Vladimir Nabokov
Paperback | Pages: 181 pages Rating: 3.94 | 4664 Users | 338 Reviews
Declare Based On Books The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
| Title | : | The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| Author | : | Vladimir Nabokov |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Penguin Modern Classics |
| Pages | : | Pages: 181 pages |
| Published | : | March 29th 2001 by Penguin Books Ltd (first published 1941) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Cultural. Russia. Novels |
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The Real Life of Sebastian Knight is a perversely magical literary detective story - subtle, intricate, leading to a tantalizing climax - about the mysterious life of a famous writer. Many people knew things about Sebastian Knight as a distinguished novelist, but probably fewer than a dozen knew of the two love affairs that so profoundly influenced his career, the second one in such a disastrous way. After Knight's death, his half brother sets out to penetrate the enigma of his life, starting with a few scanty clues in the novelist's private papers. His search proves to be a story of mystery and intrigue as any of his subject's own novels, as baffling, and, in the end, as uniquely rewarding.Itemize Books As The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
| Original Title: | The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| ISBN: | 0141185996 (ISBN13: 9780141185996) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Sebastian Knight, V |
Rating Based On Books The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
Ratings: 3.94 From 4664 Users | 338 ReviewsPiece Based On Books The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
"I know that the common pebble you find in your fist after having thrust your arm shoulder [sic] deep into water, where a jewel seemed to gleam on pale sand, is really the coveted gem though it looks like a pebble as it dries in the sun of everyday. Therefore I felt that the nonsensical sentence which sang in my head as I awoke was really the garbled translation of a striking disclosure..." Nabokov offers us lots of jewels glinting beneath the surface, without any guarantees they aren't dullNabokov has such a masterful command of the English language - which wasn't even his native tongue - that I stand in awe of his glorious turns of phrase, alliterations, puns, and other linguistic tricks. He puns in French, too, while I weep with envy.I personally thought Sebastian Knight was a much better book than Lolita, the Nabokov book that everyone's read. The nameless narrator, the half-brother of the eponymous character, spends the entirety of the novel attempting to piece together the
As part of my thoughts on this book I'd like to discuss the 'contract' between the fiction writer and the reader. Let's start by saying that neither of them believes that what passes between them is literal truth. We all talk of the 'truths' about life that a novel may disclose but nobody believes the story itself is 'true'.However, through some alchemy of the brain, the reader converts the written word into a version of the truth in that moment. The story lives. The hackneyed phrase: disbelief
An interesting conundrum that reminds me of a dinner party at Le Grand Rire in midtown NYC, herewith a fable: in a private room hostess Flossie Fidget seated me next to Commodore Sackbut, said the placard, whom I've longed to meet. Over a fricasse of snails, fed, or rather purged with milk, and fritters of pompions and lovage, we got sauced discussing the pleasures of vice over virtue, and pain over politesse.-- (Topics in his book of collected essays). We also paid our respects to several
I don't know what I think in general of Nabokov. I absolutely adored Laughter in the Dark and Lolita, but this one, Pnin and Pale Fire leave me quite confused.This one was then definitely the least confusing, but also for me the least exciting.3,5* for the beautiful prose.
I don't know what I think in general of Nabokov. I absolutely adored Laughter in the Dark and Lolita, but this one, Pnin and Pale Fire leave me quite confused.This one was then definitely the least confusing, but also for me the least exciting.3,5* for the beautiful prose.
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