New Persian translation of Dostoevsky’s “The Gambler” comes to Iranian bookstores

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Elmi Farhangi Publications in Tehran has released a new translation of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella “The Gambler” by Hamidreza Atashbarab.

The story is about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. 

It reflects Dostoevsky’s own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book. 

Dostoevsky completed the novella in 1866 under a strict deadline to pay off gambling debts.

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.

Several films have been inspired by the book. “The Great Sinner”, a loose adaptation, starred Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner under the direction of Robert Siodmak in 1949. 

“Le Joueur”, a 1958 French film adaptation by Claude Autant-Lara, starred by Gerard Philipe. 

A 1972 co-production of the USSR and Czechoslovakia by Lenfilm Studio and Barrandov Studios, directed by Alexei Batalov, follows the book closely.

There are at least three other Persian translations of the novella by Jalal Ale-Ahmad, Sorush Habibi and Saleh Hosseini.

source: Tehran Times