The Gambler and Other Stories is Fyodor Dostoyevsky''s collection of one novella and six short stories reflecting his own life - indeed, ''The Gambler'', a story of a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian General, was written under a strict deadline so he could pay off his roulette debts. This volume includes ''Bobok'', the tale of a frustrated writer visiting a cemetery and enjoying the gossip of the dead; ''The Dream of a Ridiculous Man'', the story of one man''s plan to commit suicide and the troubling dream that follows, as well as ''A Christmas Party and a Wedding'', ''A Nasty Story'' and ''The Meek One''.