The Idiot

“So much power! So many wonderful places! How good „The Idiot“ is! And all the characters are very bright, colorful - only they are illuminated by electric fire, under which the most ordinary, familiar face, ordinary colors receive a supernatural shine, and one wants to look at them as if anew.” This was one of the first reviews of the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky, or rather, of its first part, published in 1868 in the journal “Russian Messenger”. There will be both enthusiastic and negative reviews, and doubts from the writer himself about the success of “The Idiot”, and recognition from the public... These brightly illuminated people in the drawings by Dementy Shmarinov come to life, speak, cry, and laugh, immersing the reader in the ideas and passions of the characters of the novel.