Glory - Nabokov

[Feeling Brackish]

I'm looking in your direction, Ted. I finally bought some stuff by Vladimir Nabokov because of your constant ranting about how great he is. Hell, you got a fucking tattoo, so he must be good! So I read Glory. I spent the first half of the book in some sort of daze, easily distracted, not sure I was enjoying it. Then something happened as I was approaching it's end. I got emotional about it. When Martin goes off in search of something, pretending to be from some mysterious northern land, I felt so much for him. I felt the longing to be something different, to see new places. It was weird, and hard to describe. I then fell in love with the book. I went back and read parts of the beginning after that to make sure I didn't miss anything during my daze. Now, the book ends rather strangely, and this is a *SPOILER* for those who have never read this and may want to. He runs off to Latvia or whatever to sneak across the border into Russia. His family seems confused by his actions, and as the reader I was equally as confused. When he told ... shit, what's his name? ... His best friend from Cambridge, he told him with the hint that he would understand, but he didn't. I should probably just reread the book to find what he was making references to in their past that made him expect his friend to understand, because I was totally lost on why he did what he did. I was just curious what your thoughts on this were, Ted, or anyone else who may have read this.

[Kinbote]

Yes, Glory is an excellent book. While I've not looked at it in a long time, it's my recollection that I thought the end was supposed to be somewhat off-kilter and ambiguous. Does your edition have an introduction by Nabokov? He has a habit of explaining things that might have gotten muddled in the translation from Russian.

But golly, if you liked Glory, find some more Nabokov - while undoubtedly good, Glory is still one of his more minor novels.

[Trickster]

Hello Ted.

Where would you recommend starting with Nabokov?

[Kinbote]

To start? Let's see.

Most people would tell you Lolita, but I'd disagree - it's my least favorite of all his English novels.

I'd say Pale Fire or Pnin. Followed by The Real Life of Sebastian Knight.

[Kinbote]

And maybe Despair. Any of those to start with.

[Atomsk Iscariot]

Originally posted by UncleLester
I'd say Pale Fire Well good, since I purchased it just the other day. As soon as I find my way out of this dreadful(ly-translated) Murakami novel, I'm starting it.

[Feeling Brackish]

I also bought Pale Fire, Lolita, and a collection of short stories. I can't recall what that collection is called though.

And it does have an intro I believe. I read it before reading the book. Maybe I should just go read it again.

[Trickster]

Originally posted by UncleLester
To start? Let's see.

Most people would tell you Lolita, but I'd disagree - it's my least favorite of all his English novels.

I'd say Pale Fire or Pnin. Followed by The Real Life of Sebastian Knight.

I had a look at Pale Fire in a book shop after you mentioned it before, but I think the way it's written might not be so useful as my entry point to his oeuvre. (What with the story being mainly in the footnotes, and I generally can't get into poetry.)

I'll have a look at Pnin. :)