This first major critical biography of Vladimir Nabokov, one of the greatest of twentieth-century writers, finally allows us full access to the dramatic details of his life and the depths of his art. An intensely private man, Nabokov was uprooted first by the Russian Revolution and then by World War II. Transformed into a permanent wanderer, he did not achieve fame until late in life, with the success of Lolita. In this first of two volumes, Brian Boyd vividly describes the liberal milieu of the aristocratic Nabokovs, their escape from Russia, Nabokov's education at Cambridge, and the murder of his father in Berlin. Boyd then turns to the years that Nabokov spent, impoverished, in Germany and France, until the coming of Hitler forced him to flee, with wife and son, to the United States. This volume stands on its own as a fascinating exploration of Nabokov's Russian years and Russian worlds, prerevolutionary and émigré.
In the course of his ten years' work on the biography, Boyd traveled along Nabokov's trail everywhere from Yalta to Palo Alto. The only scholar to have had free access to the Nabokov archives in Montreux and the Library of Congress, he also interviewed at length Nabokov's family and scores of his friends and associates.
For the general reader, Boyd offers an introduction to Nabokov the man, his works, and his world. For the specialist, he provides a basis for all future research on Nabokov's life and art, as he dates and describes the composition of all Nabokov's works, published and unpublished.
Boyd investigates Nabokov's relation to and his independence from his time, examines the special structures of his mind and thought, and explains the relations between his philosophy and his innovations of literary strategy and style. At the same time he provides succinct introductions to all the fiction, dramas, memoirs, and major verse; presents detailed analyses of the major books that break new ground for the scholar, while providing easy paths into the works for other readers; and shows the relationship between Nabokov's life and the themes and subjects of his art.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"This is the first comprehensive account of Nabokov's life and oeuvre. The book's wide-ranging research and deep affinity for Nabokov's writings should establish it as the single indispensable source on its subject for many decades to come."--Simon Karlinsky, University of California, Berkeley
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.15. Seller Inventory # G0099862204I3N00
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.15. Seller Inventory # G0099862204I3N00
Book Description paperback. Condition: Good. New Ed. Corners are slightly bent. Used - Good. Seller Inventory # 1-X-3-1565
Book Description Condition: Acceptable. paperback 100% of proceeds go to charity! Acceptable reading copy with obvious signs of use, wear, and/or cosmetic issues. Item is complete and remains readable despite notable condition issues. Seller Inventory # M-06-4356
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 2nd Edition. paperback, illustrated, 607 pages, very good. We are a real bookshop with real books situated in and shipping from the United Kingdom. Shelf B91. Seller Inventory # 121615
Book Description Softcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. First Edition. Two books (complete). Both books are comfortable and healthy. Note the ISBN refers to the first book, the reference number is for both books. Volume 1: Vladimir Nabokov : The Russian Years - pub 1990 in paperback. 607 pages. A sure, competent copy. The page edges are tanned from shelving. The pages themselves are clean, clear, certain, benign and benevolent. Volume 2: Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years (ISBN: 0099962306) - pub 1993 in paperback. Condition as with the former. A pleasing set. fk. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services. Seller Inventory # bylf
Book Description paperback. Condition: Good. Orders shipped daily from the UK. Professional seller. Seller Inventory # mon0000432640