority of the inhabitants of Knockemstiff, Ohio ... seem straight out of John Boorman's film Deliverance ... Life experience shows in this exceptional collection

—— Guardian

What makes this an enjoyable read is Pollock's aptitude for a funny gag in the guise of amazingly inventive language

—— Dazed and Confused

A serious, moving, funny, dark collection

—— Scotland on Sunday

KNOCKEMSTIFF by Donald Ray Pollock is the best book I have ever read. This is the America they don't let you see on television. This is real literature. It will be read for centuries

—— Michael Guinzburg

It's as if you put David Lynch, Denis Johnson, and a drunk speed freak body builder into a blender. The result are some of the darkest, wildest, most messed up, hilarious stories I've ever read. Knockemstiff is really something

—— Willy Vlautin

This short story collection gives those new to her oeuvre a chance to delve into gems from her past...precociously vibrant

—— Melissa McClements , Financial Times

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