The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The book follows the story of a kind-hearted and naive protagonist who returns to Russia from a Swiss sanatorium, where he was treated for a severe epileptic condition. Despite his pure intentions, he gets entangled in a web of love, greed, and manipulation, leading to tragic consequences. The novel explores themes of innocence, love, sacrifice, and societal expectations, offering a profound critique of Russian society during the 19th century.
The 98th greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 9th on The Main Works of Russian literature (Polka Academy)
- 12th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 17th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 29th on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 36th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 55th on Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Raymond Queneau)
- 58th on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 78th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 81st on The 100 Best Books of World Literature (ABC.es)
- 142nd on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 406th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Finest Works of Fiction (Martin Seymour-Smith and Editors)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Best Books Ever (bookdepository.com)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- One Hundred Best Books (1916) (John Cowper Powys)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)