Memoir of a Gambler Book

A respected playwright and literary critic, Jack Richardson plunged into a life of gambling - a life at once seductive and terrifying; one that Richardson, a self-admitted "disinterested sensualist," turned to with all his energy. Memoir of a Gambler is his spellbinding confession. With consummate sureness of language Richardson guides us through dark and dazzling terrain - from the tense, garish gambling halls of Las Vegas, with their arenas of poker, craps, chemin de fer, blackjack, and baccarat; to the poker houses of Gardena, California, where old men and women spend their grim days of retirement at the card tables; to Macao's chilling riverboat casinos. Along the way we meet some of the most extraordinary characters in contemporary literature - among them Boris, a professional cheater whose almost magical skills have barred him from entry to any casino; obsessive, beautiful Daisy, a brilliant poker player who for a time shares her life with the author; and Peter Lee, who unwillingly guides the author through the fun houses of Hong Kong, and whose hatred of gambling derives from a horrifying cause. Richardson tells their stories without pity or judgment; the result is an awesome assembly of drive, restless people, made real by a superb writer's infallible eye for detail. Richardson's odyssey is unforgettable - a moving reminiscence, a compelling adventure, and an unnerving document of a subculture seldom discussed and never so eloquently exposed. Jack Richardson was born and educated in New York City. In 1960, with the production of his first play, Prodigal, he was hailed as one of the outstanding new playwrights of his generation. After his next three plays were produced, Mr. Richardson left the theater. He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and his reviews and articles have appeared in Esquire, Commentary, Playboy, Harper's, The New Republic, and The New York Review of Books.Read More