The Idiot: New Translation (Evergreens)

This is a good, solid translation that flows pretty well, for the most part. The downside is that the translator uses obscure British slang too much. So the result is comprehension suffers.

Just to let everyone know, this edition (Evergreens Edition with green broken vase on cover), has a pretty stiff binding the doesn't open easily. Not floppy. The cover does have a nice rubbery texture though. And this seems to be the only available edition with the Ignat Avsey translation.

Perhaps at some historical epoch this was a literary masterpiece. In my estimation time has not been kind or generous.I'm still amazed I managed to read an entire novel of seemingly endless and thoroughly pointless dialog.Spoiler alert the ending is completely predictable and weak.

One slight (barely noticable) ding on the side of the back cover, but otherwise perfect. Very nice feel and new book smell.

The praise on the back cover of "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky hearlds it as a novel that explores the psyche of the Russian people. The plot synopsis tells readers that the main character, Prince Myshkin, is a saintly man, who comes into society an innocent and must struggle to remain pure while coming to terms with two very different women who love him and the ways of the world. This prince is also the 'idiot' of the title, this idiocy due to the effects of epilepsy, but perhaps owing more to his naivete and general lack of knowledge.Prince Myshkin, also known as Lyov Nikolayevitch, has spent the past four years in Switzerland, being treated for his illness. Upon his return to Petersburg, he seeks out a long-lost distant family member and susequently comes into wealth due to his benefactor's death. He is immediately thrown into a love triangle that involves his uncle's clerk and a woman who is known to be another man's mistress. Upon meeting this supremely beautiful woman, Prince Myshkin offers himself in marriage; the young woman accepts him at first, but then runs off with another man who has offered her a vast sum of money. Prince Myshkin follows them, but while thwarted in his efforts he is forever haunted by this notorious woman, even as he pursues the love of another.While Dostoevsky is a great storyteller, and has written at least two masterpieces, the narrative of "The Idiot" does a lot more telling than showing. The reader is told an awful lot of things, like how Prince Myshkin isn't as idiotic as people think he is, and how good he is, but it doesn't show this through his actions or words. He is constantly taken in by people who want his money and he waffles excessively between the two women he supposedly loves. Indeed, there are few if any likeable characters within the novel, as they almost all try to take advantage of the prince or laugh at him to his face, including both of his love interests.And while there is some examination of the Russian people, it seems rather disjointed from the narrative at hand. There is a wide cast of characters, each minutely described, and several who give speeches at great length that solely slow down the narrative and do not enhance it. At nearly six hundred pages in length, there is much that seems like it could have been edited, and it is at times difficult to keep the numerous characters straight due to Dostoevsky's simultaneous use of full names and nicknames. However, "The Idiot" stands as a classic of Russian literature, painting a stark picture of the haves and have-nots, and examining how those people treat a poor 'idiot' who is too good for his own sake.

ignat avsey's translation is lively and readable. i'm about half way through his version of "the karamazov brothers" and i just found this on the shelf at powells today. i started reading out of curiosity and 20 pages later decided to bring it home. i've tried reading dostoevsky in those husband & wife tag team translations for years and i never got anywhere. i barely remember the constance garnet translations i read in high school. surprised and grateful that ignat avsey has made doestoyevsky come alive for me again.

This is a classic Russian novel. Great book, but it took me like forever to read. I had a bit of difficulty keeping track of which characters were which, due to the Russian names and the fact that most of the characters are also known by a nickname. I'm sure that Russian people know that "Ganya" is a nickname for "Gavril", just like Americans know that "Dick" is a nickname for "Richard". But I'm not Russian. Anyway, it's a classic book and it's worth the effort to read it.

Having read Brother Karmazov translated by Ignat Avsey I was very keen to read other novels of Fyodor Dostovesky provided they are translated by Ignat Avsey. The recent release of new translation by the author caught my attention resulting in my buying the paper back edition. I took 10 days to read the entire novel and thoroughly enjoyed . As two reviewers had commented that the translation of Ignat Avsey is delightful and lovely I have no hesitation in endorsing their views after having gone through the book . The very soul of Fyodor Dostovesky is brought out by Ignat. The last two chapters of the novel culminating in a climax are well scripted and translation is remarkable with the English Prose Style of Ignat revealing Fyodor in full form. The mental sickness of the hero resulting in severe thought confusion in his day to day interaction with other people is well brought out . The irony of the novel is that the man who lived in Switzerland and got over his mental sickness through medical treatment again succumbed to the mental sickness due to stress and hardships faced by him . Truth is that mental sickness can never be cured but at best be controlled. Even that hope is falsified at the climax of the novelwith regardsmuralidharan madras india

One of the best and most immersive novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The book is quite bulky due to the print size (also because it’s Dostoevsky). The prints are nice and clear, very easy to read. Overall good quality pages and covers.

It's a great read & it's got me interested to read more...

Having sampled several available English translations of this book, I have to say Ignat Avsey's is not only the most readable, but also has a rare tonal integrity and coherence for a translated book. Granted, while Russian was his mother tongue, Avsey was also British--hence occasionally Britishisms or anachronistic Anglo-slang creep into the sentences. But compared to his predecessors, such lapses are relatively few and far between. For what it's worth, here's a quick lowdown on the various translations I've looked at of this book:--Eva Martin (not bad, although her over-Anglicization is an issue)--Constance Garnett (she's my preferred translator for Chekhov's prose, but her translation of "the Idiot" is truly horrendous: over-simplified, unjustified and outright changes to the text as if she's remaking Dostoevesky's world not just linguistically, but also culturally into an unbelievable Victorian/Edwardian England)--Pevear-Volokhonsky (as you can see, one knows English, the other Russian and neither of the duo knows both languages at once: and hence theirs reads like a patchwork that approaches accuracy but seriously lacks flow; sometimes I preferred robotic google translate to PV's handiwork)--David McDuff (better than PV, but prose falls flat too often for me)--Ignat Avsey (as I've said above, a joy to read: occasional Britishisms apart, Avsey has an ear for the language and dialog that shows, making you feel like you're reading one book and author from beginning to end)

Although I bought this book during Christmas time at around 4 Euro, after a lot of research and my dilemma to buy this edition, I would not recommend this book to anyone.I just read two pages and I felt difficulty in understanding already on the 3rd page. Like who is who and conversations are very awkward. Then I checked the Richard Pevear's version and OMG, its so easy to understand and smooth.Unfortunately, I passed the return window of my purchase and I could not return this book now. Hence, giving a review of this edition and translator. Stay away.However, the print and pages of the book are just wonderful. But if reading is not comfortable and hard to follow, what's the point of buying this translation? Hope my review helped.