Poor Folk and The Gambler is a book by the renowned Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is a collection of two novellas, Poor Folk and The Gambler, that explore the themes of poverty, love, and addiction. Poor Folk is a story about a young woman named Makar Devushkin who lives in poverty in St. Petersburg. She corresponds with a friend, Varvara Dobroselova, through letters and the two develop a close bond. Despite their financial struggles, they find solace in their friendship and the hope for a better future. The Gambler, on the other hand, tells the story of Alexei Ivanovich, a tutor who becomes addicted to gambling while staying with a wealthy family in Germany. He falls in love with Polina, the stepdaughter of his employer, and becomes embroiled in her family's financial troubles. The novella explores the destructive nature of gambling and the consequences of addiction. Both novellas are written with Dostoevsky's signature style, which is characterized by psychological depth and philosophical musings. The book is a testament to Dostoevsky's ability to capture the human experience and provide insight into the complexities of the human psyche.1915. Two works from Dostoevsky, Russian novelist, who is considered one of the most outstanding and influential writers of modern literature. Poor Folk, written in epistolary form is his first novel. From the Introduction: These two examples of Dostoevsky�������s art are sketches set in widely differing frames. The one concerns a gambler who frequents the fashionable spas and casinos of Germany; the other consists of a series of love-letters exchanged between two poor folk whose lives are spent amid the slums of St. Petersburg. Yet there is this in common between the two sketches-that each of them ends on a note of hinted tragedy. Both the gambler and the pair of sorrowful lovers ask as the curtain falls: Is there any hope for us. Sometimes it is said of Dostoevsky that he could not see the comedy of life as well as he could the tragedy; yet humor abounds in these two works, even as it does in sundry others by the same author. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.