This is Nabokov's only novel where he finally realized his personal writing style. Lolita, Pale fire etc. don't have a distinguished enough voice that would separate them from other decadent writings or elaborate literary criticism.
Bump
Some anon jumped down my throat here a while ago for saying that Ada is better than Lolita. Like he got really, really angry at me. I'm not sure why, even if you disagree it's surely a defensible position that a reasonable person could adhere to.
Does reading order matter when it comes to Nabokov? Usually I only have a few books or none at all but I recently bought all his novels for a good price and was thinking of finally getting to read him after finishing current book.
>>24894356Avoid Bend Sinister and his Russian novels until after you've read Lolita, Ada and Pale Fire. They're not nearly as good.
>>24894350You take schizos and this board seriously?
>>24894366No, it was just a strange experience that stuck with me.
>>24894364>>24894356His Russian novels also don't have an established voice. It felt like i was reading a new writer each time and still somehow felt milquetoast.Nabokov going from that to the full-on decadence of lolita must be studied. There seems no way the same guy wrote both.
>>24893715>https://www.ada.auckland.ac.nz/curious of what you think about this website.
>>24894379Always funny when poo peeland stick their butts into things they should keep out of.
>>24894383Have to day, bigotry against new zealanders is a new one for me. I struggle to imagine anybody caring enough about NZ to have any strong feelings about them whatsoever.
>>24894378Thoughts on Speak, Memory? I haven't read it yet but I've heard it's one of the best memoirs ever written.
>>24894425It's enjoyable but too 'highly wrought' to be one of the best Memoirs ever; like Pale Fire and The Gift, however, it is a great work of art. Also, it's relatively short
>>24894425Yeah it's good. But Proustian to the point of embarrassment.>>24894415'strayans don't like them much
the vane sisters
luzhin defense is fav I've read so far, followed by invitation to a beheading. not getting anything out of pale fire currently. reading in 6 minute chunks on the subway is not working nearly as well for this one. had to look up the other one I read (pnin) so clearly that didn't leave an impression. are any of his others like luzhin?
>>24894498well you should certainly read the giftbut outside nabby the russians have a proud tradition of the feckless autist male protag; e.g obmomov, fathers and sons, notes from the underground
