The Idiot (Everymans Library) by
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Is The Title Ironic? Or Pragmatic?
From the award-winning translators of The Brothers Karamazov, a superb
new translation of the novel in which Dostoevsky set out to portray a truly
beautiful soul.
In The Idiot, Prince Myshkin, a saintly man, is thrust into the heart of a
society obsessed with wealth, power, and sexual conquest. He soon finds
himself at the center of a violent love triangle in which a notorious woman
and a beautiful young girl become rivals for his affections. Extortion,
scandal, and murder follow, as Dostoevskys positively good man clashes
with the emptiness of a society that cannot accommodate his moral
idealism.

This wonderfully fresh and faithful translation—never before published—is
sure to become the definitive edition in English.
Personal Review: The Idiot (Everymans Library) by Fyodor
Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
I had read just two Dostoevsy novel before this - 'The Brothers Karamazov'
and 'Notes from the Underground', but lots of Turgenev and some other
Russians - Kropotkin, Goldman, .... I also have some connection with
Russian people because some of my work colleagues are Russian ex-
patriots (one even carries a family name mentioned at one point in 'The
Idiot').
Russian naming is difficult for those of us who do not have the Russian
background, and 'The Idiot' was hard to keep straight in my mind - I
probably didn't feel comfortable with names to near the end of this very
long novel. There's Pavlovitch and Pavlischtev - not the same person. The
hero Myshkin is also Lyov Nikolayevitch. Gavril is also Ganya (the short
form of his name). With a large suite of characters, tracking these names is
not easy. Perhaps a publisher/translator might provide a guide for non-
Russian readers. I did find some connection through my knowledge of
music: Madame Epanchin, Lizaveta Pokofyevna reminded me of
Prokofiev, and the young man dying of consumption, Ippolit, reminded me
of Ippolitov-Ivanov.
This novel is a psychological thriller and it may be unbelievable to most
readers. How did Dostoevsky know that there are people in the world like
Myshkin - perhaps he was one himself, perhaps he observed and
understood one. Myshkin, perhaps because of his own 'illness' is attuned
to everyone else's needs - sacrificing his own needs as totally without
value. So what happens when two women fall in love with him (strange
though each of them is)? He wants to love them both. Neither can accept
that, but still he cannot let go. This seems to be a recipe for disaster (and
in some ways it is), but Myshkin flourishes where he might not have
because he has the most extraordinary view of the value of every moment
of life. Early on he describes a guillotine execution he had observed and
how the man being executed clung to every moment of his life - trying to
maximise the richness of it even as the blade came down on his neck.
Does Dostoevsky really believe that this is an idiotic way to live life? Or is
he recommending that we should all pay more attention, be less flippant
with the time that passes us by?
One of the women who fall in love with Myshkin is one of Madame
Epanchin's daughters - Aglaia Ivanovna. Despite her love, Aglaia torments
Myshkin (but that's not of much significance to him). Here is a quote that
meant so much to me - a real insight into Myshkin's personality. 'There is
no doubt that the mere fact that he could come and see Aglaia, again
without hindrance, that he was allowed to talk to her, sit with her, walk with
her was the utmost bliss to him; and who knows, perhaps, he would have
been satisfied with that for the rest of his life.'

This novel is hard work, and it's not a happy story. But it is rewarding in its
insight into human nature. If you read it you will have to decide for yourself
if people like Myshkin actually do exist. And if you happen to meet one -
how should you interact with them?
other recommendations:
explore the philosophy of phenomenology - I don't have a preferred book
to suggest
as a contrast - 'Spring Torrents' - Ivan Turgenev (the author is mentioned
in 'The Idiot')
'Under Western Eyes' - Joseph Conrad
'Sylvie and Bruno' - Lewis Carroll
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