The Idiot  (English, Paperback, Dostoyevsky Fyodor)

One of his best known works, The Idiot by Dostoyevsky delves into the many facets of the protagonist's life.

Summary Of The Book

Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, the hero of the novel is on his way back to St. Petersburg in Russia having spent four years in a Swiss sanatorium. Prince who has been away for many years is a stranger in his own country and decides to contact his only relative- Lizaveta Prokofyevna Yepanchin.

On his journey to St.Petersburg, he comes across Parfyon Semyonovich Rogozhin who enlightens Myshkin about the beautiful Nastassya Filippovna. This journey thus begins the complex relationships in ‘The Idiot's’ life.

Prince meets the Yepanchins and their three daughters and the youngest daughter Aglaya falls in love with Myshkin. Myshkin seems to reciprocate the love but wants to be noble and marry Nastassya Filippovna.

Nastassya on the other hand feels unworthy of Myshkin and chooses to be with Rogozhin. Rogozhin and Myshkin get entangled in a web of jealousy and Nastassya has to make the difficult choice between the two.

The innocent and naive protagonist is trapped in a complex web of power and money. The author explores a variety of feelings from greed, patriotism, suicide, crime, love and friendship.

Was Prince Lev Myshkin a Russian savior? Does Myshkin's simplicity and kindness make him an “idiot”? The novel brims with philosophical inquiry into the society, life and culture of the people.

A highly thought-provoking novel, The Idiot was originally written in Russian. It was published in the year 1869 and has remained popular ever since.

There have been numerous adaptations among which L'idiot(1946) and Ivan Pyryev's 1958 version are popular.

About Fyodor Dostoyevsky

A highly prolific writer, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a famous Russian novelist, essayist and short story writer. He was loved for his insightful analysis of the human psyche.

Apart from “The Idiot”, some of his other prominent works include The House of the Dead, Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Gambler, Winter Notes on Summer Impressions, and A Writer's Diary.

Dostoyevsky is one of the highly influential writers of the Golden Age of Russian literature. All his works reveal his overwhelming psychological sense. All his works revolve around themes such as poverty, manipulation and morality and his works have been translated in more than 170 languages.