Just two years after completing Crime and Punishment, which explored the mind of a murderer, Fyodor Dostoevsky produced another masterpiece: The Idiot. This time the author portrays a truly beautiful soul and one of Dostoevsky's greatest characters---Prince Muishkin, a saintly, Christ-like, yet deeply human figure. The story begins when Muishkin arrives on Russian soil after a stay in a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by St. Petersburg society as an idiot for his generosity and innocence, the prince finds himself at the center of a struggle between a rich, kept woman and a beautiful, virtuous girl, who both hope to win his affection. Unfortunately, Muishkin's very goodness seems to bring disaster to everyone he meets. The shocking denouement tragically reveals how, in a world obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint. This version of The Idiot is the translation by Eva Martin.
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"Dostoyevsky nonchalantly whirls together themes and plot, and I was both intellectually stimulated by several deep thoughts and eminently entertained by his extraordinary characters. A fantastic novel, almost as great as 'The Brothers Karamazov'." — Kasper (5 out of 5 stars)
"Dostoyevsky nonchalantly whirls together themes and plot, and I was both intellectually stimulated by several deep thoughts and eminently entertained by his extraordinary characters. A fantastic novel, almost as great as 'The Brothers Karamazov'."
" A lot of human psychology in it. "
" I do not possess a way with words that would allow me to aptly describe the richness of this book and the skill of the author, so I will not try. "
" Finished the mp3 during the morning commute. Need to digest it a bit before writing something up. "
" You know that K-drama Goong. Yeah it's exactly like that "
" I love Dostoyevsky (at least I loved, "The Brothers Karamazov"), but it takes me a long while to get through one of his books. See you in a few weeks with a true rating. "
" I must have run out of things to read when I got to this one... it was hard to get through and hard to understand. Plus it was depressing throughout. I don't like Russian works in general. "
" Not all Russian lit is bad but this one had "muddled Russian thinking" that made it really hard to find sympathetic characters. "
" Some how I feel that I dated Nastasya Filippovna. A fascinating book, with a cast of characters that at best can be call human. I loved this book, because when reading it I realized that I was not alone in the world. "
" I love Dostoevsky. The Idiot is a perfect read. "
" Has a special place in my heart. "
" some parts of book can be boring but it has a really interesting final i think. but not my favourite Dostoyevsky book. "
" I read up to Part III but the story is so depressing that I had to quit. I am not sure if I will continue reading it. "
" Probably not my favorite book by Doestovsky but have always been a fan of his writing style. "
" A great one to begin with for those curious about Dostoevsky. What a character. What a novel! "
" Has it's amazing moments, like really fantastic, but I found its story arch(s) too disjointed to really maintain connection to the characters. "
" I get the underlying message about innocence in a worldly environment, but am so glad to be done with this ever rambling book. The dialogue was excruciating. "
" One of the best books I've ever read "
" My favorite piece of Russian literature "
" Like the devil from "the Brothers Karamazov" this individual creates chaos and unhappiness while sincerely trying to do good for others. I don't think he's particularly Christ-like, just an all-too-human blunderer - like me. "
" Reading the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Awesome! "
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the darkest recesses of the human heart had a profound and universal influence on the twentieth-century novel. He was born in Moscow, the son of a surgeon. Leaving the study of engineering for literature, he published Poor Folk in 1846. As a member of revolutionary circles in St. Petersburg, he was condemned to death in 1849. A last-minute reprieve sent him to Siberia for hard labor. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1859, he worked as a journalist and completed his masterpiece, Crime and Punishment, as well as other works, including The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov.
Norman Dietz is a writer, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and was named one of the fifty “Best Voices of the Century” by AudioFile magazine. He and his late wife, Sandra, transformed an abandoned ice-cream parlor into a playhouse, which served “the world’s best hot fudge sundaes” before and after performances. The founder of Theatre in the Works, he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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