The Gambler by Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, Fiction, Classics

The Gambler is the tale of a man named Alexei with a passion for -- no, an addiction to -- roulette. In Dostoevsky's own words, ." . . all his vital sap, all his energies, his impetuosity and boldness will be absorbed by roulette. He is a gambler, but not just an ordinary gambler . . . My hero is, in his way, a poet, but he feels ashamed. . .and he feels its ugliness [the ugliness of his addiction] deeply." It's an oddly sympathetic tale, and Dostoevsky was well suited to telling it: The heroine of The Gambler is based on the fiery Apollinaria Suslov -- Dostoevsky's own mistress.