The Idiot The Idiot The Idiot (pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal "The Russian Messenger" in 1868–9. The title is an ironic reference to the central character of the novel, Prince (Knyaz) Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, a young man whose goodness, open-hearted simplicity and guilelessness lead many of the more worldly characters he encounters to mistakenly assume that he lacks intelligence and insight. In the character of Prince Myshkin, Dostoevsky set himself the task of depicting "the positively good and beautiful man." The novel examines the
Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia (17 October 1896 – 23 October 1978) was a member of the House of Romanov. Prince Roman Petrovich was born in the Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg the only son of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia and his wife Princess Milica of Montenegro. Prince Roman belonged to the Nikolaevichi branch of the Russian Imperial Family which was founded by his grandfather Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich. In 1916 having graduated from the Nicholas Engineering Academy of Kiev, Prince Roman was posted to serve in a Caucasian Sappers Regiment on the