Listen to a sample
The Gambler
- Author
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Narrator
- Jason Ingolfsland
- Publisher
- Parolita Libro
- Publish Date
- 1 March 2026
- Run Time
- 5 hours 56 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
In the fictional town of Roulettenberg, Germany, a Russian tutor to the children of a seemingly wealthy general is enticed to play roulette at the local casino. First playing for others (including his beloved Polina Alexandrovna), he soon gets a taste for the experience himself, which can lead in only one direction.
Dostoevsky wrote this story based at least partially on personal experience. After his second marriage (and the successful publication of Crime and Punishment) he and his wife took a honeymoon in Baden-Baden, where Dostoevsky lost large quantities of money at the roulette table. To get his financial situation back to normal he then set up a wager with his publisher: they'd have the right to publish his work for free for nine years if he couldn't deliver this novel by November 1866. He succeeded in this, and was able to move on to writing The Idiot.
The Gambler has been translated to screen and radio, and was even turned into an opera by Prokofiev. This edition is the 1915 translation by C. J. Hogarth.
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Narrator
- Jason Ingolfsland
- Duration
- 5 hours 56 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 March 2026
- ISBN
- 4069829618069
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Parolita Libro
- Genre
- Classic fiction: literary and general
Synopsis
In the fictional town of Roulettenberg, Germany, a Russian tutor to the children of a seemingly wealthy general is enticed to play roulette at the local casino. First playing for others (including his beloved Polina Alexandrovna), he soon gets a taste for the experience himself, which can lead in only one direction. Dostoevsky wrote this story based at least partially on personal experience. After his second marriage (and the successful publication of Crime and Punishment) he and his wife took a honeymoon in Baden-Baden, where Dostoevsky lost large quantities of money at the roulette table. To get his financial situation back to normal he then set up a wager with his publisher: they'd have the right to publish his work for free for nine years if he couldn't deliver this novel by November 1866. He succeeded in this, and was able to move on to writing The Idiot. The Gambler has been translated to screen and radio, and was even turned into an opera by Prokofiev. This edition is the 1915 translation by C. J. Hogarth.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.