The Idiot by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky Fiction Classics

<p><strong>The title is an ironic reference to the central character of the novel Prince Lyov a young man whose goodness and open-hearted simplicity lead many of the more worldly characters he encounters to mistakenly assume that he lacks intelligence and insight.</strong> The 26-year-old Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after spending several years at a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by the society of Saint Petersburg for his trusting nature and naiveté he finds himself at the center of a struggle between a beautiful kept woman and a virtuous and pretty young girl both of whom win his affection. Unfortunately Myshkin's very goodness precipitates disaster leaving the impression that in a world obsessed with money power and sexual conquest a sanatorium may be the only place for a saint.</p><p>Dostoevsky's THE IDIOT is a powerhouse novel of passion and spiritual purity. Prince Myshkin a Christ-like figure is the meek yet steadfast holy fool who changes the lives of desperate men fallen women and yet stands a helpless witness to their passionate self-destruction.</p>