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The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote to his publisher that he wished to depict a positively good man, a challenge that resulted in The Idiot. Published in 1869, the…

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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Runtime: 29 hr 6 min · Watch the full audiobook on YouTube · Subscribe to Ion Books

Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote to his publisher that he wished to depict a positively good man, a challenge that resulted in The Idiot. Published in 1869, the novel stands as one of his most personal and spiritually ambitious works. It follows Prince Lev Myshkin, a gentle soul returning to St. Petersburg from a Swiss sanatorium, whose radical innocence disrupts the rigid social codes of the Russian elite. The title itself is an ironic label, for Myshkin’s lack of worldly cunning is mistaken for stupidity by those around him. Dostoevsky draws deeply from his own life, channeling his experiences with epilepsy and his narrow escape from execution into the novel’s psychological depth. The narrative functions less as a traditional plot and more as a series of moral crucibles. Myshkin moves through a world defined by passion, pride, and deception, serving as a mirror that reflects the hidden wounds of everyone he meets. The book asks a haunting question: can pure goodness survive in a corrupted society? This is a work to revisit slowly. As you read alongside the recording, notice how the dialogue carries the weight of philosophical debate and emotional volatility.

Summary generated by AI model Qwen 3

Public domain & narration

The Idiot was first published in 1869. Works first published before 1931 are in the public domain in the United States, so the text is free to read, share and adapt. This English edition is the translation by Eva M. Martin. The edition shown here comes from Project Gutenberg, which publishes only books that are in the US public domain.

The narration is the LibriVox recording read by Bruce Pirie. LibriVox volunteers dedicate their recordings to the public domain.

Ion Books adds the synchronized scrolling text and video, so you can read along while you listen, for free.

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Chapters

  1. Part 1, Chapter 1 (30:19) · watch
  2. Part 1, Chapter 2 (29:14) · watch
  3. Part 1, Chapter 3 (36:04) · watch
  4. Part 1, Chapter 4 (40:14) · watch
  5. Part 1, Chapter 5 (43:54) · watch
  6. Part 1, Chapter 6 (27:45) · watch
  7. Part 1, Chapter 7 (34:48) · watch
  8. Part 1, Chapter 8 (37:43) · watch
  9. Part 1, Chapter 9 (22:48) · watch
  10. Part 1, Chapter 10 (18:49) · watch
  11. Part 1, Chapter 11 (19:40) · watch
  12. Part 1, Chapter 12 (28:17) · watch
  13. Part 1, Chapter 13 (26:18) · watch
  14. Part 1, Chapter 14 (27:59) · watch
  15. Part 1, Chapter 15 (27:02) · watch
  16. Part 1, Chapter 16 (34:02) · watch
  17. Part 2, Chapter 1 (28:17) · watch
  18. Part 2, Chapter 2 (39:09) · watch
  19. Part 2, Chapter 3 (40:46) · watch
  20. Part 2, Chapter 4 (15:28) · watch
  21. Part 2, Chapter 5 (38:18) · watch
  22. Part 2, Chapter 6 (38:40) · watch
  23. Part 2, Chapter 7 (25:35) · watch
  24. Part 2, Chapter 8 (51:13)
  25. Part 2, Chapter 9 (35:32)
  26. Part 2, Chapter 10 (39:40)
  27. Part 2, Chapter 11 (38:45)
  28. Part 2, Chapter 12 (19:06)
  29. Part 3, Chapter 1 (44:07)
  30. Part 3, Chapter 2 (37:39)
  31. Part 3, Chapter 3 (45:31)
  32. Part 3, Chapter 4 (42:55)
  33. Part 3, Chapter 5 (38:52)
  34. Part 3, Chapter 6 (46:57)
  35. Part 3, Chapter 7 (41:42)
  36. Part 3, Chapter 8 (38:27)
  37. Part 3, Chapter 9 (39:20)
  38. Part 3, Chapter 10 (19:23)
  39. Part 4, Chapter 1 (34:37)
  40. Part 4, Chapter 2 (24:30)
  41. Part 4, Chapter 3 (31:54)
  42. Part 4, Chapter 4 (37:10)
  43. Part 4, Chapter 5 (53:46)
  44. Part 4, Chapter 6 (44:00)
  45. Part 4, Chapter 7 (51:42)
  46. Part 4, Chapter 8 (53:36)
  47. Part 4, Chapter 9 (35:06)
  48. Part 4, Chapter 10 (37:44)
  49. Part 4, Chapter 11 (39:51)
  50. Part 4, Chapter 12 (11:26)

Full text

This work is too long to show on one page. Read it on Project Gutenberg · download ebook.txt

Sources

Raw pipeline data (admin)