Notebooks for the Idiot

by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edward Wasiolek (Editor), Katherine Strelsky (Translator)

"This is an invaluable aid to the understanding not only of the finished work of art, but also of Dostoyevsky's strangely tortured yet confident creative process." — Modern Fiction Studies.
"Superbly edited by Edward Wasiolek and well translated (despite difficult problems of rendering) by Katharine Strelsky." ― The New York Times Book Review.
The central idea of The Idiot, according to its author, was "to depict a completely beautiful human being." More prosaically, the novel was intended to shore up Dostoyevsky's professional and financial state. The portrait of Prince Myshkin, a holy fool, was created in desperation amidst the squalid poverty engendered by the Russian writer's compulsive gambling. Dostoyevsky's entire future depended on the success of his next novel, which began as one story and ended as quite another.
After publishing the first part of The Idiot in The Russian Messenger, Dostoyevsky had no idea how to continue the story. The second part, in fact, is a quite different novel. The author's notebooks reveal at least eight plans for the tale, with numerous variations on each plan. A unique document of the creative process, this volume is illustrated by facsimiles of original pages from the notebooks, offering a rich source of information about the development of Dostoyevsky's enigmatic novel.

Genres: Nonfiction, Russia

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский (Russian)

Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.

Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .

Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.

(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)

Reviews

[Gideonleek]

I liked the draft with a second idiot the most

[Mattias Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dostoevsky's notebooks for "The Idiot" present a captivating and tumultuous collection of his thoughts, revealing the significant challenges he faced while crafting the novel centered around the iconic, Christ-like figure of Prince Myshkin.

The initial section of the book comprises notes for each of the eight plans that ultimately shaped the first part of the novel, which emerged as a remarkably powerful work. Each section is organized into chapters, introduced by the editor and translator's commentary, which summarizes and analyzes the plans while contextualizing them within the final published version. These introductions are arguably the most valuable aspect of the book. They are succeeded by an English translation of Dostoevsky's original notebook entries, accompanied by a few explanatory footnotes.

After reviewing the first three plans, I found myself fatigued by the unedited nature of the notes, which reflect Dostoevsky's raw writing style. The entries are filled with repetitive phrases such as "he said," "he did," "she did," and "they married," leading to a sense of monotony. The characters and events undergo significant changes, as do their motivations. This illustrates Dostoevsky's struggles, but the reading experience is not particularly enlightening. Instead, I focused on the introductions to each plan, which provided a clearer understanding, while the actual notes offered little new information beyond what was already discussed.

The context surrounding "The Idiot" is intriguing. A key insight from the notebooks is that we were nearly presented with a vastly different novel. It is only in the seventh plan that Prince Myshkin is transformed into the innocent, compassionate, and gentle character we recognize in the final work. In earlier drafts, the narrative centered on a conflict of love and hate within Myshkin's character, which was intended to lead to his redemption. It appears that Dostoevsky initially modeled this character prototype closely on Raskolnikov from "Crime and Punishment," his previous novel. Fortunately, he revised the premise, opting to externalize Myshkin's negative traits onto other characters and society, resulting in a more impactful final novel that embodies Christian compassion and humility, and pitches it against the nihilistic russian society

This book really dives into the author's mind, but the raw version feels a bit rough around the edges. Thankfully, the editing does a great job of making it more readable and engaging.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A excellent insight into Dostoevsky's creative writing process and his own internal struggles.

[ds white · Rating 3 out of 5]

facinating, though edited , look at a work of genius in progress

[Stephen Smith]

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1971)