The Idiot is a novel by the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in serial form in the journal The Russian Messenger and later issued as a book. Its hero, Prince Myshkin, returns to Russia from a Swiss sanatorium and is drawn into the tangled lives of St Petersburg society. Dostoyevsky said he wanted to portray a truly good man, and the prince's openness and compassion lead to love triangles, jealousy and tragedy. Written while the author was living abroad in poor circumstances and struggling with gambling debts, the book explores faith, innocence, illness and the cruelty of the world around the prince. It is counted among his major novels, alongside Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.
Before and after
- 27 November 1868Battle of Washita River
- 9 December 1868Birth of Fritz Haber
- 1869Publication of War and Peace
- 1869Founding of Goldman Sachs
- 1869Publication of The Idiot
- 1869Construction of Neuschwanstein Castle
- 1869Founding of Boston University
- 9 January 1869Birth of Grigori Rasputin
- from 27 January 1869 to 27 June 1869Republic of Ezo
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 18th century to 19th centuryRomanticism
- 1 November 1800Construction of White House
- 1830Publication of Book of Mormon
- c. 1900sRise of Expressionism
- 1907Rise of cubism
- c. 1910sRise of Dada
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.