Vladimir Vladimirovič Nabokov Ordre des livres

„Rozsudek smrti byl v souladu se zákonem oznámen Cincinnatovi C. šeptem.“ V žádné jiné ze svých próz se Nabokov nepřiblížil literárnímu světu Franze Kafky tak jako v Pozvání na popravu. Zjitřené vnímání společenské látky se tu spojuje s pocitem hlubokého existenciálního traumatu, jež má obecný charakter a o to více promlouvá k současnému čtenáři. Mladý hrdina čeká na svou popravu, přičemž není zcela zřejmá ani povaha jeho skutečného provinění, ani bližší okolnosti chystané exekuce. V tomto svíravém rámci jde odsouzenci o jediné – vymezit se vůči netečnosti světa prostřednictvím vlastního psaní. Román pochází z Nabokovova „ruského“ období, tedy z doby, kdy autor již nežil ve své vlasti, ale byl součástí široké ruské diaspory v Evropě. Přestože se příběh odehrává ve fiktivním prostředí, odkaz k mašinérii stalinské hrůzovlády je nepopiratelný. Kniha je tak považována za stěžejní dílo ruské literatury 20. století. Román doprovází doslov literárního vědce Richarda Müllera.

The narrative centers on Luzhin, a chess prodigy whose extraordinary talent transforms his perception of reality. As he ascends to become an International Grandmaster, his intense love for chess isolates him from the world around him. The story culminates in a dramatic confrontation with the Italian Grandmaster Turati, showcasing Luzhin's strategic brilliance. Rich in metaphor and imagery, this early work by Nabokov captures the emotional depth and complexity of its protagonist, reflecting the warmth that the author cherished in this novel.

Erzählungen 1921 bis 1932 Dieser Band enthält in chronologischer Reihenfolge die frühen, ursprünglich russisch geschriebenen Erzählungen von 1921 bis 1932, die Nabokov zum Großteil unter dem Pseudonym W. Sirin veröffentlichte, teilweise während seiner Zeit in Berlin. Sie legen die Grundsteine für Nabokovs künstlerischen Weg und lassen bereits seine einzigartige Sicht auf die Welt erahnen, die seinen späteren Werken ihren unnachahmlichen Stil verleiht. Die beiden Bände mit Nabokovs gesammelten Erzählungen (Bd.1: 1921-32; Bd. 2: 1933-52) schließen die Neuausgaben von Nabokovs Gesamtwerk ab.

Erzählungen 1933-1951 Dieser Band enthält in chronologischer Reihenfolge die reifen Erzählungen Nabokovs, die während seiner wiederholten Flucht vor den Nationalsozialisten entstanden. Viele schrieb er noch immer auf Russisch, doch löste sich Nabokov von seiner Muttersprache, schrieb eine Erzählung auf Französisch und viele in englischer Sprache. Zusammen mit seinem Sohn Dmitri übersetzte er auch viele seiner eigenen Erzählungen ins Englische. Auf diesen Fassungen beruht die Mehrzahl der deutschen Übersetzungen. Die beiden Bände mit Nabokovs gesammelten Erzählungen (Bd.1: 1921-32; Bd. 2: 1933-51) schließen die Neuausgaben von Nabokovs Gesamtwerk ab.

'Masterly, hilarious, truly insightful' - Philip Hensher, The Spectator A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2019 The last major collection of Nabokov's published material, Think, Write, Speak brings together a treasure trove of previously uncollected texts from across the author's extraordinary career. Each phase of his wandering life is included, from a precocious essay written while still at Cambridge in 1921, through his fame in the aftermath of the publication of Lolita to the final, fascinating interviews given shortly before his death in 1977. Introduced and edited by his biographer Brian Boyd, this is an essential work for anyone who has been drawn into Nabokov's literary orbit. Here he is at his most inspirational, curious, playful, misleading and caustic. The seriousness of his aesthetic credo, his passion for great writing and his mix of delight and dismay at his own, sudden global fame in the 1950s are all brilliantly delineated.

Cincinnatus, unable to fit into the world around him, has been reported to the authorities and sentenced to death for his strange, unrecognizable nature. Exploring the prison cell as he counts down his final days, Cincinnatus cannot even find out when his execution will occur and is troubled by the lack of control a condemned man has over his own life. Witty, satirical and nightmarish, Invitation to a Beheading creates a dystopian and fantastical world of political punishment, identity and the unusual hope of a man may carry to his death.

The last major collection of Nabokov's published material, Think, Write, Speak brings together a treasure trove of previously uncollected texts from across the author's extraordinary career. Each phase of his wandering life is included, from a precocious essay written while still at Cambridge in 1921, through his fame in the aftermath of the publication of Lolita to the final, fascinating interviews given shortly before his death in 1977. Introduced and edited by his biographer Brian Boyd, this is an essential work for anyone who has been drawn into Nabokov's literary orbit. Here he is at his most inspirational, curious, misleading and caustic. The seriousness of his aesthetic credo, his passion for great writing and his mix of delight and dismay at his own, sudden global fame in the 1950s are all brilliantly delineated here.

The illegible signature of teetering disaster' Three great stories - The Aurelian, Signs and Symbols and Lance - the last both a derisive attack on science-fiction and an attempt to imagine the real pain and horror that would accompany space travel.