Author Description

<p>'Nabokov's novels are playgrounds of perfection and dungeons of despair' </p> </p>Exile, émigré and refugee, Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) was buffeted by the tides of his times, from the Russian Revolution to the rise of Hitler. But he converted that personal anarchy into a seductive, often controversial, art which searches for meaning amid cruelty and loss.</p> </p>In Ada to Zembla: The Novels of Vladimir Nabokov, David Vernon explores the works of one of the twentieth century's key writers: hilarious, exquisite but complex worlds which challenge our complacency and interrogate our perception of beauty, reality and identity.</p> </p>Lucid and lively, this is the first book in English to devote a chapter to each of Nabokov's novels, in both Russian and English - from his debut, Mary, to the posthumous Laura. Supplementary essays discuss Speak, Memory and other non-fiction, plus the short stories, poetry and plays, as well as Nabokov's lifelong engagement with chess and butterflies.</p> </p>Ada to Zembla offers keys to Nabokov's many locked doors, revealing not only the layers and networks of his novels but their emotional depth and playful sport.</p><p><br></p>