(25) Dostoevsky's gambling addiction disappears in Wiesbaden, the city of casinos! What a miracle happened to him at the end of his trip!

(25) Dostoevsky's Gambling Addiction Vanishes in Wiesbaden, the City of Casinos! What was the miracle that happened to him at the end of his trip?

In the fall of 1869, they came to Dresden to prepare for the birth of Mrs. Anna. This was their second visit to Dresden. They had been living peacefully in a place they had grown accustomed to, but after the new year, their fourth year of wandering abroad, they felt that they had reached their limits. They became extremely homesick. Previous Article(24) Mr. and Mrs. Dostoevsky wanted to stay in Prague - a near miss with that Smetana! They went to Dresden in tears. Their trip was coming to an end.Then I told you about the two of them up to that point.

In this article, we will first look at their situation further back in time from that point.

Mr. and Mrs. Dostoevsky suffer from homesickness

Time passed, and in April 1871, I had been living abroad for four full years. Hopes of returning to Russia sometimes appeared and sometimes disappeared. Finally, we firmly decided that we would return to Petersburg in the near future, no matter how painful the outcome of our return might be. However, our hope was very faint. If we could not return to Russia a month before the birth of our child, we would have to stay here for another year, until spring, since it was unthinkable that we would be able to travel with our newborn child in late autumn. The thought that we might not see Russia for another full year made us both feel desperate, and we could not bear to live in a foreign country any longer. My husband thought that he would "perish" if he had to remain abroad, that he could write no more novels, that he had no material, that his Russian acquaintances in Dresden were, in his view, no longer Russians, but merely exiles who could not love Russia and had willingly abandoned their homeland for good. They lived saying that they were no longer Russians, but only exiles who could not love Russia and who had abandoned their homeland for good. And it was true. They were all aristocrats who had abandoned their homeland to enjoy the civilization of Western Europe, unable to tolerate the abolition of serfdom and the resulting change in their living conditions. For the most part, they were the kind of people who resented the new order and their reduced wealth, and thought it would be easier to live in another country.

Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."P214-215

Extreme homesickness. Moreover, it was an extremely serious situation for the writer Dostoevsky, who no longer had "material" to write about. He had no material to write about. There were no books to use as sources. He had no people. What was he to write about? Dostoevsky was in agony.

I can somewhat understand Dostoevsky's feelings. I know how Dostoevsky felt, because I myself was intensely homesick during this trip, and I couldn't wait to read the materials.

I began my trip in early November and was scheduled to return on the 18th of January. However, I ended up returning on December 31. Yes, I had cut short my trip and returned home.

I was already feeling homesick and eager to read the Dostoevsky materials by the time I got to Florence in early December. The impressions I made there were so strong that I was eager to write a travelogue as soon as possible and to read the materials as soon as possible. There was something inside me that felt like it was about to explode as I followed in Dostoevsky's footsteps through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. But I could not do that if I did not return home. I had no choice but to agonize over it.

So I finally decided to hasten my return. I had reached my limit. It was true that the schedule starting in January was hard to abandon. If I missed it now, I would never be able to go back. But the dates in January were not directly related to Dostoevsky. If that was the case...! I decided to return home. I wanted to start writing this travelogue as soon as possible. It was not a passive return. It was an aggressive return. It was an extremely aggressive return.

What would have happened to Dostoevsky, who had been abroad for four years? What would happen to the world-famous author of "Crime and Punishment"? Moreover, as modern people, we have the treasured swords of computers and smart phones. With these, we can easily communicate with distant places, and with the Kindle, we can read books. However, in Dostoevsky's time, of course, there was no such thing. Dostoevsky had no means to study what he instantly thought, "I want to know!" He had no means to study what he instantly thought, "I want to know! This is an immense pain for a person with a strong sense of curiosity. Even I, with all my civilization's conveniences, was overcome with a feverish desire to return home and read books. Dostoevsky, completely cut off from his materials, must have suffered hundreds of times more than I did. I think he would have been burned to a crisp. I can understand why he lamented that he would "perish" if he had to remain abroad in this way, that he could write no more novels, that he had no material to work with.

Dostoevsky was worried that his strength as a writer would be depleted if he continued to work like this. Concerned, Anna prescribed him a remedy. Yes. Roulette.

Madame Anna sent him to a casino to stimulate Dostoevsky, who was once struggling to write "The Idiot" in Geneva. The venture was a great success, and although he lost all his money, he was able to finish the work in one fell swoop. *(16) Dostoevsky's days in Geneva: the start of writing "The Idiot" and the birth of the famous manager, Madame Anna.(See article in)

And neither did Madame Anna dream at the time that this dramaturgy in Dresden would work an unexpected miracle for Dostoevsky.

Dostoevsky was encouraged by his wife Anna to go to Wiesbaden, the city of casinos.

Wiesbaden, the City of Casinos

Even today, it takes more than six hours by train to get from Dresden to Wiesbaden. In those days, it would have taken several times longer. In this article, we will take a look at the city before we talk about the incident that happened to Dostoevsky.

The front of the Wiesbaden station is like a large park, and a 25-minute walk straight ahead leads to the casino (Kurhaus), which Dostoevsky also visited.

There were many people walking along the park and it was pleasant to walk.

This is the casino that Dostoevsky visited. It is luxurious and looks like a temple. Since it is not allowed to take pictures inside, this is the end of the photos.

In front of the casino was an open park, and the casino seen through the fountain looked like a royal palace.

There was a large pond in a nearby park where children were playing with birds. This must be a place of relaxation for the locals.

Dostoevsky was probably still the same frenzied body in these places. He must have been stumbling around like a ghost with a crazy look on his face. He is still crazy. This is not that kind of place. It is a place to spend time in peace and tranquility. In this respect, too, I feel that Dostoevsky has a scale that blows away everyday life. I couldn't help but laugh as I walked home. After all, Dostoevsky is not an ordinary man.

Now that we have introduced you to Wiesbaden, it is time to talk about the big event that happened to Dostoevsky.

Dostoevsky's gambling addiction disappeared! Miracle happened to him in Wiesbaden at the end of his trip

Fyodor Mikhailovich often told me that he had no doubt that his talents were "ruined" and lamented how he could support the ever-growing family that was so dear to him, and I could not help but despair from time to time. To comfort my husband's anxious feelings and ward off the dark thoughts that prevented him from devoting himself to his work, I tried to resort to the means that had always served as a distraction and a source of cheer for him in the past. One day, taking advantage of the fact that he had some money on hand (about 300 Tarell), he brought up the subject of roulette and said, "Why don't you try your luck again, you're going to win, why don't you think that this time luck will turn around? Of course, I did not think my husband would win even once, and I was very sorry for the hundred tarells he must have lost. But I knew from his past experiences playing roulette that my husband, after a new and intense experience that would satisfy his passion for adventure and gambling, would come back to his senses, would realize the futility of his hopes of making a profit, and would tackle his novels with renewed vigor, and in a few weeks would regain what he had lost. I knew that in two or three weeks he would regain what he had lost. My offer was too tempting for my husband to refuse. He grabbed a hundred and twenty turrels and went off to Wiesbaden with the promise that if he lost, I would send him money for the return trip. He stayed there for a week, but as expected, the gambling turned out to be a miserable affair. My husband spent 180 TRL for the trip, which was very painful for us at that time. But the terrible pain we felt that week from the guilt of having ripped off our family, our wife and children, would never leave us again.never、、、、It had such a profound effect on him that he decided not to play roulette. Her husband wrote to her on April 28, 1871. A great incident has happened to me. For almost ten years (or rather, since my brother's death, when I suddenly became insolvent with debts), I have been in a state of anxiety.I've been tormented.、、、、、、My current illusion has vanished. I have always dreamed of winning a mountain. I have dreamed earnestly and fervently. But now it is all over! This time, for real!last,,It was. Would you believe me, Anya? My hands are unshackled now. I was a gambler. I will no longer think only of work and dream of winning night after night, as I have done in the past.

Of course, I could not immediately believe in such great happiness that my husband's fever of playing roulette would abate. How many times had he promised me that he would never play again? And yet, he had never been able to keep his word. But now this happiness had become a reality. This time he played roulette, for real.last,,He never set foot in a gambling town again. My husband made many trips abroad (in 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1879), but he never set foot in a gambling town again. It was not long after that that roulette gambling was banned in Germany, but it was still practiced in Spur, Saxon, and Monte Carlo. Perhaps it was too far to go, but more importantly, the game no longer appealed to me. This "fantasy" of my husband's to win at roulette was like a spell or a disease that was unexpectedly and permanently cured.

Fyodor Mihailovich returned from Wiesbaden feeling restored and calm, and immediately set to work on "Evil Spirits," anticipating that the trip home, the care he would receive at his new home, and the ongoing birth of his child would not allow him enough time to write. All of her husband's thoughts turned to the new life that was opening up ahead, and he began to imagine reunions with old friends and relatives who he thought might have changed a great deal in the past four years. He also recognized that his own views and opinions had changed somewhat.

Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."P215-217

I am sure you all were surprised to read this passage. Dostoevsky's gambling fever.This time.It disappeared. You may wonder how that is possible. But it certainly happened!

Not only Mrs. Anna's "Recollections," but also Mochurisky'sA Critical Biography of Dostoevsky.The following is what is written about this. Let's take a look at this as well, as it gives us a more concrete picture of what happened than Mrs. Anna's words.

Anna Grigorievna was suffering from her third delivery. She was emaciated, nervous, and could not sleep at night. She was so worried about her husband's condition that she resorted to extreme measures. -She suggested that they go to Wiesbaden and try their luck at a game of roulette.

Dostoevsky was completely defeated, and in desperation in the middle of the night, he ran in search of the Russian priest. On a strange dark street, he found a cathedral that looked like an Orthodox church. When he tried to enter, he found it was a Jewish church. In the middle of the night he wrote to his wife

"This time this illusion is over for good. ...... Not only that, but I feel as if I have been completely reborn spiritually (I say this clearly to you and to God). ...... Don't think of me as crazy, Anya, my guardian angel. A great event has happened to me. The evil illusions that have tormented me for almost a decade are gone. Anya, believe me, our resurrection has come. Believe me, I will go forward to my goal, and I will make you happy.

In fact, he had experienced something mystical. From that day on, Dostoevsky never gambled again for the rest of his life. The "illusion" was gone, once and for all.

Chikuma Shobo, Konstantin Motulisky, translated by Hiroshi Matsushita and Kyoko MatsushitaA Critical Biography of Dostoevsky.P420-421

In fact, he had some mystical experience. From that day on, Dostoevsky never gambled again for the rest of his life. The illusion was gone at once and forever.

Hmmm...something happened to Dostoevsky after all. But what happened? Or rather, if something did happen, why did the desire to "gamble" disappear from his mind?

In this case, we have no choice but to ask Dostoevsky himself. Let us look at his letter to his wife Anna. The full text is too long, so I will quote it in part.

To my wife Anna

Wiesbaden, Friday, April 28, 1871

Anya, please read this letter to the end without getting excited for the sake of Luba's (the blog author's second child) and our future as a whole. When you read to the end, you will realize that this misfortune is actually nothing to despair about, on the contrary, there is something positive in it, and that we deserve much more than what we have lost! Therefore, my angel, calm your mind, listen to me carefully, and read me to the end. I beg you, do not do anything to harm yourself. (omitted)

I went to the depot, stood by the gambling table, and began to bet in my mind. Would I win? I began to bet in my mind, "Will I win? By the way, Anya, what do you think? I won ten percent of the bets in a row. He even hit zero. I was so shocked that I started to play. And in five minutes I had made eighteen turrels. Anya, at that moment I was so absorbed that I thought to myself, "Even if I have to leave here by the last train and wait for dawn in Frankfurt, I will at least bring some money home! I thought. I'll take that 30 Turrel from you.Stripped.、、、、、I was so embarrassed because of this! My angel, I don't know if you really do this, but I have been fantasizing for the past year about buying and returning the ear rings that I have not returned to you. I don't know if you have been with me or not, but I have been fantasizing for the past year about buying and returning the ear rings that I have not returned to you! Anya, Anya, please remember that I am not a scoundrel, but only an out-of-control gambler.

(But Anya,another、、、、Keep these things in mind. This time this delusion is over for good. I have written to you before that I am done for good, but I have never felt the way I feel as I write this. Oh, this time I am saying goodbye to that nightmare. If I were not so anxious about you at this very moment, I would bless God. It was a disaster, but everything is under control anyway. Anya, if you are angry with me, think about the fact that I have suffered so much this time and will continue to suffer for the next three or four days! If you feel that I will be ungrateful and unfair to you in the future, please show me this letter as soon as possible!)

Kawade Shobo Shinsha, translated by Masao Yonekawa, The Complete Works of Dostoevsky 17, p. 408-410

After reading this letter, IThe Brothers Karamazov.I couldn't help but think of Dmitry, the eldest son of Don't think of me as a scumbag," he said! I've always wanted to give it back! The words "I've always wanted to give it back! And just like Dmitri in the story, he suddenly changed his mind from the bottom of the pit and shouted with emotion, "I've been reborn! and he raises a cry of excitement.

That domicile came from his own experience...

Let's continue to look at the letter.

By 9:30, I was completely defeated and went outside like a coward. I was in so much pain that I suddenly pointed at the priest and started to run. (Please don't worry, I'm not going.There wasn't.、、、、going toThere wasn't.、、、、I was going to the priest's place, and I would not go back!) I pointed to the priest, and as I drove along the dark, strange street, I thought to myself - after all, he is a minister of God, and I must not speak to him as an individual, but confess to him as if in confession. But I had lost my way in the city, and when I reached the church (I had mistaken it for the Russian one), the man in the booth told me that this was not the Russian church, but the Jewish one. I felt as if cold water had been poured over my head. I ran back to the inn, but it was now midnight. I am writing this letter to you at the table. (I will not go to the priest, I swear I will not, I will not!)

Anya, I will step up to your feet and kiss them. You have every right to despise me. Therefore, you have the right to say, "That man will play the game again. I am aware of that.I won't do it again.・・・・・But why should I swear to it, since I have already deceived you? But, my angel, please understand that I know that if I lose one more game, you will die! I am not completely crazy. I know that if I do that, I myself will be doomed. I won't do it again, I won't do it again, I won't do it again,I'll be right back.、、、、I'm not!!! Trust me. Here.Finally.,,Believe me, you will never regret it. I will work for you, for Rybochka, and I will not tolerate my health. Watch me, watch me, I will work all my life. AndStick to the Objectives、、、、、、、! I guarantee your lives.

If you can't send it on Sunday, send it earlier on Monday. If you can't send the money on Sunday, please send it early on Monday so that it will reach you by noon on Wednesday. If you can't send the money on Sunday, don't worry. Don't think too much about me. I havenot yet (with negative verb),,And yet it is not enough. I do not deserve it!

But I am not going to be a problem! I am as patient as I am crude. Not only that, but I'm mentally reformed (I say this to you and to God). If I had not suffered the pain of thinking about you for the past three days - what would happen to you? I would be rather happy. Anya, my guardian angel, do not think me crazy! Great things have been accomplished in my body, you have been keeping me for almost a decade!He was tormented.、、、、、、The ugly fantasies had vanished. For ten years (or rather, since my brother died and I was suddenly crushed by debt), I had fantasized about making money at gambling. Seriously, I had fantasized about it like a fever. But this time, it was all over! That wascompletely、、、、It was the last time! Anya, I don't know if you really do this, but this time my hands are free. My hands were tied by gambling, but from now on I will think about work and not fantasize about gambling at night as I have done in the past. In short,work,,is better, much better.progressmint (e.g. peppermint, spearmint, etc.)God will bless you, and God will bless you! Anya, keep your heart for me, don't hate me, don't be affectionate toward me. This time I am reformed, so let us go on together. I will make you happy!

Kawade Shobo Shinsha, translated by Masao Yonekawa, Dostoevsky's Complete Works 17, p. 410-411

The last words of this Dostoevsky himself,

Great things have been accomplished in my body, and for almost ten years they have been upon me.He was tormented.、、、、、、The ugly fantasies had vanished. For ten years (or rather, since my brother died and I was suddenly crushed by debt), I had fantasized about making money at gambling. Seriously, I had fantasized about it like a fever. But this time, it was all over! That wascompletely、、、、It was the last time! Anya, I don't know if you really do this, but this time my hands are free. My hands were tied by gambling, but from now on I will think about work and not fantasize about gambling at night as I have done in the past. In short,work,,is better, much better.progressmint (e.g. peppermint, spearmint, etc.)God will bless you, and God will bless you! Anya, keep your heart for me, don't hate me, don't be affectionate toward me. This time I am reformed, so let us go on together. I will make you happy!

Apparently this is the key.

As Dostoevsky says here, his life of debt began with the death of his brother. The magazine he co-owned with his brother went bankrupt and he was saddled with a huge debt. It was not an amount that could be easily repaid, but his relatives continued to ask for money. They took money from Dostoevsky despite the fact that he could not pay back the debt or even the interest. Dostoevsky could not refuse them. (This is(5) Dostoevsky's critical financial situation in the early years of his marriage--why did he remain poor indefinitely?"(We talked about this in)

Even after writing the masterpiece "Crime and Punishment," he could hardly repay his debts. There is only so much money you can make from writing. If that is the case...

Thus, Dostoevsky gambled with his life, hoping to turn the tables. I am a dead man. I am a dead man. But if I win this one throw, I get the money and I can go back to being a human being! Dostovsky was swallowed up by this last-ditch competition and the ultimate thrill of the game. Perhaps it was an escape from the anguish of having to earn money.

As a result, Dostoevsky is still guilty of making Mrs. Anna cry. No matter how much he begs for forgiveness from Mrs. Anna, it is not something that would normally be forgiven. He is a scumbag, no doubt about it.

But as we have seen, they have still come this far. And their trust has deepened.

Madame Anna is no longer the little girl she was when she started her journey; she has spent four years with Dostoevsky and has grown so much spiritually that Dostoevsky now cannot do without her. She has literally given herself over to him, body and soul.

andThe Moron.andThe Eternal Husband., ,Evil Spirits."The two also worked together to write the book. Dostoevsky dictated the text, which was then transcribed and transcribed by Anna. This work style was now completely established for them.

Now, for Dostoevsky, making money from "the business of writing" was no longer fanciful. The prospect of steadily accumulating works in collaboration with his wife Anna has opened up.

You don't have to bet on a desperate turnaround to pay off your debts.

In short,work,,is better, much better.progressmint (e.g. peppermint, spearmint, etc.)God will bless you, and God will bless you!"

It all comes down to these words of Dostoevsky!

Dostoevsky must have felt this way inwardly by the end of his trip. And it was the incident in Wiesbaden that made him sure of it. The incident at the church in the middle of the night was only a trigger, a final push. Dostoevsky himself must have already had a good idea of what he was going to do.

In fact, during this trip.Diary of a Writer."He and his wife Anna had also discussed the idea of a personal magazine, "The World of the World's Best. After returning to Japan, Mrs. Anna would also be in charge of publishing her own works. In other words, the path to monetization was clearly in place. The extraordinary practical skills of Mrs. Anna were finally beginning to flourish. Dostoevsky's confidence may have been restored by the presence of his wife, whom he could rely on.

It would take time, but if he worked steadily as a writer, he would be able to repay his debts! Dostoevsky must have felt this certainty at the end of his trip. He was sure that he would have plenty of things to write about when he returned to his home country. His sense of smell and spirit as a writer must have been heightened before his return.

I believe that it was the miracle of Wiesbaden amidst a combination of such various factors.

And as Mrs. Anna was surprised to learn, Dostoevsky never really gambled again after this. It is amazing that he was able to stop gambling once and for all after having been so passionate about it.

Dostoevsky was finally resurrected at the end of this journey. He had awakened from a long, long nightmare of gambling.

He was reborn with the best partner he could find, Mrs. Anna. From this point forward, Dostoevsky's achievements are overwhelming.Evil Spirits.", ,Minors.", ,Diary of a Writer.", ,The Brothers Karamazov.and from here comes what would become Dostoevsky's greatest work, a wonderful work of art.

This event, which freed him from gambling fever, is one of the most significant events in Dostoevsky's journey. You might say that it is the event that restored his pride as a writer. With his own pen, with his own work, he protects his family! I will no longer rely on gambling fortunes! declared Dostoevsky. This time it is not a lie. History bears witness to that. He really has been reborn. And it was his wife, Anna, who brought about this rebirth. After all, Mrs. Anna was Dostoevsky's guardian angel. She was his destiny. When I think of this, I cannot help but congratulate them both.

Finally, their trip is coming to an end. In the next article, we will take a look at their return and Mrs. Anna's summary of the trip.

be unbroken

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A list of recommended commentaries on "Dostoevsky and Christianity."

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