The Idiot

About “The Idiot”

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel was inspired by an image of Christ's suffering, aiming to portray "a truly beautiful soul" in conflict with society's harsh realities. The story follows Prince Myshkin, a gentle and naive man returning to St. Petersburg from a Swiss sanatorium. He visits his distant relative, General Yepanchin, and wins the affection of the general and his circle. Myshkin becomes infatuated with the beautiful Nastasya Filippovna, leading him into a love triangle and a complex web of blackmail and betrayal. The novel ends with murder, reflecting the tensions and moral struggles of its characters. A new translation by David McDuff captures the original Russian's style and flow.