The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov

Rating:
Summary: Nabokov Almighty
Review: The compilation of 65 short stories written by Vladimir Nabokov is altogether a true masterpiece. In his stories, Nabokov explores the depth of human emotions, as well as the darkest sides of humanity. With stories such as Revenge, where Nabokov demonstrates to the reader how a common man is capable of murder after having falsely accused his wife of adultery, Nabokov reveals the depth of his understanding of humanity. Another example of how Nabokov analyses human emotions can be found in his story, The Dragon, which discusses the human addiction to money, and tells the tale of two tobacco company leaders who risk their lives to advertise their product and gain money. Each one of these enticing stories is an oeuvre that was elaborately put together by Nabokov to furnish the reader with a whole new perspective on humanity.

Some of the stories in this book are realistic, while others are fantastic, but both types are intriguing, disturbing, and in each one, Nabokov does all he can to trick his reader. In his stories, the reader is never fully aware of the happenings, and the endings usually always come as a surprise. The titles of the stories help to trick the reader because Nabokov leaves them open for interpretation. An example of this is the story titled, A Nursery Tale, which is about a young man's will to own and dominate the pretty women he contemplates. The reader is surprised by the content of the story and this makes it even more captivating. The reader embraces the realism of the stories and relies on it as a mean of understanding the events, only to discover that the realism incorported in the stories is what helps Nabokov to fool the reader. The reader becomes a child, whose actions are predictable and Nabokov is the parent who has already anticipated his child's doings. Nabokov undertakes all he can to astound the reader, and to make each one of his stories an engaging journey.

More of a Rasputin than a Vladimir, Nabokov enjoys playing with the reader's emotions with his descriptions. He confuses, angers, astonishes, or even worries the reader through his stories. Nabokov manages to delude the reader and make him/her believe in a reality that he will later on contradict, causing great perplexity to the reader. To toy with his reader, Nabokov discusses a crucial matter and remain impassive and apathetic as he does in his story, Russian Spoken Here, where he makes the imprisonment of a Russian officer by a local grocer seem absolutely normal. Describing the gore of a murder scene or a sunny morning on the beach appears to be all the same for Nabokov and with these descriptions, Nabokov never ceases to surprise the reader. The reader becomes Nabokov's puppet, and by pulling the strings, he becomes the manipulative puppeteer who continually plays with his toy, allowing himself to become master of the game.

Once written in Russian, the stories of Vladimir Nabokov were translated by his son, Dmitri, and were compiled in a single book in which each story entertains the reader from beginning to end. With these 65 stories, the reader is thrown into a world where he does not control anything, and is subdued by an almighty Nabokov. The reading of these stories allows the reader to understand the complexity of Nabokov's art. He manages to make the simplest, most habitual events become huge psychological issues, which make the reader reflect on the meanings of everyday events. The stories in this book are distressing, but they also hold a profound meaning. Through them, not only does Nabokov share his understanding of humanity, but he also subtly manages to convey to the reader his opinion on humanity, and reveals himself to be a truly honest writer.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: The fabulous story called "A Forgotten Poet" is worth the entire price of admission here. VN must have laughed out loud when he first got the idea, chuckled heartily as he developed it, and hummed happily to himself as he wrote it down and polished it for publication. It is superb, and superbly funny. If you haven't read it, you owe yourself the pleasure!

I would never imply that the rest of the stories in this volume can be forgotten! In fact, they all seem to be nearly as good as the one I just mentioned. Look upon this book as a box of delicious chocolates which you have not yet unwrapped.... and then unwrap and savor them at your leisure.

Highest possible recommendation!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: The fabulous story called "A Forgotten Poet" is worth the entire price of admission here. VN must have laughed out loud when he first got the idea, chuckled heartily as he developed it, and hummed happily to himself as he wrote it down and polished it for publication. It is superb, and superbly funny. If you haven't read it, you owe yourself the pleasure!

I would never imply that the rest of the stories in this volume can be forgotten! In fact, they all seem to be nearly as good as the one I just mentioned. Look upon this book as a box of delicious chocolates which you have not yet unwrapped.... and then unwrap and savor them at your leisure.

Highest possible recommendation!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: The fabulous story called "A Forgotten Poet" is worth the entire price of admission here. VN must have laughed out loud when he first got the idea, chuckled heartily as he developed it, and hummed happily to himself as he wrote it down and polished it for publication. It is superb, and superbly funny. If you haven't read it, you owe yourself the pleasure!

I would never imply that the rest of the stories in this volume can be forgotten! In fact, they all seem to be nearly as good as the one I just mentioned. Look upon this book as a box of delicious chocolates which you have not yet unwrapped.... and then unwrap and savor them at your leisure.

Highest possible recommendation!

Rating:
Summary: This is a perfect book.
Review: The stories in this book (there are about 65 of them) are for the most part very short. Some of my favorite are his earliest ones, they have been translated from the Russian by Nabokov's son, Dmitri, and they are semi-autobiographical, sweet and so beautiful. Included in this book are a few chapters from Nabokov's autobiography, "Speak, Memory" which were published independently as stories. I would also recommend "Speak, Memory" without reservations. It would be a good book to read after or before this one. They are both so wonderful.

I can't imagine anyone not liking at least some of these stories, especially if you like the genre of short stories and if you are familiar with Nabokov's lucid, detailed prose. Some of them are briefer and sketchier, and some are more like small novels, some are auto-biographical, and some are like fairy-tales. All of the different kinds are good, even my least favorite stories in this vast collection have stuck in my mind. They are lovely. Everyone should own this book.

Rating:
Summary: More than just chips from the Master's workbench
Review: This collection proves that Nabokov was as great a short-storyist as he was a novelist. In some ways, his short works might be even greater; the concentration of the story form pushed him to achieve some startling feats of linguistic and narrative dexterity.

Some of the early stories are unambitious sketches or modest experiments that don't quite work, but gradually mature masterpieces start to appear, and it continues that way right to the end. Among my favorites: "The Visit to the Museum," "Cloud, Castle, Lake," "Time and Ebb," "Signs and Symbols," "Lance," and of course "The Vane Sisters," with its famous ending of which the author himself says "this particular trick can be tried only once in a thousand years of fiction." And that list is only partial; there's still a lot of this book that I haven't yet read. (As with a box of really good chocolates, I'm trying to make it last.)

Given his super-highbrow reputation, it's easy to overlook the fact that when he's at the top of his game, Nabokov is fun. Many of his best stories take the kind of imaginative leaps you expect from high-grade fantasy or science fiction; and the complexity of his style is necessary to his conceptions rather than vain showing-off. Coming upon this book after reading the normal run of fiction ("literary" or otherwise) was like feasting on rich, multi-layered Indian or French food after eating every day in the local pub.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic, Imaginative, Creative Stories Written by A Genius
Review: Vladimir Nabokov uses words like an artist uses paint on canvas ... you can see, feel, touch, and sense the stories on many levels. He uses words to control images, emotions, and the level of impact on the reader. "The written word" is his media. His stories provide gripping emotions, startling revelations, depths of experience, creative twists and turns of the plot ... leaving the reader flipping pages as fast as the mind can grasp the meaning what is read. Whether Nabokov is describing the deep, dark Russian soul or the generous, warm Russian heart, or mundane everyday experiences and scenes - he is a master psychologist who understands human behavior. While his subjects are primarily Russians or Russian emigres, he confines his writing to a unique time in history, about 75 - 80 years ago. Often, the settings are Russia, Germany, or other parts of Europe. The characters come from all walks of life: the aristocracy, the educated, rich landowners, students, ordinairy workers, shopkeepers, writers, and poor peasants. He sometimes contrasts their persona with a deep dark secret or desire.. He seldom leaves a stone unturned when describing the particular path they trod in life. The stories are so engaging and captivating, the characters, plot, settings are so realistic ... this reader wishes some of the stories would never end. You just know there is something yet remaining ... to reveal.

Favorite stories, are "A Matter of Chance", in which a Russian waiter working in the dining ca of a German fast train, narrowly misses meeting his wife whom he has not seen in five years. Ironically, she loses her gold wedding ring, later found by a German waiter. The waiter reads the inscription but makes no connection to his co-worker. The Russian waiter unexpectedly gets off at the next stop. Read the story to find out ... the unexpected ending. Another favorite is, "Wingstroke", the most creative and imaginative story in the book. Kern is a young skier who falls in love with a mysterious young woman, Isabel. She is staying on the same floor of his hotel. One night Kern can not sleep, he tosses and turns due to thinking of her. He goes out into the corridor and sees the key in her door. He gingerly opens it and startles Isabel, who lunges toward the window and leaps ... As Kern is pondering this turn of events, in flies something huge, with wings. He wrestles with the creature and stuffs it in the wardrobe. Isabel returns and asks about it, knowing it flew in. Kern tells her where it is and returns to his room.. The next day, Isabel is expected to make a difficult jump. To discover what happened to "the creature", Isabel, and Kern ... you have to read the story. Another most appealing story is, "La Veneziana". The McGores area wealty couple who collect art. They acquired a beautiful portrait of a young woman which captured everyone's attention. After the guests play a game of croquet, they come inside to admire the portrait. It dawns on Simpson, a student, who was a friend of the family's son, that the portrait resembles Mr. McGore's wife. Yet, the painter was said to be Sebastiano Luciano, from the fifteenth century. To discover how and why this painting could resemble Mrs. McGore... one needs to read the story.

In summary, the autor writes stories with imagination, creativity, substance, depth, unique perspective, and deep emotion. He explores human experiences from many angles. His stories are entertaining, educational, and deeply satisfying to read. Most highly recommended. Erika Borsos (erikab93)