The Idiot (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Author), David McDuff (Translator), William Mills Todd (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: August 31, 2004

Inspired by an image of Christ's suffering, Fyodor Dostoyevsky set out to portray "a truly beautiful soul" colliding with the brutal reality of contemporary society. Returning to St. Petersburg from a Swiss sanatorium, the gentle and naive Prince Myshkin-known as "the idiot"-pays a visit to his distant relative General Yepanchin and proceeds to charm the General and his circle. But after becoming infatuated with the beautiful Nastasya Filippovna, Myshkin finds himself caught up in a love triangle and drawn into a web of blackmail, betrayal, and, ultimately, murder. This new translation by David McDuff is sensitive to the shifting registers of the original Russian, capturing the nervous, elliptic flow of the narrative for a new generation of readers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821-1881), one of nineteenth- century Russia's greatest novelists, spent four years in a convict prison in Siberia, after which he was obliged to enlist in the army. In later years his penchant for gambling sent him deeply into debt.

David McDuff has translated many works for Penguin Classics, including Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.

William Mills Todd III is a professor of Slavic languages at Harvard.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044792X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140447927
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Russian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead Souls, June 9, 2007

By 

Christopher D. Thornton "Aristeros" (Fort Benning, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Idiot (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" is a work with which the author himself was never truly satisfied, but even in its 'unrefined state' it is complete, masterful, and deeply moving. It vies with "The Brothers Karamazov" in my mind for the title of greatest novel ever written, and is in my mind a must-read. The depth and insight into the human soul is a fascinating product genius.

The pace of classics is different from contemporary novels and takes some getting used to, and Dostoevsky is no exception. For people who wonder whether they will find the work tedious, Dostoevsky's works are long, but very rewarding.

The Penguin Classics edition has a helpful introduction and is less expensive than most other editions.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderfully depressing., July 28, 2006

By 

thescalpel (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Idiot (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I love this book, love it. Overall it's not as good as Crime and Punishment or Brothers Karamazov, but I think it offers something a little different, and worthwhile in it's own right.

C&P and Brothers, while dreary, have some sort of resolution to them, which leaves you feeling not cheerful, but if nothing else, a little satisfied. The Idiot on the other hand is straight up, unadulterated, depressing, tragedy. Prince Myshkin is so good, the women are so beautiful, and their lives are utterly twisted, ravaged, and destroyed. The end. I don't think another author has ever been so brutally cruel and merciless to his characters.

Only a God could save a world as terrible as the one that destroys Myshkin, and I think that's sort of the point of the book. This book is incredibly sad, and completely beautiful.

the four star rating is in comparison to other Dostoyevsky, but by other standards, this book would certainly be a five.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tedious but rewarding, June 7, 2007

By 

Anna A. Belak - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Idiot (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This book is a delightful read if you can last through it. Similar to a work out you must put a lot of effort to get results. The characters are delightful, and delightfully terrible depending on the character. The social interaction of 19th century Russia is exposed wonderfully in this book. The way people act, their cold secret desires, their quest for wealth and respect are all illustrated vividly.

Myshkin is a great man who is thrown into what we could today call "the real world". His kindness and polite behavior makes others think he is an idiot. I find this situation to be analogous to today's world. How often are we suspicious of people who are kind? How often are we conniving like Nastasya? I'm sure people have changed since the 19th century; however I am also sure they stayed the same. "The Idiot" is a vivid almost intoxicating portrayal of humanity with both its flaws and virtues. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who can last through the entire text. Also you may consider the Barnes and Noble classics edition which offers content that analyzes Dostoevsky's state of mind and motivations for writing certain passages in the novel.