Idiot

The Idiot -by Dostoevsky,  I am still trying to complete the book. May be by this year end? :)

What makes these Russian books so great? Is it their impossible to pronounce and very confusing names? (ha ha!).  May not  be just that!

In the book, the Idiot - aka prince- aka Mushikin is a simple but very sensitive man with high intelligence and a child like innocence. Which makes strangers to believe that he is an idiot. Well, isn't that a perpetual phenomenon? True today, as it was 200 years ago. True here in India as everywhere else. 

In the first part of the book - the prince comes across various actors of some great drama, Natasia popanova, Iglaya, Rogozin and Gania etc. Natasia is a young girl who ends up being mistress of a rich General. Now being tired of her, he wants to marry a 'respectable' woman. Natasia does not let him. So to get rid of her, the general promises three thousand rubles to Gania if he marries her. Gania agrees but resents her for this fact. For he is in love with sweet, innocent Iglaya.

Rogozin too falls in love with Natasia and asks her companionship for fifty thousand rubles. Prince watches all horrible events, feels immense pity for her.  He offers to marry her then and there.

He is ridiculed by all around him. Because is he not himself is a pauper?  He reveals that his distant relative has left a fortune in his name and he will be rich now. 

Rogozin gives the money, Natasia burns all of it. And after a more drama, Natasia leaves every one and every thing behind and goes away. Prince follows her. 

Each of the characters is so complex and there are so many of them. Some times you feel like you need a study guide for the book. May be a youtuber explaining it ;)

I tried understanding the author - Tolstoy. Read about him in wikipedia. 

Ah, but he is not the author. The author is Dostoevsky. Who himself was suffering from epilepsy, gambling addiction and poverty when writing this book. And he also changed the plot too many times.