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The Gambler

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In this dark and compelling short novel, Dostoevsky tells the story of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young tutor working in the household of an imperious Russian general. Alexey tries to break through the wall of the established order in Russia, but instead becomes mired in the endless downward spiral of betting and loss. His intense and inescapable addiction is accentuated by his affair with the General’s cruel yet seductively adept niece, Polina. In The Gambler, Dostoevsky reaches the heights of drama with this stunning psychological portrait.

188 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 1866

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About the author

Fyodor Dostoevsky

3,358 books54.4k followers
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. His literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. His most acclaimed novels include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880).

Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature, as multiple of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature. As such, he is also looked upon as a philosopher and theologian as well.

(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)

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Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,564 reviews44 followers
July 27, 2021
Igrok (Игрок) = The Gambler = Le Joueur, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoyevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoyevsky completed the novella under a strict deadline to pay off gambling debts.

The first-person narrative is told from the point of view of Alexei Ivanovich, a tutor working for a Russian family living in a suite at a German hotel. The patriarch of the family, The General, is indebted to the Frenchman de Criet and has mortgaged his property in Russia to pay only a small amount of his debt. Upon learning of the illness of his wealthy aunt, "Grandmother", he sends streams of telegrams to Moscow and awaits the news of her demise. His expected inheritance will pay his debts and gain Mademoiselle Blanche de Cominges's hand in marriage.

Alexei is hopelessly in love with Polina, the General's stepdaughter. She asks him to go to the town's casino and place a bet for her. After hesitations, he succumbs and ends up winning at the roulette table. He returns to her the winnings but she will not tell him the reason she needs money.

She only laughs in his face (as she does when he professes his love) and treats him with cold indifference, if not downright malice.

He only learns the details of the General's and Polina's financial state later in the story through his long-time acquaintance, Mr. Astley. Astley is a shy Englishman who seems to share Alexei's fondness of Polina. He comes from English nobility and has a good deal of money.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال هزار و نهصد وهفتاد و پنج میلادی

عنوان: قمارباز؛ نویسنده: فئودور میخائیلویچ داستایوسکی؛ مترجم: جلال آل آحمد؛ تهران، کانون معرفت؛ 1327؛ در 167ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، فردوسی، 1363، در 242ص؛ چاپ پنجم 1375؛ و بارها در انتشاراتیهای دیگر چاپ شده است؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان روسیه - سده 19م

داستان‌های روانشاد «داستایوسکی»، همچون شخصیت خود ایشان، سرگذشت مردمانی عصیانزده، بیمار، و روانپریش است؛ ویژگی یگانه ی ایشان، در آثارشان روانکاوی و بررسی زوایا، و گوشه و کنار روان شخصیتهای داستان است؛ «سوررئالیستها»، مانیفست خود را براساس نوشته‌ های «داستایوسکی»، ارائه کردند؛ «قمارباز»، اثر «فیودور داستایوسکی» را، نخستین بار، در سال 1327میلادی، زنده یاد «جلال آل احمد»، از ترجمه ی «فرانسوی» کتاب، به فارسی برگرداندند؛ برگردان دیگری نیز، از همین اثر، در همان سالها، از جناب آقای «مهرداد مهرین» وجود دارد�� که انتشارات «اسکندری» آنرا منتشر کرده است؛ نیز جناب آقای «صالح حسینی»، و سرکار خانم «فهمیه حصارکی»، از نسخه ی ترجمه ی «انگلیسی»، کتابشان را به فارسی برگردانده اند، و جناب آقای «سروش حبیبی» نیز، آنرا، از نسخه ی «روسی»، با واژه های پارسایی آراسته اند؛ این داستان روایت اعتیاد نویسنده، به بازی «رولت» است، نویسنده کتاب را، در بیست و شش روز، نوشته اند، و گویا برای بازپرداخت بدهی قمار خویش نیز، در فشار بوده اند؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 04/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Vit Babenco.
1,540 reviews4,265 followers
September 30, 2023
The narrator is a little man but he is being torn apart by the great passions:
Love…
Something had seemed to strike my brain when she told me to go and play roulette. Strangely enough, that something had also seemed to make me hesitate, and to set me analysing my feelings with regard to her. In fact, during the two weeks of my absence I had felt far more at my ease than I did now, on the day of my return; although, while travelling, I had moped like an imbecile, rushed about like a man in a fever, and actually beheld her in my dreams.

And gambling…
In the first place, everything about it seemed to me so foul – so morally mean and foul. Yet I am not speaking of the hungry, restless folk who, by scores nay, even by hundreds – could be seen crowded around the gaming-tables. For in a desire to win quickly and to win much I can see nothing sordid; I have always applauded the opinion of a certain dead and gone, but cocksure, moralist who replied to the excuse that “one may always gamble moderately”, by saying that to do so makes things worse, since, in that case, the profits too will always be moderate.

The Gambler is a somewhat skeletal tale – it is rather an anecdote full of grotesque characters and hyperbolic emotions than a tragic novelette.
The protagonist supposes that to win his love he needs a lot of money… He is wrong… Gambling he wins big money, he offers money but he is indignantly rejected…
My life had broken in two, and yesterday had infected me with a habit of staking my all upon a card. Although it might be that I had failed to win my stake, that I had lost my senses, that I desired nothing better, I felt that the scene was to be changed only for a time.

Dreams burst like soap bubbles, hopes die but the pernicious passion remains intact.
Profile Image for Florencia.
649 reviews2,088 followers
January 20, 2021
Can I possibly not understand myself that I’m a lost man? But—why can’t I resurrect? (141)

It is not just the extraordinary psychological depth of the characters nor the engaging story that masterfully manages the element of surprise. This novella had a great impact on me for the simple reason that whenever I read certain passages, I saw him. His obsessions, his fears, his passion for a distant woman, his despair. Dostoyevsky was there, trying to survive.

Alexei Ivanovich is a 25 year-old tutor that works for a Russian family. The General's family that includes Polina, the woman Alexei loves. They are all living in a suite at some German hotel. Besides them, there is a bunch of other manipulative, self-destructing, unstable characters. Flawed yet colorful, at times. As with life. People that were the inspiration for Dostoyevsky's most amusing remarks, filled with fine irony and a tinge of sarcasm. Just a tad...
Alexei is a complete character; lovable, obnoxious. Everything but indifference. Pride (that vanishes when facing his obsession), overly analytical thinking, madness, cynicism, wit, honesty, frankness.
It’s really nice when people don’t stand on ceremony, but act in an open and unbuttoned way with each other. And why should one deceive oneself? It’s the most futile and ill-calculated occupation! (17)

A frankness that gave me hope. He is not the timid character that keeps everything inside. I mean, I am in love with those characters since they are a mirror to me and let me focus on the many things I need to change. But it is nice to see an energetic, outspoken character developing the quality that one longs for.
...when I talk with you, I want to say everything, everything, everything. I lose all form... Since I have no hope and am a zero in your eyes, I say outright: I see only you everywhere, and the rest makes no difference to me. (34)

A frankness that combined with the particular situation of being madly in love with a woman, inspires one of the most unsettling passages of the novella. One that brought to mind all the disgusting justifications that one encounters in life.

This book screams reality. The description of the casino, the kinds of gamblers, the desire to win, the abstraction from the world, the eyes fixed on a number, an excuse for every act, the brief sense of reason after a lost bet and the subsequent hunch that the next one will be the one that saves the day.
I was as if in a fever and pushed this whole pile of money onto red—and suddenly came to my senses! And for the only time that whole evening, in all that playing, fear sent a chill over me and came back as a trembling in my hands and legs. With terror I sensed and instantly realized what it meant for me now to lose! My whole life was at stake! (111)

No, a day is not saved only by the profits so easily made. It is the impulse, the craving for risks. Despair that drives. Chance that sings. The feeling that one is in control of the roulette, of the next move; the elusive luck. Praises for the fearless gambler.
However, I don’t remember what I thought about on the way; there were no thoughts. My only sensation was of some terrible pleasure—luck, victory, power—I don’t know how to express it. (114)

Every chapter, every paragraph, everything is written with such detail. Vivid descriptions about the parallel universe that inevitably brings disgrace to its inhabitants. Citizens that worship daring ventures.
They can deny it. They can lie to themselves as they embrace victory, but deep down they are aware of their deteriorating state.
Nothing could be more absurd than moral lessons at such a moment! Oh, self-satisfied people: with what proud self-satisfaction such babblers are ready to utter their pronouncements! If they only knew to what degree I myself understand all the loathsomeness of my present condition, they wouldn’t have the heart to teach me. Well, what, what new thing can they say to me that I don’t know myself? And is that the point? ... What am I now? Zéro. What may I be tomorrow? Tomorrow I may rise from the dead and begin to live anew! I may find the man in me before he’s lost! (133)

An ill-fated relationship. Our doomed Russian friend.
By trying to defeat destiny through gambling, he ensured his servitude. A slave of everything he loved too much. Of everything he hated but still needed. The roulette. The urge. The impulse. A woman.
A brief existence perpetually waiting for fate to change. Waiting for another tomorrow.


Dec 13, 15
* Also on my blog.
Profile Image for s.penkevich.
1,141 reviews8,981 followers
July 26, 2023
At that point I ought to have gone away, but a strange sensation rose up in me, a sort of defiance of fate, a desire to challenge it…

Whenever I hear the advice “write what you know,” this is one of the first books to come to mind. Dostoevsky has an incredible ability to capture the feeling of guilt and instill it into the reader, and here this is coupled with his own struggles with gambling addiction that not only informed the novel but it was written in order to cover a gambling debt. As a testament to his craft, The Gambler, his short 1866 novel, will have you gripping the pages feeling uncomfortable with dry mouth and glassy eyes as if you too were falling headlong into a gambling addiction, and while this is considered one of his “light” novels it still packs such an emotional hit that resonates long after its over. The story follows Alexey Ivanovitch, a tutor in the house of a dignified Russian general, as he pursues the step-daughter, Polina, in spite of her affections towards a fake French marquis who is involved in a real estate scheme with the General’s money. Alexey gambles for love and also for money in an attempt to rise above his station as Dostoevsky delivers a sharp analysis of the gambling addicted mind, criticism of both Western Europe and the Russian character and satisfies yet again with a darkly existential novel.

For why is gambling a whit worse than any other method of acquiring money? How, for instance, is it worse than trade? True, out of a hundred persons, only one can win; yet what business is that of yours or of mine?

The story behind The Gambler is nearly as interesting as the novel itself. Due to his debts to Russian publisher Stellovski, Dostoevsky made a deal that he could complete a novel in 30 days or lose the publishing rights to all his past and future work. Perhaps the rapid pace and gambling stressors add to the manic tone of the novel. In order to complete it more quickly, he hired a stenographer for the first time, Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina, a woman 25 years younger than him who would quickly become his wife within a year and transcribe many of his famous works. This also follows his heartbreak at the death of his wife, Maria, from tuberculosis in 1864, and the breakdown of an affair he had with Polina Suslova in 1862. The character of Polina here is undoubtedly based on her, and the French marquis is likely based on the man she left him for as Alexey spares no insult for the man in the novel. He also had an idea ready to go, having written about the idea for this novel 3 years prior to a friend:
I have in mind a man who is straightforward, highly cultured, and yet in every respect unfinished, a man who has lost his faith. The main thing though, is that all his vital sap, his energies, his rebellion, daring, have been channelled into roulette…deep down he feels it is despicable, although the need to take risks ennobles him in his own eyes.

Like every college essay I ever wrote, Dostoevsky completed The Gambler right at the deadline and when the publisher could not be located (by design, so the rumor goes), he turned it into the police station in order to validate his success of the bet. And now we have this little gem, though Dostoevsky would soon abandon Russia in 1967 and remain outside the country for 4 years due to being pursued by creditors.

No, it was not the money that I valued—what I wanted was to make all this mob of Heintzes, hotel proprietors, and fine ladies of Baden talk about me, recount my story, wonder at me, extol my doings, and worship my winnings.

This is the classic tale of pursuing wealth in all the wrong ways, and not even an Icarus story as he doesn’t fly too close to the sun but merely jumps into the fire with the belief he can pull off a miracle. For much of the book he isn’t at the roulette tables, but merely enticed by them and in a frenzy over Polina and the Frenchman. I had come there not only to look at, but also to number myself sincerely and wholeheartedly with, the mob,’ he says initially before finally in a state of frustration, begins to gamble. Things get dark here. Even when he is losing he feels a foolish hope he can change his fortune, thinking ‘ What may I be tomorrow? Tomorrow I may rise from the dead and begin to live anew!’ Doestoevsky frames the novel as if he is a damned soul and the slide into gambling addiction is an inevitability that we watch in horror as he is pulled towards it.
Can I possibly not understand myself that I'm a lost man? But--why can't I resurrect? Yes! it only takes being calculating and patient at least once in your life and--that's all! It only takes being steadfast at least once, and in an hour I can change my whole destiny!

When he does take the plunge he loses clarity and Doestoevsky shows how hope is a double-edged sword, one that can help you persevere but one that can also cloud your judgment. Not that gambling addiction is something that will destroy everyone forever, and I urge anyone who suspects they may be in danger to seek help because it is out there and you can get through it. Our character here, however, sees gambling as he way to win Polina as well as money, and Doestoevsky does not have a bright future laid out for him. The ending feels similar in vibes to Chess Story by Stefan Zweig, undoubtedly different books and aims, but that feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach reaches a fever pitch as the books come to an end.

Which is something I LOVE so much about Dostoevsky, he can really instill emotion into the reader. I talk about this at length in my review of Crime and Punishment because while reading that I happened to get a seasonal cold that doubled down on my feelings of guilt and dread along with Raskolnikov’s illness and if police were to show up and clap cuffs on me for accessory to murder I would have confessed—Dostoevsky makes you feel that complicit. Which is part of why he has remained such a classic author. There are moments where this book feels dated, particularly the long passages on what gambling addiction is and some sort of time-period issues (as well as some not great generalizations about ethnicities…), but overall it has a powerful impact in the present day.

Can I possibly not understand myself that I'm a lost man? But--why can't I resurrect? Yes! it only takes being calculating and patient at least once in your life and--that's all! It only takes being steadfast at least once, and in an hour I can change my whole destiny!

This novel is unique in a way that it does not take place in Russia and allows Dostoevsky to comment upon Western culture as well as reflect back on Russia. He pretty much has nothing positive to say about anyone, but the French definitely fall under his ire (read Winter Notes on Summer Impressions for Doestoevsky having a bummer time across Western Europe and hating on everyone). He also reflects on himself as a Russian and his critiques of Russian culture, as he tends to do. ‘Russians alone are able to combine so many opposites in themselves at one and the same time,’ and these dualities and incongruities are often mined for his best insights into humanity throughout his fabulous career.

While this may not have the huge moments of genius and sweeping insights, The Gambler is an excellent psychological tale on the small scale. If anything, Dostoevsky welcomes you into his hellish state of gambling and makes you understand him in a way that few other writers are able to find the shortcut to so effectively. A highly recommended read, particularly for those who have loved the big novels and are craving more (he does compel you, which is an interesting feeling to be having when suddenly reading his book about addiction and looking over to see you have a tattoo of him on your arm and thinking, maybe I have a literary addiction? Okay maybe that is just me. ) The Gambler is a minor work but one that still leaves a major impact

4/5
Profile Image for Luís.
2,056 reviews820 followers
June 16, 2023
When Dostoyevsky loses all fortune at roulette, he aims to write a book on the hell of the game. The story takes place in Roulettenbourg, Germany. We follow a young man named Alexis Ivanovitch who works as "Uchitel" (tutor) for the children of a general. Psychology is strongly present in this novel. Alexis loves her employer's stepdaughter and decides to earn money to seduce her. Unfortunately, he falls little by little into the mad passion of the game. At first, Paulina is contemptuous, strange, and ungrateful, but at the bottom hides a beautiful soul afraid of life. The general is desperately awaiting the death of his aunt Baboulinka so he can marry Blanche, a young and beautiful Frenchwoman on the lookout for the general's legacy. The author offers us a picture of the bourgeois society of his time while plunging us into a thrilling universe. The Player was a tremendous first discovery of the Russian world; he handled him brilliantly.
Profile Image for Sarah Far.
166 reviews431 followers
May 13, 2019
خنک آن قُماربازی که بباخت آن چه بودش
بنماند هیچش الا هوس قُمار دیگر


هر کتاب قصه و روایتی دارد
قمارباز را باید مانند قمار،بارها و بارها تکرار کرد و خواند.

قمارباز شاید میتواند زندگی همه ی ما باشد
وقتی که گاهی احمق و حریص میشویم (مادربزرگ)
وقتی که دچار عشق میشویم (مانند الکسی ایوانویچ و پولینا الکساندرونا پراسکوویا) و حتی شاید بتوان ژنرال رو جز این دسته قرار داد.
دوست داشتن هایی که بیشتر حماقت هستند
و یا مانند دوگریو،گاهی پست میشویم
و گاهی مانند مرد انگلیسی،نقش خوبِ خودمان را داریم و به اوضاع کمک می کنیم‌.
مهم این است که ما چه انتخاب میکنیم!

قمارباز رو تا قبل از اینکه بخوانم،تصور دیگری داشتم و وقتی سراغش رفتم و یا بهتره بگم هدیه اش گرفتم،مانند این بود که وارد دریچه ایی شدم که روحی هستم در شهر خیالی رولتنبورگ که تمام رفتارهای کارکترهای داستان را میبینم.

داستایوفسکی این داستان را در ۲۶ روز نگاشت،۲۶ روزی که خود درگیر این واقعیت بود،و وقتی از جانِ دل روایت کنی،لاجرم بر دل می نشیند.
Profile Image for Fernando.
698 reviews1,098 followers
November 12, 2018
"Por fin estaba de regreso, después de dos semanas de ausencia. Los nuestros llevaban ya tres días en Ruletemburgo. Yo creía que me estarían aguardando como al mesías; pero me equivocaba."

"El jugador" es el libro con mayores características autobiográficas de Dostoievski sin lugar a dudas. Todo lo que le pasa al personaje de Alexei Ivánovich, que narra en esta novela su experiencia de esos días febriles vividos en Ruletemburgo y así como su relación con la voluptuosa Pólina Alexándrovna, que es sencillamente el alter ego de Pólina Súslova, una estudiante dieciséis años menor que Dostoievski y que fue su amante en una de las épocas más tormentosas de su vida, y que lo dominaron desde 1862 a 1866, cuando el autor sufrió una adicción feroz al juego durante su exilio en Baden Baden, una ciudad de descanso y dispersión que era algo a sí como Las Vegas pero en el siglo XIX y enclavada en el medio de Europa.
Todo el mundo iba a esas ciudades, de lujosos hoteles y confortables spa a descansar y obviamente a jugar a la ruleta con desenfreno, de la misma manera que lo hizo Dostoievski.
Era común en la época ir de vacaciones en grandes grupos, alojarse en hoteles y pasar todo el día en el casino. Los rusos, para variar, llevaban un séquito interminable de gente preparados para gastar miles de rublos, francos o florines en las ruletas.
Fue esta la etapa más desordenada y caótica en la vida del genial novelista ruso. Con su primera esposa, María Dimítrievna muriéndose de tuberculosis, escapa a Europa obnubilado por la belleza de Pólina en medio de un torbellino amoroso que lo dejó casi en la ruina total.
Le llevó varios años a Dostoievski desintoxicarse de su adicción al juego, que lo llevó a perderlo prácticamente todo, incluso su premiera esposa, que murió en 1864.
Esta novela surge de esas experiencias en las que Dostoievski muestra sus conocimientos en el arte del juego de la ruleta y para ello utiliza casualmente su propia vida para plasmarla en las hojas de su libro.
Fue tanto su descontrol que, ahogado por las deudas, llegó incluso a empeñar el anillo de casamiento de su esposa. Vivía constantemente pidiendo dinero prestado a sus amigos e incluso a enemigos y para volver a Rusia.
La misma suerte corren varios personajes de la novela. A decir verdad, algunos son maravillosos, tal es el caso de los que componen ese grupo de jugadores como lo son el general, francés Des Grieux, un taimado amigo del general, el inglés, míster Astley y particularmente la abuela, Antónida Vasílievna Tarasecícheva, la babulinka, una septuagenaria presuntamente al borde de la muerte, que le dará a unos cuantos de hacerse de sus millones como herencia, pero que como arte de magia aparece en Ruletemburgo vivita y coleando.
A partir de allí surgirán distintos juegos de fidelidades y traiciones, y todo eso en medio de despilfarros y apuestas descontroladas en el casino. Todos quieren salvarse haciendo saltar la banca, pero sólo aportan más confusión y desorden a sus vidas.
Dostoievski tardó ¡tan sólo 25 días! (entre el 4 y el 29 de octubre de 1866) en escribir "El Jugador" para tratar de pagar la deuda que le tenía impuesta su editor, quien lo había amenazado con llevarlo a la cárcel si no cumplía con el contrato pactado, además de quedarse con los derechos de su obra y porque es todo el tiempo que le dio para escribir el libro. La fecha límite era el 1° de noviembre de 1866.
Era tanta la presión que Dostoievski tuvo que contratar a una taquígrafa, llamada Anna Grigorievna Snítkina para acelerar el proceso de escritura del libro.
Anna terminaría transformándose en su última esposa y es allí en donde encontraría la paz y la salida a su adicción lúdica, a punto tal que Anna no sólo le dio tranquilidad e hijos, sino que se transformó en la administradora de sus finanzas.
Dictándole el libro contra reloj, llegó a tiempo para presentarlo (previa certificación ante el comisaría local, ya que el editor se escondió a propósito para exponerlo y hacerlo meter preso adrede), y de esta manera libro fue finalmente publicado lo que le sirvió para recomponerse tanto él como su imagen ante la sociedad. A partir de allí vendrían sus grandes novelas como "El Idiota", "Los demonios" y "Los hermanos Karamázov".
Un último dato que es sorprendente y que demuestran por qué Fiódor Dostoievski fue escritor tan impresionante: mientras por las mañanas le dictaba a Anna "El Jugador", prácticamente contra reloj, por las tardes le dictaba los comienzos de lo que sería una de sus novelas capitales, "Crimen y Castigo".
Dos novelas a la vez... ¡y de qué calibre!
Profile Image for Lyn.
1,910 reviews16.8k followers
February 27, 2019
Not one of his greater works, but one that reveals his adept ability at multi-layered characterization.

The story behind the story is almost as interesting - he had to write this on a tight schedule because of his own gambling debts. Always an introspective narrator, with subtle empathy for an imperfect hero (Raskolnikov) Dostoyevsky here was able to describe the feelings, anxiety, and drives of a gambling addict.

description
Profile Image for هدى يحيى.
Author 10 books17k followers
June 16, 2019

حسنا ... هذه رواية لم أحبها
لم أحب شخصياتها أو جوها العام

فإذا كانت المقامر واحدة من أصدق رواياته
يكشف لنا فيه عن خبيئة نفسه
وعن معاناته مع القمار
هذا الداء الذي أصابه لفترة ليست بالقصيرة
...
هل يعني هذا أنني لا أحب دوستويفسكي؟؟

أنا متعجبة فعلا .. ظننت أنها ستكون تجربة مميزة
فالرجل كتب نفسه فيها
وهو ليس بأي رجل
بل هو فيودور دوستويفسكي
أحد أعظم من كتبوا على مر التاريخ
ظنتت أنني سأقرأ أحد أجمل الروايات
فإذا بها تمر بي دون أن تؤثر علي في قليل أو كثير

المقامر ليست بالرواية الضعيفة
كل ما يكتبه دوستويفسكي ذهبا خالصا
لكنها لم ترق لي رغم ذلك
رغم أنه كعادته تغلغل داخل النفس البشرية كما لا يستطيع سواه
إنما لم يستطع جعلي أتفاعل م��ه .. مطلقا
Profile Image for BookHunter M  ُH  َM  َD.
1,512 reviews3,779 followers
June 8, 2023

من الروايات القصيرة الجميلة لدوستويفسكي
شخصية الجدة بالذات بكل تناقضاتها و شغفها بالحياة و هي أقرب على الموت كانت هي الشخصية الأثيرة عندي رغم تعدد شخصيات الرواية.
برع في وصف مائدة الروليت و الجنون التي تورثه للاعبين الملتفين حولها و كأنك تشاهدهم رأي العين.
Profile Image for فرشاد.
150 reviews297 followers
February 17, 2018
اگر روس‌ها سه چیز خوب در تاریخ خودشان داشته باشند، اولینش سایت لایبجن و دومین آندره تارکوفسکی است. اما بدون شک فئودور داستایوفسکی را نمیتوان به سبب نگارش رمان قمارباز در رده سوم جای داد‫.

قمارباز با آن که از نظر ادبی نوشته‌ای جذاب و هیجان انگیز به شمار می‌رود اما در نهایت یک رساله‌ی اخلاقی است. و به شیوه‌ای گستاخانه به مادام بواری فلوبر خیانت می‌کند. همه چیز در این اثر، ساده، پیش پا افتاده و قابل پیش‌بینی است. شخصیت‌پردازی آنقدر کامل است که جای هیچ مکاشفه‌ای را برای مخاطب باقی نمی‌گذارد. در نهایت هم نه سوالی را ایجاد می‌کند و نه به سوالی پاسخ می‌دهد. قمارباز با این که داستانی درباره عشق است اما بهیچ وجه یک داستان عاشقانه نیست و ابدا به بیانی که گوستاو فلوبر در مادام بواری از عشق ارائه میدهد نزدیک هم نمی‌شود. گوستاو فلوبر در مادام بواری به روشنی بر سر زندگی اما بواری قمار میکند و او را به ورطه مرگ می‌کشاند در حالی که قمارباز داستایوفسکی شخصیت ترسویی دارد و از این رو شایسته رسیدن به عشق نیست. شاید بتوان گفت که نام قمارباز بیشتر شایسته رمان مادام بواری فلوبر باشد تا قمارباز داستایوفسکی‫.

فلوبر در مادام بواری توانسته است که خیانت را یک مفهوم مقدس جلوه دهد. با این استدلال نیچه ای که هر چه از سر عشق انجام شود فراسوی نیک و بد قرار میگیرد. اما داستایوفسکی نمی‌تواند قمار را از دام قراردادهای کلیشه‌ای رها کند. و این موضوع بیشتر به جایگاه سخیف عشق در نظر او مربوط می‌شود. من حتا باور ندارم که هیچ مرد روسی تابحال توانسته باشد عشق را تجربه کند. در سراسر رمان قمارباز حتا از یک بوسه عاشقانه هم خبری نیست. قمارباز، دختری را دوست دارد بدون آن‌که حاضر باشد تا برای رسیدن به معشوقه، گناه کند. گناه، البته زیباترین دست‌مایه برای عشق است. بهمین خاطر، قمارباز را نمی‌توان اثری زیبا به شمار آورد‫.

در مجموع، قمارباز را تلاشی ناامیدکننده می‌دانم. البته هنوز ابله را نخوانده‌ام. اما به یک معجزه نیاز است تا مردی با نگرشی تا این حد سخیف و بسته نسبت به عشق و هستی بتواند که در ادامه هم هیچ اثر غرورآفرین دیگری را رقم زده باشد. شاید بزرگترین تلاش بشر باید در این راستا باشد که خود را از دام خوب و بد و اخلاق و ارزش‌های خیرخواهانه رها کند‫.
Profile Image for بثينة العيسى.
Author 23 books27.2k followers
June 17, 2022
مع وصولي إلى نهاية «المقامر»، تذكّرتُ «العمى» لساراماغو، في سطرها الأخير تحديدًا، عندما تقول الشخصية (زوجة طبيب العيون) بأننا لم نصب بالعمى، بل نحن في الأصلِ عميان. أو شيء من هذا القبيل.

بعد الانتهاء من هذه الرواية القصيرة، تبدأ في قراءة ما لم يقله العمل صراحة، بل صمتًا - وهو ما أجلُّه - لترى أننا في الواقع مقامرون، كلٌ في مضماره وبحسب قدرته؛ سواء كنت الجنرال الذي يراهن على موتِ العجوز، أو الفتاة التي تراهن على رجل تحبه لكي يثوب إلى الرشد، أو العجوز التي تنكص إلى الطفولة أمام طاولات الكازينو، أو الرجل الذي يراهنُ بأنه سيجعل امرأة تحبه، ثم يفقد صوابه تمامًا أمام الروليت. إن الفرق بين مقامرة وأخرى، وبين إدمان وآخر، بين الحب والروليت، هو مجرد تنويع.

الأكثر من ذلك، أن المقامرة كما يبدو، بصفتها نظامًا، متغلغلة في طبيعة العلاقات التي تشدُّنا إلى بعضنا البعض، فالعلاقات - موضع الرهان، موضوع الفوز أو الخسارة - تكون دائمًا بالغة التذبذب. وكلما ازدادت تذبذبًا، صرنا أقل ترددًا في تسميتها عشقًا، رغم أنها في الحقيقة مجرد إدمان آخر، لجرعة الأدرينالين التي تضخُّ في عروقنا بين حين وآخر، لنتذكر ولو لدقائق أننا أحياء.

أجلُّ هذا العمل لأنه يمكن أن يقرأ كحكاية ممتعة، ولكنه - مع شيء من التأويل - يجعلنا نرى الإنسان في عريهِ البائس، عالق في أنماطٍ إدمانية على اختلاف أشكالها، عالق إلى الأبد.



Profile Image for Dalia Nourelden.
592 reviews858 followers
February 28, 2024
دوستويفسكى رائع كعادته فى وصفه ورسمه للشخصيات وهو من الكتاب اللى بيقدروا يخلوني أدخل جوه شخصياته كلها وأتفاعل معاها مش بس الشخصية الرئيسية لأ حتى شخصياته الهامشية بيديها حقها ورغم أن دوستويفسكى كان بيكتب عادة تحت ضغوط واحتياج للمال ورغبة فى الحفاظ على حقوقه فى رواياته إلا انه مبدع . وكل مرة هفضل اسأل نفسى لو كان يملك المال وبيكتب بدون ضغوط كان هيبقى ايه شكل رواياته ولا ياترى الضغط ده هو اللى ساعده يرسم شخصياته بالشكل ده وبالتوتر ده .

" ربما كانت تنتظرني ثروة ! شئ غريب : لم أكن قد ربحت بعد ، ولكنني أتصرف وأفكر كما لو كنت رجلا غنيا ، ولم يكن في وسعي أن أرى نفسي غير ذلك "


ولأن القمار بالنسبة لدوستويفسكى مكانش مجرد موضوع يعرفه أو سمع عنه لأ كان موضوع عاش فيه بكل تفاصيله . كسب وخسر وقامر بكل مايملك وعاش التجربة فعلا فقدر يرسملنا الشخصية جدا ومن اعماقها وبكل تفاصيلها ومشاعرها وقلقها وتوترها

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ودوستويفسكى مش بس بيقدملنا المقامر من خلال شخصية بطلنا لأ كمان وصف شخصيات موجودة فى كازينو القمار والأفضل كان تقديمه لشخصية الجدة كان الجزء بتاعها من أفضل الأجزاء فى الرواية . كان جزء بيعكس حاجات كتير وفى نفس الوقت كان فيه جانب كوميدى لردود أفعال الآخرين بسبب ظهورها وبسبب تصرفاتها .

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اما جانب الحب فى الرواية فواضح ان دوستويفسكى بيحب يعذب أبطاله بالحب (ليؤكد جملة : الحب بهدلة )
حبيت رسمه لشخصية الكسى إيفانوفتش و استفزني قصة حبه لباولين ألكسندروفنا لدرجة انى كنت عايزة أضربه
" هل أعرف ما الذي أرغب فيه ؟ إنني كالذي فقد صوابه. إن كل ما أريده هو أن أبقي قريبا منها ، في الهالة التي تحيط بها ، في الإشعاع الذي يصدر عنها ، إلى الأبد، مدى الحياة . لا أعرف أكثر من هذا .. هل أطيق أن أبتعد عنها ؟

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انا مبحبش مسمى الكاتب او الكتاب المفضل بس انا بحب دوستويفسكى وبحب رسمه للشخصيات وأسلوبه بالنسبالى فعلا مميز . والرواية عجبتنى رغم ان النهاية كانت مربكة شوية بالنسبالى او حسيتها كانت محتاجة وقت اكتر . بس فى النهاية هو دوستويفسكى ويكتب اللى هو عايزه وبرضه بحبه 😂

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Profile Image for Maria Espadinha.
1,050 reviews442 followers
June 19, 2022
Jogo — Uma Escravidão Auto-Induzida

“Estava como que febril e carreguei todo o montão no vermelho — e, de repente, caí em mim! Fora a única vez, durante todo o jogo desta noite, que o medo me percorreu, gelando-me, e se repercutiu em tremores nas mãos e nas pernas. Num instante senti e percebi, horrorizado, o que significava para mim perder agora! Apostara ali toda a minha vida!”


Ai como é poderosa aquela bolinha brilhante que corre, que saltita alegremente de casa em casa, de número em número, alheia aos olhares ansiosos daqueles que lhe seguem o rasto!
Atenção...está a abrandar...a abrandar...quase a parar...PAROU!
Seguem-se os gritos de júbilo dos ganhadores e os suspiros desencantados dos perdedores!

Os jogadores e outros viciados que tais, são escravos: marionetes dum poder maior que os manipula restringindo-lhes a liberdade e enegrecendo-lhes a vida — Sua Majestade El-Rei D. Vício!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Profile Image for Steven  Godin.
2,553 reviews2,691 followers
September 24, 2022

I hope to someday tackle Dostoyevsky's doorstopper novels like Brothers Karamazov & Demons but have generally stuck to his shorter to middle length work, and The Gambler continues that trend. The fact it's called The Gambler, and is set in a town called Roulettenberg means it doesn't take a genius to figure out the game at the centre of the novel. A game I've never played because I have zero interest in gambling or casinos.
So, did this make the novel in anyway appear uninteresting to me? Simple answer: no. Because there is so much more going on on a physiological level within the characters than simply placing bets and spinning the wheel. I'd say more heads get spun. And one thing that didn't surprise me, this being Dostoyevsky, is that the narrator was a wreck, driven by nothing but hope as he lives in a constant quiver of anxiety. For the most part the tone here is one of sordidness, which comes from the comedy of manners that Dostoevsky excels in. Humorous just as often as he is gloomy, his more primp characters in The Gambler spend an inordinate amount of time wracked by self-consciousness, in a narrative that is driven by an awareness of the distinction between vulgar gambling for money and the kind a gentleman can engage in, where the money doesn’t matter. This work is drooling with the kind of details that one assumes are somewhat autobiographical (he wrote this in a ridiculously short space of time in order to cover his many debts) and overall I found it an interesting book where the actual gambling came second to the first-rate telling of a degenerate. One thing I also noticed it that his characters are more recognizable from English or French literature than those who are profoundly Russian. In a way, it didn't feel like a Russian novel at all. Apart from some of the names of course. Who knows just how good this could have been had he made it longer and not rushed it. But as rushed novels go, it's pretty darn good.
Profile Image for Stephen.
1,516 reviews11.6k followers
June 16, 2011
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4.0 stars. Fyodor Dostoevsky is a phenomenal writer and an icon of Russian literature. In this story, he has once again written a novel comprised of superb prose, unique characters and some very insightful comments about the human condition. For that, this novel deserves nothing less than 4 stars.

HOWEVER, as a native of Las Vegas who has just recently been given the opportunity to read this book after the lifting of the 100 year ban imposed by the State of Nevada on public dissemination of this book, I must say that I agree with the Nevada founding fathers that some of the conclusions that Dostoevsky draws about the “sin” of gambling ARE JUST PLAIN WRONG. Hopefully, this review will present a more unbiased opinion of the “alternative” investment vehicle and time honored source of happiness and pleasure that is the sport of gambling.

The book starts off great. Dostoevsky introduces us to the main character of his short novel, Alexei Ivanovich, and describes him as an intelligent tutor who is working for a Russian family whose patriarch is known as The General. Through his attraction to Polina, a member of The General’s family, Alexei finds himself introduced to the game of roulette when he is asked by Polina to place a wager for her at the local casino. While placing the wager for Polina, Alexei discovers the “narcotic bliss” that comes with engaging in the sport of gambling. So far…so good.

Alexei becomes involved in an extremely unhealthy relationship with Polina in which she is constantly berating him and compelling to take inappropriate actions. For example, she entices him to get into a verbal altercation with a Baron and Baroness which ends up having long ranging consequences for many of the characters in the story. In order to deal with the many struggles that Alexei finds himself going through, he eventually finds solace in the joys of wagering at the roulette wheel. Again, so far, so good. Gambling can be a great escape from life’s little troubles.

However, this is where Dostoevsky, in my opinion and the opinion of casino executives around the world, really departs from reality. He portrays Alexei’s gambling as being a negative influence on the rest of his life. Alexei stops reading and keeping track of current events and becomes single-minded in his pursuit of winning at the roulette table. In other professional sports, this would be called COMMITMENT, but Dostoevsky implies that Alexei is obsessed.

Now, it IS true that Alexei’s gambling eventually leads to his loss of all his money and social standing in the community and this turn of events is highlighted by Mr. Dostoevsky as proof of the wrongness of gambling. What the author fails to focus on is that Alexei is clear that he never felt as alive in his life as when he was at the roulette wheel and had an ABSOLUTE BLAST until his money ran out. I would say as a form of entertainment, Alexei got plenty of bang for his many bucks. Still, all Dostoevsky wanted to focus on was the pain that followed Alexei loss of money and his inability to find an alternative means of making a living.

Now, to each their own. However, from where I am standing gambling has been very good to the city of Las Vegas and I don’t like seeing its reputation dragged through the mud based on spurious information. Therefore, I would like to finish this review by providing you with the following and ask only that you consider it with an open mind.

TOP TEN MYTHS ABOUT GAMBLING***

***As compiled by the Las Vegas Casino Executive Bonus and Stock Option Institute

1. Gambling destroys families.

Truth: Gambling can bring a family together like nothing else.
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2. Gambling can be an unhealthy and dangerous addiction.

Truth: As the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has made clear, only when someone LOSES at gambling, is it considered a problem.
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3. Gambling can lead to drug addiction.

Truth: Shooting smack, snorting cocaine and smoking crack and/or meth are illegal in OVER 80% of Las Vegas casinos (unless you are a CELEBRITY or a REALLY HIGH ROLLER from overseas); thus you are actually prevented from taking drugs while engaged in gambling.

4. Gambling can cost you friends and lead to loneliness.

Truth: PLEASE…do these people look lonely?
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5. Gambling costs you money.

Truth: Gambling has made many people, LOTS and LOTS of money.
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6. Gambling can make you very unhappy and lead to depression.

Truth: REEEAALLLLYYYYYY!!
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7. Gambling can make you forget who you are a become a different person.

Truth: Is that such a bad thing is some cases?
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8. Gambling is for losers.

Truth: Gambling is for PLAYAS.
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9. Gambling can take over your life.

Truth: As this visual evidence clearly demonstrates, this woman is going to stop gambling for more than an hour to attend her own wedding...from where I am sitting, it doesn’t look like she is letting gambling stop her from living her life.
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10. Gambling is done in an unhealthy environment.

Truth: Casinos take their patrons’ health and safety VERY seriously.
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*******REWARD CLUB BONUS*******

In our effort to continue to give you value for your $$, here is a bonus 11th Myth because Vegas is famous for handing out free stuff...

11. You can't make a career out of being a Gambler.

Truth: Oodles of gold records, a chain of chicken restaurants and a pack of TV movies (despite no acting ability) begs to differ with you.
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Profile Image for Henry Avila.
491 reviews3,275 followers
March 27, 2024
Gambling addiction, the great writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky knew too well about this affliction, he had to write this short novel very quickly, in order to pay for the debts acquired as a result... Our story begins in 1866, with passionate Alexei Ivanovich (The Gambler) , an unhappy tutor to retired Russian General Sagorjanski's two young children, the formerly rich soldier squandered it all, to much high living and reckless spending, no matter how wealthy a person is, when the money flows out faster than it comes in, the inevitable consequences occur, bankruptcy (as Benjamin Franklin said it long ago , " A Fool and his money are soon parted"). The General receives loans from the mysterious Frenchman, the Marquis des Grieux, a sophisticated nobleman but has quite a sinister reputation, no amount of beautiful manners can hide, besides everyone in Roulettenburg, ( Baden-Baden) Germany, a spa and gambling resort town , dominated by the casino, and the Roulette table dominates that, and the desperate visitors inside seem to be all royal...The poor Russian teacher Alexei, is smitten by the General's stepdaughter the beauty Polina Alexandra Praskouja, in her early twenties, like himself, she is rumored to be involved with the prosperous Marquis des Grieux though , and likes to tease and play games for her own outrageous amusement, the tutor being the target. The love obsessed man even insults a German baron, at her request. Another player is the Englishman, quiet Mr. Astley, the fabulously wealthy businessman, with of course noble blood, much richer than the Frenchman, but the shyest man around, who befriends Alexei, he naturally needs to meet and be introduced to Polina. Yet another important character is the General's Aunt Antonida, "Granny", seventy-five, said to be in poor health in Moscow, she is very affluent and will leave her fortune to her closest relative, the hopeful nephew the General , who constantly sends telegrams to get the latest news... You can imagine the consternation that follows, when this supposedly dying lady shows up at the resort hotel and surprises everyone there, they are speechless, Mlle Blanche the gold digging woman and considerably younger fiancee of the retired military officer walks out, not unexpectedly ... The invalid old woman likes to intimidate the people in her presence, they do as they are told, after all she has lots of money, but this is a gambling town and the fever can be caught by anyone... Too bad this novella wasn't longer , the characters are not well developed and the plot flies by too fast , but I am a big fan of this talented author and have only read his lengthy novels before, any book by Dostoyevsky, is well worth reading.
Profile Image for Piyangie.
541 reviews593 followers
July 29, 2023
After this second reading, I'm forced to change my entire opinion on this book. This was my introduction to Dostoevsky, so I didn't know what to expect at first. And also, I heard that this is not one of his best works. All must have influenced my perspective on the book. But after falling in love with Dostoevsky, I wanted to revisit the book to see if I had done justice to it. On this revisit, I have to admit that I have under-appreciated the book.

It is an interesting story. It talks about addiction, obsession, frustration, anger, arrogance - the human vices that threaten the sanity and peace of the human mind.

The story's protagonist is Alexey Ivanovitch, a tutor by profession and a gambling addict. His addiction coupled with his obsession for Polina makes him an emotional slave which slowly leads to his ruin.

I enjoyed Dostoyevsky's psychological portrait of the main protagonist Alexey. His conflicting emotions, wavering between his addiction and obsession was so thoroughly and accurately described. Dostoyevsky's own gambling addiction must have helped him with such accuracy. It made the character real and earn the readers' sympathy. Even with the other characters, Dostoyevsky does a wonderful job of bringing out their characteristics and emotions so well. Polina's enigmatic self, Blanche's shallowness, De Grier's cunning nature, the General's depression coupled with his obsessive love, and even Mr. Astley's steadfastness adds much variation to the story.

The ending is vague but promising. Dostoevsky paints a hopeful picture for Alexey implying his recovery and finding love and affection in Polina.

Overall, I enjoyed this interesting short work by Dostoevsky. That he is one of the greatest storytellers in the literary world, is an undeniable truth.
Profile Image for Sara Kamjou.
617 reviews393 followers
June 1, 2017
من سعی می‌کنم صلحی بین و سبک خاص کتاب‌های روسی برقرار بشه ولی خب باز هم تلاشم با شکست مواجه شد.
قمارباز داستان مردی هست که به نوعی به قمار اعتیاد داره و معتقده باید برای خودش قمار کنه تا برنده بشه. تو این کتاب یک جورهایی بی‌ارزشی پول نشون داده می‌شه. داستان برد و باخت‌های متوالی و بر باد رفتن پول‌های باد آورده.
شخصیت‌پردازی‌ها خوب اما دور از ذهن بود. شاید این موضوع به خاطر شکاف زمانی باشه ولی با هیچکدوم از شخصیت‌ها ارتباط برقرار نکردم.
دیالوگ‌ها گاهی اونقدر طولانی می‌شد که حالت سخنرانی پیدا می‌کرد و اونقدر تکرار می‌شد که خسته‌کننده شد برام. این موضوع سلیقه‌ست و ممکنه این سبک به مذاق یکی خوش بیاد. صرفا با سلیقه‌ی من جور نبود.
در آخر اینکه ترجمه‌ی کتاب فوق‌العاده بد بود و احتمالا دیگه کتابی با ترجمه‌ی جلال آل‌احمد نخونم، مگر به ضرورت. متن اصلا روون نبود و بعضی جملات رو چند بار می‌خوندم و باز هم سر در نمی‌آوردم منظور مترجم چیه! به امید اینکه به زودی اونقدر زبانم خوب بشه که بتونم کتاب‌ها رو به زبان اصلیشون بخونم.
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author 6 books31.7k followers
May 4, 2019
Not one of Dostoevsky’s greatest works, The Gambler was written fast, for cash, as he had gambling debts, so he knew what he was talking about in this one! It is not the most developed of his works (and I may be somewhat influenced by the stuffy translation, and hearing it read via audiotape), but there are moments in it that are still great. My greatest attraction to it is the autobiographical aspect, that Dostoevsky was drawn to gambling, and brought to the brink of ruin again and again by it. In that sense, it is a psychological portrait of his own obsession and anxiety.

“But gamblers know how a man can sit for almost twenty-four hours at cards, without looking to right, or to left.”

It feels somewhat existentialist at times as illusion, shame, despair, and the specter of ruin are always here.

“'You've turned to wood,' he observed, 'you've not only renounced life, your own interests and society's, your duty as a citizen and a human being, your friends, you've not only renounced any goal whatsoever apart from winning, but you've even renounced your memories. I remember you in an ardent and strong moment of your life; but I'm sure you've forgotten all your best impressions then; your dreams, your most essential desires at present don't go beyond pair and impair, rouge, noir, the twelve middle numbers, and so on, and so forth--I'm sure of it!'”

Alexey Ivanovitch is a young tutor working in the household of a Russian general. He wants to move up in class, but his desperation undermines him. This is complicated by an affair he has with the General’s niece, Polina, who is also pursued by other, richer guys. I wasn’t interested at all in the romantic intrigues that took up much of the book. I fairly rushed ahead to read the gambling sequences, which are great. I have some (not much) experience in casinos, and I know a little of the heart-racing thrill of (stupid) risk-taking. I read James McManus’s study of risk-taking behavior set in Vegas, Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker. I also read Jon Krakauer’s study of risk, Into the Wild. Dostoevsky’s nineteenth century story is a kind of classic study of risk-taking addiction and of course it’s ironic, since he identifies the disorder, while still addicted.

“Can I possibly not understand myself that I'm a lost man? But--why can't I resurrect? Yes! it only takes being calculating and patient at least once in your life and--that's all! It only takes being steadfast at least once, and in an hour I can change my whole destiny!”

The best character in the book is Alexey’s Grandmother, who rages against gambling; that is, until she tries it herself. She (sort of) comically loses everything in the process, as if to have Dostoevsky say through her: “Dear reader, you sit smugly on your pompous throne, but just try it!” There are a few such portraits of ruin here, but hers is my favorite.

“Nothing could be more absurd than moral lessons at such a moment! Oh, self-satisfied people: with what proud self-satisfaction such babblers are ready to utter their pronouncements! If they only knew to what degree I myself understand all the loathsomeness of my present condition, they wouldn't have the heart to teach me.”

Dostoevsky’s greatest works are The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment and The Idiot, and The Gambler doesn’t approach the level of those masterpieces, the depths of ruin depicted in those books, but it is still a classic. I read this primarily because I wanted to look back at the sources for degradation and despair in Dostoevsky for twentieth century noir writers, but the three works above are better sources for those experiences than this book. But it still has some great moments!
Profile Image for B0nnie.
136 reviews49 followers
May 12, 2012
You can be seized in an instant by the forces of addiction and obsession. It happened to Dostoyevsky - he became addicted to gambling after one impulsive stop at a roulette table - and it took place while he already was in the grip of an obsession. The object of his obsession: the beautiful Apollinaria Suslova, one of his students and 20 years his junior.
description

This femme fatale appears in various forms in many of Dostoyevsky's novels. In The Gambler she is Polina Alexandrovna. He's in there too, as the narrator Alexis Ivanovitch. The crazy intensity of his feelings were perhaps what enabled him to write this book in 26 days. And also the fact that if he didn't have a book ready in that time he would have lost all the rights to all of his work. He was in middle of writing Crime and Punishment too. But Apollinaria took zero interest in his writing. Maybe an occasional "Zis book steenks".

The characters in The Gambler are wonderfully awful. Grandmamma is the best of the lot:
Yes, it was she—rich, and imposing, and seventy-five years of age—Antonida Vassilievna Tarassevitcha, landowner and grande dame of Moscow—the "La Baboulenka" who had caused so many telegrams to be sent off and received—who had been dying, yet not dying—who had, in her own person, descended upon us even as snow might fall from the clouds! Though unable to walk, she had arrived borne aloft in an armchair (her mode of conveyance for the last five years), as brisk, aggressive, self-satisfied, bolt-upright, loudly imperious, and generally abusive as ever.

Every person whom she met she scanned with an inquisitive eye, after first of all interrogating me about him or her at the top of her voice. She was stout of figure, and, though she could not leave her chair, one felt, the moment that one first looked at her, that she was also tall of stature. Her back was as straight as a board, and never did she lean back in her seat. Also, her large grey head, with its keen, rugged features, remained always erect as she glanced about her in an imperious, challenging sort of way, with looks and gestures that clearly were unstudied. Though she had reached her seventy-sixth year, her face was still fresh, and her teeth had not decayed. Lastly, she was dressed in a black silk gown and white mobcap.


The old lady becomes almost instantly addicted to roulette. Hilarity ensues. The descriptions of the casino and the game are detailed and very real, and the commentaries on the various traits of nationality are, well, interesting.


Profile Image for Mohammed.
471 reviews634 followers
February 20, 2024
لازلت أذكر تلك الظهيرة، يومها كنت في التاسعة عشر، أجرجر أقدامي في شارع جمال بمدينتي تعز، إذ هتف بي شخص ودود على جانب الطريق، قد وضع صندوقاً عليه ثلاث ورقات لعب. أراني وجه إحداها ثم خلطها مع البقية وتحداني أن أحددها من بين أخواتها. فعلت ذلك بنجاح، طلب مني ذلك مرة أخرى، فنجحت مجدداً. بعدها سألني بمكر لطيف: مارأيك أن تراهن بالقليل من المال على هذا التحدي؟ فدخلت بتجربة هي المرة الأولى والأخيرة في هذا المجال.

لا يعتمد القمار على حماقة الإنسان بل على تكوينه النفسي. هي
دائرة خبيثة: 1-سأجرب للمتعة، 2-هناك حقاً ربح، ليتني جربت من قبل 3-سأسترد ما خسرته وأتوقف، 4- سأجرب مرة أخرى وستكون أفضل. هذا إلى جانب الأدرينالين العالي والتشويق الهائل المتولد من المغامرة.

وفي حقيقة الأمر لا يقتصر القمار على صالات الروليت بل على جميع مناحي الحياة، فثمة من يقامر بصحته ومن يخاطر بسمعته ومن يخاطر بأشياء أثمن من ذلك. يقال أنك إذا لم تخاطر بشيء فلن تربح شيئاً، وهذا يعتمد على فلسفة الشخص في الحياة. فالتاجر المقامر قد يحقق ثروات لا يحققها التاجر الذي يبيع ويشتري على المضمون بنفس الوتيرة، لكن التاجر الهادئ يضمن سلامته إلى حد كبير. خذها مني، ليس كل مغامر خسران. يحكى أن علي عبدالله صالح، الرئيسي اليمني الراحل، كان متوجهًا لاستلام الرئاسة بُعيد اغتيال سلفه الذي حكم لفترة وجيزة للغاية. توسلت إليه والدته ألّا يقبلها لأن ذلك سيعرضه للقتل، فأجابها: أكون ديكاً ليوم ولا دجاجة لسنة! وهكذا ربح الرهان لأكثر من 33 وثلاثين سنة.

من سوء حظ دوستويفسكي أنه مارس القمار فترة، وذلك لحسن حظنا إذ حظينا بهذه التحفة البديعة. هنا تصوير للذة القمار وجنونه، لشِراكه المغرية ومآله المحزن. صحيح أن الرواية أقصر من رواياته وأنها –كما تخبرنا المصادر- كُتبت على عُجالة وبضغط من الناشر، إلا أنها طرحت القضية بشكل لافت.
تبدأ الرواية بوتيرة عادية متخمة بالعديد من الشخصيات ثقيلة الظل، ولا بد هناك من حب مريض يتسم بالتذلل من طرف والصلف من طرف آخر وليس له تفسير، هي آفة دوستويفسكية تجعلك تحتقر الشخصية وتعطف عليها وتضرب كفاً بكف. يستمر الوضع حتى تدخل البابوشكا (أو الجدة) في المشهد فتقلب الطاولات وتجذب الستائر وتبعثر كل شيء. الجدة بعفويتها وصراحتها اللامتناهية، بإقبالها على كل شيء وتدخلها في كل شيء غيرت مزاج الرواية وضخت فيها كمية لا يستهان بها من التشويق. كان تصوير الجدة حياً فكأن القارئ يكاد يرى تجاعيدها ويضع أصبعيه في أذنيه من حدة صوتها، لا بد أنها ستذكرك بتلك الخالة التي تزوركم في الأعياد وتحرج الجميع أو جدة صديقك التي تتحاشاها كلما دخلت بيتهم أو –إذا كان حظك سيئاً جداً- بحماتك التي لا مفر لك منها. تلك الجدة المزعجة كانت ممتعة منذ دخولها المشهد وحتى خروجها، وياله من دخول وخروج.

في نهاية الرواية تختلط الأحداث نوعا ما وتتسارع، ربما يعود هذا إلى ظروف كتابتها كما أسلفت. من الأجزاء الممتعة في الرواية هو نقد الشعوب، وإن شابته عنصرية. تحدث دوستو عن نفاق الفرنسيين، عن هوس الألمان بأنفاق أموالهم، عن تهور الروس وعن تحفظ الإنجليز. أعجبتني المقارنة بين الشعب الروسي والألماني في أسلوب الإدخار والإنفاق. ومع أنني أقر بأن أسلوب التنميط غير صحيح لكن مشاهدة دوستو وهو يقذف الحصى على هذا وذاك دون تنميق ولا مواربة هو أمر غاية في الإمتاع.
Profile Image for Tahani Shihab.
592 reviews1,049 followers
May 8, 2021
انتهيت من قراءة رواية المقامر، كنت اشتريتها في لندن من مكتبة الساقي في كوينز واي لأقرأها في رحلتي من لندن إلى باريس بالقطار السريع، بدأت بالثلاث الأجزاء الأولى في القطار ثم وضعتها جانباً لأتمتع بالمناظر الجميلة حولي بينما القطار يشق طريقه مُسرعاً بكل أريحية وانسجام مع رذاذ المطر المتساقط، عندما قرأت أن المجموعة بصدد قراءة رواية المقامر تذكرتها وقمت بقراءتها اليوم إلى أن أكملتها شدّني الأسلوب الجميل للكاتب. تذكرت بعض من عرفتهم ممن كان بهم هوس على ممارسة القمار وكيف انتهى بهم الحال من الغنى إلى البؤس والشقاء والمكابدة لتسديد الديون الكبيرة. القمار لعنه تُصيب كل من يمارسه بالإفلاس، استنتجتُ من قراءتي للرواية : “ بعض الناس يمارسون حياتهم مثل لعبة القمار استهتار بقيمة المال والوقت والعواطف والمشاعر”

مقتطفات من الكتاب راقت لي:


“لا يذهب للغابة من يخاف الذئب”

“رب خاطر هو أقرب الخواطر إلى الجنون، وأدناها إلى الاستحالة، يبلغ من قوة رسوخه في الفكر أن المرء يخاله ممكن التحقيق، حتى إذا كان هذا الخاطر مرتبطاً برغبة قوية ملتهبة جامحة اعتقد المرء أخيراً أنه أمر حتمي، ضروري، فرضه القدر منذ الأزل، أمر لا يمكن إلا أن يكون، ولا يمكن إلا أن يحدث!

عفوك يا عمتي … هل المبارزات ممكنة؟
ولم لا؟ الرجال جميعاً ديكة. كانا سيقتتلان، وينتهي الأمر. ولكنكم دجاجات مبتلة، هذا واضح، إنكم عاجزون عن الدفاع عن شرف بلدكم
Profile Image for Peiman E iran.
1,438 reviews770 followers
January 18, 2016
آنقدر موضوعِ کتاب جذاب و گیرا هستش که باعث شده فیلم هایِ بسیاری با همین موضوع یا با اندکی تغییر ساخته بشه، من که خیلی لذت بردم، کلاً داستایوفسکی انگارِ بیمارِ اینِ که مدام قهرمانِ داستان یا همون شخصیتِ داستان هایِ خودش رو بینِ خوبی و بدی ببره و بیاره، عاشقِ این حرکتشم... از دیدگاهِ من، داستایوفسکی استادِ جدال نیکی و بدی در داستان نویسی هستش، شاید روان بودنِ داستان باعث شه خواننده فکر کنه این داستان خیلی سطحی هستش، ولی از نظرِ من، داستانِ پخته ای بود، فکرِ همه جا رو کرده بود، حتی پول��نا که اول داستان و آخر داستان سر و کلش پیدا شد
بهترین جملۀ کتاب از دیدگاهِ من: « وحشی گری، زورگویی و کاربردِ قدرتِ بی اندازه رویِ یک حشره، برایِ بشر لذت آفرین است، بشر از نظرِ نهادی ستمکار بوده و میل دارد شکنجه گری کند» ... خیلی جملۀ پر محتوایی بود، این جمله به اندازۀ یک کتاب تو خودش سخنِ نهفته داره

پیروز باشید و ایرانی
Profile Image for Fatima.
185 reviews370 followers
June 11, 2018
خ��اندن و اتمام این کتاب واقعا داستانی شده بود برای خودش ! اولش که کلی با ترجمه جلال آل احمد کلنجار رفتم و در کامنت اپدیت ها هم دوستان با من هم عقیده بودند که ترجمه ی سخت و غیرقابل فهم و قدیمی ای هست و مجبور شدم کتاب را به صورت صوتی گوش کنم که خوشبختانه باعث شد نهایتا به پایان برسانمش و به همه ی شما دوستان پیشنهاد میکنم اگر قصد خواندن این کتاب را دارید فقط با ترجمه ی سروش حبیبی بخوانید و اصلا به سمت ترجمه ی جلال آل احمد و صالح حسینی هم نروید ...

اما نظرم در مورد کتاب قمارباز : بدون شک داستان جذابی هست که مخاطب را به آسانی به دنبال خودش میکشاند و انگار مخاطب هم همراه شخصیت اصلی با هر صفحه ای که جلو میرود روی داستان و عاقبت شخصیت هایش قمار میکند ، هرچند من به شدت در دنیای واقعی از ادم هایی که به سرمایه های باد آورده تکیه میکنند بیزارم و از تلاش شان برای ادامه ی این راه که مثل چاهی عمیق میماند سر در نمیاورم اما این کتاب به خوبی سبک زندگی یک انسان قمار باز را به نمایش میگذارد و ممکن هست بعضی از دوستداران این کتاب فقط برد های قمارباز را به یاد بیاورند و زندگی خوش محدود به چند ماه دارنگی اش را و به راحتی و بدون حساسیت نشان دادن ، بخش سیاه ماجرا و اینکه طرف بالاخره کاملا پاک باخته و تهی مغز میشود را نادیده بگیرند و اینکه کم کم در باتلاقش چه بخواهد چه نخواهد فرو رفته و از دنیای واقعی جدا شده و حسابی معتاد به شانس و بخت و اقبالی میشود که هیچ وقت به هیچ کس تمام عیار وفا نکرده و ... شخصیت های داستان هم خوب ساخته و پرداخته شده بودند ، هرچند پولینا واقعا غیرقابل تصور رفتار و عمل میکرد و تنها شخصیتی بود که تا پایان کتاب نمیتوانستم حرکت و قدم بعدی اش را حدس بزنم ! و مابقی افراد و شخصیت ها را پیشاپیش قدم بعدی و یا سرنوشت شان را حدس میزدم و یا حدسم کمی نزدیک به عاقبت شان بود ولی هیچ کدام از شخصیت ها و پایانشان به هیچ وجه برایم کسل کننده نبود و در کل پکیجی از پول دوستانی بی وفا و سودجو و الکی زرنگ ! و گاهی واقعا زرنگ ! در کنار هم بودند که زندگی شان به قماری بند بود و خانه ی قرمز و سیاه و یا صفری ، در بازی ای کاملا روسی و عجیب ...
Profile Image for Nikos Tsentemeidis.
415 reviews260 followers
December 26, 2016
Τόσο μικρό, μα τόσο μεγάλο έργο.

Ίσως δεν έχει περιγραφεί ποτέ τόσο καλά η ψυχολογία ενός τζογαδόρου. Οι τόσο μεγάλες εναλλαγές συναισθημάτων σε μηδενικό χρόνο που αλλάζουν τη ζωή ενός ανθρώπου, την αξιοπρέπεια και κοινωνική του κατάσταση.
Profile Image for Ali Karimnejad.
314 reviews191 followers
March 6, 2022
3.5

آدم‌ها محصول شرایطی هستن که توش قرار گرفتن. اگر اون شرایط دستخوش تغییرات بشه، اون آدم هم عوض می‌شه. طوری که حتی شاید خودش هم تعجب بکنه

حکایت این کتاب هم کمابیش راجع به همین ماجراست. معلم ساده‌ای که عاشق دختری به نام پائولیناست. اما زمانی که در قمار مبلغ هنگفتی رو برنده می‌شه، کاملا عشق پائولینا رو فراموش می‌کنه و چه راحت با یک زن هرجایی به پاریس می‌ره. رفتنی که البته منجر به احساس خوشبختی هم نشد. اما مساله اینه که وقتی شرایط عوض شد آدم‌ها هم عوض می‌شن.

مادامی که الکسی فقیره، داستان عشقش با پائولینا به شکل خواهشی دائمی و خوار کننده از سمت الکسی هست به سوی پائولینا که همیشه از جایگاه قدرت اون رو با دست پس می‌زنه و با پا پیش می‌کشه. اما زمانی که الکسی ناگهان یک شبه ثروتمند می‌شه و پول رو برای پائولینا می‌بره، جایگاه قدرت بین الکسی و پائولینا تغییر می‌کنه. حالا مرد در جایگاه قدرته و پائولینا در موضع ضعف. و همین هم هست که باعث می‌شه پائولینا اینقدر برآشفته بشه.

پائولینا که مدتها به خاطر قرضی که پدرش به دوگریو داشته، زیر سایه قدرت دوگریو مجبور به همنشینی با اون بوده، با در موضع ضعف قرار گرفتن در برابر الکسی، تنها کسی که در برابرش می‌تونست غریزه خودستایی خودش رو اغنا کنه، مسلمه که دچار جنون می‌شه و نهایتا از روی غروری که داره سعی می‌کنه برای آخرین بار لذت قدرت رو در برابر الکسی تجربه کنه و به همین خاطر پول رو می‌کوبه توی صورتش و از اتاق بیرون می‌ره. اگرچه می‌دونیم که در دلش الکسی رو دوست داره. رفتارهای پائولینا با الکسی رو باید بیشتر از منظر حقارتی که بر این زن تحمیل شده تفسیر کرد و از این جهت من رو خیلی یاد "ناستازیا فیلیپوونا" در رمان ابله انداخت.

در مجموع بخوام بگم، داستان خیلی چفت و بست درست و حسابی نداشت ولی مثل همیشه، شخصیت‌پردازی داستایوفسکی، آدم رو مسحور خودش می‌کنه. بعلاوه، چند صحنه‌ای که راجع به قمار کردن مادربزرگ و الکسی نوشته شده واقعا تجربه نابی از قمار کردن رو به آدم می‌ده و خوب لذتِ بردن و عذاب باختن رو به آدم می‌چشونه. اینه که بنظرم کتاب خوبی بود هر چند می‌تونست واقعا خیلی بهتر باشه.


پ.ن. صوتیش رو گوش کردم با صدای آرمان سلطان‌زاده. واقعا تجربه نابی بود.
Profile Image for Ayman Gomaa.
465 reviews642 followers
February 22, 2023
عندما ناتى لظروف كتابة هذة الرواية و معاناة دوستويفسكى نفسه من هذا المرض نستطيع حينها ان ننظر للعمل نظرة اخرى، فهنا نحن امام كاتب يكتب عن مرضه لا يخجل منه ولا يجد المبررات لافعاله بل يغوص اكثر فى الشعور و اللذة الذى يشعر بها المقامر على طاولة الروليت من الانتصار و الزهو الى الخزي و اليأس، ولا تخلو الرواية من الحب المعذب من طرف واحد الذى ايضًا عانى منه دوستويفسكى لذلك فانا لاول مرة اشعر ان العمل سيرة ذاتية لاحداث مر بها دوستويفسكى و ما هذة الشخصيات الا اسقاط عن ما قابله فى حياته حتى نظرته الشخصية للالمانى و الفرنسى و الانجليزى و نظرتهم للمواطن الروسى النظرة الدونية التى تعانى منها شرق اوروبا حتى الان من نظيرتها غرب اوروبا .

الرواية تدور احداثها فى فندق بالمانيا حيث تقيم الشخصية الرئيسية ألكسى ايفانوفيتش الذى يعمل معلمًا لأولاد جنرال روسى و يحب ابنته من زوجته الاولى باولين الكسندروفنا حب اشبه بالعبودية، حب ماسوشي ذليل كعادة دوستويفسكى فى اظهار هذا الجانب دائما كما كان فى مذلون مهانون و الليالى البيضاء، و كم كانت قاسية هى عليه ايضًا تستهزء به ولكنه ليس الحب الوحيد فى حياته فحبه للمقامرة كالهذيان الذ يتملكه و يفقده الشعور بمن حوله واحيانا يكون مثل التحدى فاى حب سينتصر و لمن سكتون الغلبة !؟

نرى فى اروقة الفندق شخصيات عديدة رسمها دوستويفسكى بعناية فائقة لا تقل عن الشخصية الرئيسية و نرى فيهم اسقاط دوستويفسكى على هذة البلاد من خلالهم فنرى الفرنسى يمتاز بالانتهازية و الجهل و الالمانى المتكبر المتعجرف و الانجليزى المحافظ العاقل و لم يسلم الشعب الروسى منه فالروس فى نظره شرهين مبذرين يذهبون وراء اهوائهم و الروليت خلقت للروس كما خلقوا الروس لها .

الرواية ليست افضل ما كتبه دوستويفسكى نظره لاستعجالة و الظروف المحيطة بالعمل لكن عند الكلام عن الصراع النفسى فى شخصياته فهنا يتجسد ليرسم لنا احسن الصور و قد تحسنت الرواية كثيرا و رايت فيها دوستويفسكى الذى اعرفه و احبه عندما ظهرت شخصية الجدة الغنية اخيرا لتتسارع الاحداث و ايضا عندما تملكت ألكسى روح المقامرة هنا كان العمل صورة كاملة للقمار و المقامرو رذيلة الطمع التى تتملكهم على الطاولة و اللذة التى لا يمكن الفكاك منها .

النهاية جائت سريعة و من السهل توقع هل كانت سعيدة ام حزينة فى حضرة دوستويفسكى و ان كان افضل ما يعبر عنها اقتباسه نفسه
" يرتكب الانسان حماقات كثيرة في حياته ،،ليس لأنه أحمق بالضرورة ، بل ربما يدفع نفسه للحماقة رغماً عنه "

تم اصدار فيلم انجليزى عن الرواية و محاولة دوستويفسكى نفسه فى كتابتها عام 1997 لكن لم اشاهده بعد .

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December 1, 2021
Πρόκειται για ένα γνήσιο ρωσικό ψυχολογικό δράμα και όταν μάλιστα είναι πνευματικά κατοχυρωμένο στον εμμονικό Ντοστογιέφσκι, τότε σίγουρα μιλάμε για μια υπέροχη ιστορία κλασικής πεζογραφίας της παγκόσμιας λογοτεχνίας.
Ο Αλεξέι Ιβάνοβιτς, ένας νεαρός δάσκαλος που εργάζεται ως παιδαγωγός για τα τέκνα ενός αλλοπρόσαλλου ηλικιωμένου Ρώσου στρατηγού, μπερδεύεται σε μια πτωτική πορεία στοιχημάτων, τζόγου, εθισμού, παρακμής, ανυποληψίας, καταστροφής και απώλειας. Ενώ το οικογενειακό, συγγενικό και μη, κοπάδι των επιρρεπών Ρώσων ταξιδεύει σε ένα γερμανικό σπα - τυχερά παιχνίδια, καζίνο, ρουλέτες, χρέη, υποθήκες, χρεόγραφα και διαθήκες που ελπίζουν και εύχονται οι συγγενείς να κληρονομήσουν σύντομα, προσευχόμενοι στο βωμό του θανάτου, σχεδιάζουν και «παίρνουν το κόλπο», αποκαλύπτονται τα μυστικά ολόκληρης της οικογένειας και των πλουσίων ή απατεώνων φίλων και γνωστών, τα υπο-σχέδια, τα αυτοσχέδια παιχνίδια ζωής και θανάτου, αγάπης,
απάτης και μίσους, περιστρέφονται και αντιστρέφονται.

Σαν την γοητεία της ρουλέτας που ποντάρει κάποιος στα χρώματα της, στα νούμερα της, στα τσαλίμια της απερισκεψίας που οι τζογαδόροι ονομάζουν τύχη ή γκίνια.
Στο κέρδος, στο χρήμα που πάντα σου δίνει ο τζόγος κάθε είδους, μα δυστυχώς τα πάντα στα παίρνει πίσω, διότι
εξ αρχής σε έχει προειδοποιήσει πως όλα όσα κερδίζεις είναι δανεικά και μέσα απο τη χαρά της νίκης περιστρέφετα�� η δίνη της επιστροφής όχι μόνο των κερδών αλλά και όσων έχεις και δεν έχεις - διότι το ποντάρισμα συνεχίζεται ακόμη κι όταν όλα έχουν χαθεί
ελπιζοντας πάντα να «πιάσεις την καλή».

Η δυστυχία του Αλεξέι - ο οποίος ψάχνει τον εαυτό του κυρίως μέσα απο τις συμπεριφορές των άλλων - χειροτερεύει από την αγάπη του για την ανιψιά του στρατηγού, την Πολίνα και τις δυσάρεστες δυσκολίες που τον μπερδεύουν και τον καταντούν περιπλανώμενο και σπάταλο Ιουδαίο της αγάπης μέσω των κερδών.

Κάπου εκεί μπερδεύονται όλα. Συνείδηση, φιλοσοφία ζωής, πνευματική ενάργεια, συναισθηματική φόρτιση, επιβίωση, κοινωνικοπολιτικές σχέσεις και οικονομικές καταστάσεις των οποίων οι δοσοληψίες σε εντάσσουν και σε χαρακτηρίζουν ως άνθρωπο, ως οντότητα, ως προσωπικότητα.
Και τότε είναι που οι αδύναμοι και οι εθισμένοι αποκτούν μια θέση στην ανθρώπινη πυραμίδα ή μια κλίνη σε κάποιο θεσμικό και νομικό ίδρυμα επιθετικής ίασης και επανένταξης ή μόνιμης κατάστασης ημιτελούς και απαξιωτικής υπαρξιακής κατάστασης που δεν κατάφερε την αντικατάσταση ρόλων και την φρενήρη κάθοδο στον εθισμό.

Μισώ τον τζόγο κάθε είδους, μα λατρεύω κάθε εθισμένη ύπαρξη που εξομολογείται δημόσια γράφοντας σε τούτο το βιβλίο μέσα απο τη φυλακή του τροχού της ρουλέτας.
Δεν μπορείς να κρίνεις τα εκφυλισμένα άτομα στους εμμονικούς τους πυρετούς όταν καίγονται απο την κάψα της τρέλας λόγω της προσωπικής τους αδυναμίας.

Άλλωστε οι ίδιοι, αυτοί είναι, που ως την τελευταία ζαριά της αναπνοής τους κοιτούν με τα μάτια της αδυναμίας, με μια απαντοχή που τους λιώνει και τους καταρρακώνει, τους παρηγορεί, η σκέψη πως ακόμα μπορούν να φωνάζουν βαθιά και εσώτερα στα κατάβαθα του Είναι τους πως χρήζουν αγάπης.



Καλή ανάγνωση.
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162 reviews214 followers
September 6, 2016
داستایوسکی چقدر شگفت‌انگیزه.
در صفحه‌ی اول داستان شش شخصیت معرفی می‌کند و به غیر از یکی که حذف می‌شود همه تا پایان حضور دارند. یعنی ممکنه توی صفحه‌ی اول یه داستان معتبر ایرانی شش شخصیت معرفی بشه؟ من که فکر می‌کنم توی داستان‌های ایرانی اون چیزی که اهمیت داره شخصیت نیست، تهرانه. هرچند، من اهلیت کافی برای داوری درباره‌ی رمان‌های ایرانی را ندارم، چون خیلی کم خوانده‌ام.
چقدر عشق‌ها و رفتارهای آدم‌ها در آن زمان پرشور بوده است. من که به‌راحتی آدم‌ها را حذف می‌کنم برایم خیلی شگفت‌انگیز است که آدم‌ها با هم درگیری‌های احساسی شدید پیدا می‌کنند. مکالمه‌های هیجانی راوی داستان با محبوبه‌اش همزمان دور و نزدیک است. تناقض‌های احساس راوی به محبوبه‌اش را کاملاً درک می‌کنم و درعین‌حال باور نمی‌کنم که بشود چنین شورانگیز با کسی صحبت کرد. شخصیت اصلی خودش را با بیرون‌ریختن درونیاتش خرد می‌کند و بر این خردشدن آگاه است و آن را اعلام می‌کند، اما بازهم ادامه می‌دهد. این کار توان بالایی را می‌طلبد که فرسنگ‌ها از من دور است.
جایی می‌گوید که می‌خواستم از رابطه‌ی خودم و محبوبه‌ام به شخص سومی بگویم، اما دیدم مگر ما چه رابطه‌ای داریم؟ جز اینکه او به من اجازه داده عشقم را ابراز کنم؟ آیا اجازه‌ی ابراز عشق حقی به راوی نمی‌دهد؟
و زن‌های داستایوسکی چقدر ناشفاف‌اند و چقدر متناقض‌اند، پیچیدگی‌های درونی آدمی را نمی‌شود به کلامی صاف و ساده درآورد و داستایوسکی این را خیلی خوب نشان می‌دهد. راوی داستان در صفحه‌ی آخر است که می‌فهمد محبوبه‌اش هم او را دوست می‌داشته، اما چرا هیچ‌وقت این را از او نشنیده بود؟

این کتاب را یک‌شبه خواندم. مدت‌ها بود که چنین کاری ازم برنمی‌آمد.
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