The Idiot – Prince Myshkin, the title character, has finally returned to St. Petersburg after several years of exile in a Swiss sanitarium. As he resumes life in regular society, he is quickly drawn into a elaborate web of relationships driven by money, power and romance. Although his actions are well-intentioned, the Prince finds himself caught in a love triangle between the beautiful young Aglaia and Nastasya, a notorious kept woman.
As the tale unfolds, others take advantage of the Prince s altruistic nature and he is ever more deeply entwined in the complexities of the society around him. He survives an attempt on his life, but must answer to Aglaia and Nastasya who force him to choose between them. In the end, Myshkin s honesty, goodness, and integrity are shown to be unequal to the moral emptiness of those around him.
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From the Back Cover
‘The chief thing is that they all need him’ -thus Dostoyevsky described Prince Myshkin, the hero of perhaps his most remarkable novel. As the still, radiant center of a plot whose turbulent action is extraordinary even for Dostoyevsky, Myshkin succeeds in dominating through sheer force a personality a cast of characters who vividly and violently embody the passions and conflicts of the 19th century Russia.
About the Author
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881) is a well-known Russian writer of numerous novels and short stories. His writing was influenced by, and in part a commentary of, religion, society and politics of 19th century Russia. The Idiot is one of his best-known novels. This edition of The Idiot, based on the translation by Eva Martin, has been revised and abridged by Thomas Beyer with an emphasis on retaining the strong Christian themes of Dostoevsky s writing. Beyer is Professor of Russian at Middelebury College in Vermont and has read and taught Dostevsky s works dozens of times.
