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Anonymous
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Vladimir Nabokov uses his lyrical and poetic writing to examine the greater secrets of the universe and human existence, as well as political issues. Born in Russia in 1899, Nabokov fled his native country after the Russian Revolution. The loss of his country and his émigré status greatly colored his writing. After wandering around Europe for twenty years, he eventually settled in the US and became an American citizen. Fluent in Russian, English and French from a very young age, Nabokov’s wrote in both English and Russian. His greatest work (Lolita, Ada, Pnin, and Pale Fire) were all written in English during his years in the US. The style of his writing is unspeakably beautiful—every line possesses a lyrical quality and subtle word play—and he sprinkles his writing with bits of French and Russian. He always translates the Russian he uses, but rarely the French, so some French knowledge or an annotated copy of each novel is advised.
Vladimir Nabokov is an exceptional writer and I thoroughly savored his prose, although some of it was difficult to read quickly because it is so detailed and rich. I found that his books shared similar themes and writing a paper connecting his works was not very difficult. I highly recommend Lolita because it is one of Nabokov’s most renowned novels and Bend Sinister because it offers captivating insight into totalitarianism and expresses strong emotions as well. Nabokov’s novels focus on relationship conflicts that may intertwine children and adolescents, defiance of authority, and pursuit of selfish interests. His writing often contains French phrases and passages that can be difficult to decipher since they are not translated into English, and in Bend Sinister there is also writing in the language of a foreign state for which Nabokov provides translation. Ultimately, I would recommend Nabokov to anyone who wants a challenging yet rewarding and entertaining author.
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2 comments:
Vladimir Nabokov uses his lyrical and poetic writing to examine the greater secrets of the universe and human existence, as well as political issues. Born in Russia in 1899, Nabokov fled his native country after the Russian Revolution. The loss of his country and his émigré status greatly colored his writing. After wandering around Europe for twenty years, he eventually settled in the US and became an American citizen. Fluent in Russian, English and French from a very young age, Nabokov’s wrote in both English and Russian. His greatest work (Lolita, Ada, Pnin, and Pale Fire) were all written in English during his years in the US. The style of his writing is unspeakably beautiful—every line possesses a lyrical quality and subtle word play—and he sprinkles his writing with bits of French and Russian. He always translates the Russian he uses, but rarely the French, so some French knowledge or an annotated copy of each novel is advised.
Vladimir Nabokov is an exceptional writer and I thoroughly savored his prose, although some of it was difficult to read quickly because it is so detailed and rich. I found that his books shared similar themes and writing a paper connecting his works was not very difficult. I highly recommend Lolita because it is one of Nabokov’s most renowned novels and Bend Sinister because it offers captivating insight into totalitarianism and expresses strong emotions as well. Nabokov’s novels focus on relationship conflicts that may intertwine children and adolescents, defiance of authority, and pursuit of selfish interests. His writing often contains French phrases and passages that can be difficult to decipher since they are not translated into English, and in Bend Sinister there is also writing in the language of a foreign state for which Nabokov provides translation. Ultimately, I would recommend Nabokov to anyone who wants a challenging yet rewarding and entertaining author.
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