9/10

Pushkin doesn’t need an introduction even to English-reading audiences, because of how great of an artist he is. And although I have read his works in good English translations by Penguin, one has to sadly admit that a lot can be lost even in the best of translations.

For one, even merely re-arranging words and meanings in a sentence can change its poetic aspect. There is an energy detected in ’never stop improving’ but none in the trite-sounding ‘always keep improving’. Languages do not merely represent reality; they shape our understanding of our realities, as well. Thus, nothing beats reading in the original, since the reader then gets to experience a more realistic impact intended by the author.

Nevertheless, as my Russian is not so good as to be able to read Pushkin in the original, the second best thing is to read well-translated works. And this is such an excellent writer that his art shines forth even through a translation. In this novella, entertainment, psychology, game theory, art, moral edification, social commentary, and even satire is mixed so expertly that you won’t be able to separate them categorically.

The story both moves fast and slow, and this alone makes it worth reading, for such a feat is not easy to achieve. It’s fast because you’ll never be bored, but it’s slow because it makes you think, very deeply. It’s like driving a car that becomes slower the more you accelerate it, without actually becoming slow at all!

In short, here’s a tale about greed, obsession, and the supernatural concerning a frugal German officer in the Russian army who becomes consumed by a secret formula to win at cards, leading to murder, a ghostly visitation, and his eventual descent into madness.

Highly recommended!