Meet Eddie Felsen: a young pool hustler who's keen on winning big and beating the best. So far, he's been earning decent stakes beating small town players, but there's no pride in beating fools. In order to test himself against the best, Eddie seeks out the legendary Minnesota Fats in a smoky poolroom in Chicago. Over more than thirty-six hours, they test their wits and guts against one another, with the scrapheap in store for the loser. What Eddie learns in this contest, however, is more than he'd ever banked on. The Hustler is a novel about what it is to win and lose; about how we are not beaten by others but ourselves; and how the true test of greatness lies in one's character. Adapted into a film in 1961, directed by Robert Rossen and starring Paul Newman, it was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for numerous Academy Awards (winning in two categories). Over half a century since its publication, The Hustler remains widely regarded as a classic of American fiction.
