The Idiot (1868)

Dostoevsky is known for probing the evil that lurks inside the human soul, but, in this novel, he depicts not just a positive character, but an almost ideal person, with Christ-like characteristics. Prince Myshkin – naive, trusting, unaffected – finds himself at the center of a whirlpool of passions, but rises above the crowd of liars and drunkards surrounding him. Even in Nastasya Filippovna, regarded by society as a “fallen” woman, the protagonist sees only beauty and goodness, becoming imbued with tremendous affection for her.

Like many of Dostoevsky's works, ‘The Idiot’ has been adapted for the big screen more often in other countries, than in Russia. In India, a TV series was made based on the novel. Several operas and ballets of the same name were also written based on the work. The novel, meanwhile, is included in the list of ‘100 books’ recommended for schoolchildren by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Translated by Eva Martin, Publisher Dent Dutton, 1916