Banned from circulation in Romania for many years, Mircea Cărtarescu's "The Roulette Player" is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant literary suites in Eastern European literature of the "Thaw" period. A short and intense novella that follows – through the eyes of the narrator, who is approaching the end of his days and whose artistic talent is fading – the story of the "Roulette Player". The Roulette Player is a socially isolated and lucky man, although he spends his days playing illegal and deadly games of Russian roulette. As long as he remains alive, he is essentially reborn; advancing on a nameless personal journey, before a growing audience of gamblers and curious onlookers. Within the walls of the underground spaces where the games take place, a silent but real relationship is created between the Roulette Player – the "entertainment" attraction – and the audience. It is a kind of microcosm of fate and chance located in a certain place of illegal underground activity, and the only world described is that of gambling underground, alongside another metaphysical and dark world –– that takes place above ground and remains a silent mystery. Welcome to the ghostly world of Cătrescu, a world of contrasts, of wild human creatures and ordinary people, a world made up of autobiographical fragments, intellectual mysticism, and extinct geographies. Breathtaking prose coming from the pen of the Romanian Nobel Prize nominee. “But the noise stopped at once when the boss opened the little box. Everyone craned their necks, fascinated by the small black object that sparkled like a diamond. It was a six-shot drum revolver, well-oiled.” (From “The Rouletteist”)