Prince Myshkin sanatorium for treatment of his epilepsy. At age 26, having recovered his health, and in possession of a legal document suggesting entitlement to a significant inheritance, he returns to Russia. In St. Petersburg, his purity and guilelessness lead many to the false conclusion that he is an "idiot". In fact, he possesses an incisive intellect, deep emotional intelligence, and a wisdom that surpasses all the other characters in the novel. As a polyphonic novel each character in "The Idiot" has a unique voice and perspective in relation to the action and the other actors. As such every scene is a
Fyodor Dostoevsky children, while Dostoevsky stayed in St Petersburg to continue with his "Diary". In March 1874, Dostoevsky left "The Citizen" because of the stressful work and interference from the Russian bureaucracy. In his fifteen months with "The Citizen", he had been taken to court twice: on 11 June 1873 for citing the words of Prince Meshchersky without permission, and again on 23 March 1874. Dostoevsky offered to sell a new novel he had not yet begun to write to "The Russian Messenger", but the magazine refused. Nikolay Nekrasov suggested that he publish "A Writer's Diary" in "Notes of the Fatherland"; he