The novel ‘The Gambler’ has strong autobiographical motives, because Dostoevsky himself was a gambler. The story of the creation of this book is very interesting: having lost his last penny in Wiesbaden, the writer, desperately in need of money, signed a contract with a publishing house, according to which he had to write a novel... in 26 days. These completely implausible terms forced Dostoevsky, for the first time in his life, to use the services of a secretary-stenographer, to whom he dictated the text. Thus, the young Anna Snitkina entered the life of the genius - the woman who was destined to become his wife and muse.