Customer Reviews

The Gambler / Bobok / A Nasty Story (Penguin Classics)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Those who would read Dostoevsky but, are intimidated by the sheer magnitude of his epics, should read this collection of three great shorter works. Bobok is strikingly amusing and clever. The Gambler brilliantly depicts the all too real dynamics of a toxic relationship. My favorite, A Nasty Story, is such an hilarious and witty story. It's almost painful to read as one is compelled to sympathize with the character's best intentions gone wrong. All marvelous works from the brilliant mind of Dostoevsky.

Mention Russian Literature and the names Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) fall trippingly off the tongue. As one who has immersed himself in the dark, verbose and philosophical novels of Dostoyevsky it was with joy I turned to three shorter works contained in this Penguin Classics Editon.
The Gambler is set in the mythical German spa "Rouletteberg" where a group of travelers play the gaming tables, seek romance and quest for fortune. The tale is told by Alexi a character based on Dostoyevsky who had a gambling obsession. Alexi is in love with the mecurial beauty Polina who will leave him for the arms and wealth of an English nobleman. The General is an old Russian roue who is courted by the mercenary French woman Blanche. The best character in the 120 page novella is Grandmama a rich Russian woman whose relatives fight over the rights to be included in her will. Grandmama loses a fortune at the gaming tables. She is plain, outspoken and wry in her comments on her ne'er do well family
members. This is a cautionary tale of the evils of gambling whose
temptations the author knew all to well.
Dostoyevsky wrote this story under pressure from his publisher to produce a sellable story. It was during its hurried writing that he obtained the services of a secretary who would become his second
wife.
Bobok is a short story about the ability of deceased persons to speak to one another from their graves! This is a macabre, witty story in which the dead comment on the foibles of the living.
A Nasty Story tells the tale of a bumptious official who by accident attends the wedding party of a clerk in his office. The official drinks too much collapsing in a drunken stupor. He spends the night in the bed which had been reserved for the newlyweds. The story is a smart smack in the face at Tsarist bureaucrats.
These stories are a good introduction to the genius who is Dostoevsky. Recommended!

I love Dostoyevsky and personally think these stories are some of his best, but after reading this version (as well as a public domain version of Crime and Punishment), realized there are better translations than the ones I had read. I have found that Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky seem to be the best. For the stories included in this book, they have either "The Double and The Gambler" or "The Eternal Husband and Other Stories".

One particularly annoying point is that this version does not have footnote translations for the French phrases in the Gambler.

This collection of a novella ("The Gambler") and two short stories ("Bobok" and "A Nasty Story") by Dostoyevsky makes for a nice introduction to the Russian master's work. The Gambler is a well paced story that brilliantly depicts greed's devastating effect on the undisciplined. Common Dostoyevsky themes of loss and surrealism are presented here in a nice, shorter package than most of his more well known classics. I was also impressed with how well most of the characters were presented for such a short novel. Grand Mama was an especially memorable character with her manic and compulsive personality. She alone makes this story worth checking out.
My five star rating is for "The Gambler." The two additional short stories are nice to have but add little to the overall value. Read "The Gambler" and then check out the other two if you've been intrigued.

"The Gambler" is by far the strongest of these three stories, as it contains the deepest statements regarding human nature as well as the most memorable characters. This story is replete with moments of brilliance, humor and insight. "Bobok" is original and humorous, but is a lighter story by design. "A Nasty Story" is one with some interesting lessons, but is a story that hasn't aged well. Its notions of propriety and social etiquette are far removed from that of our own time. Recommended, especially for those who are already fans of Dostoevsky.