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From Amazon
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Realistic, Imaginative, Creative Stories Written by A Genius,
By
This review is from: The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov (Paperback)
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)
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Literary Journey,
By
This review is from: The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov (Paperback)
This book is very biographical given the way the stories are presented to the reader. The stories were written by Vladimir Nabokov between the 1920s and the 1950s and follow the path of his life as a Russian emigre in Berlin, then to France and finally to the United States. I read the stories in the order that they appear since there is a note from Nabokov's son, Dmitri, which states that he had tried to maintain a chronological order to the stories as much as possible. As you read through these stories, you can see Nabokov maturing as a writer and also follow him as he makes his way further and further from the beloved Russia of his childhood, both temporally and geographically, fleeing first from the stupidity and barbarity of the Bolsheviks and then from the Nazis and their own brands of stupidity and barbarity.Nabokov's writing can be difficult to follow and the reader is as much a participant in his stories as is the writer. The rewards are great, however. There are magnificent butterflies painted with humour, nostalgia, wonderment and anger which spread their wings in the pages of this book; all Nabokov asks is that we meet him halfway and he will show us life. The stories were translated to English by Nabokov and his son, some were written in English. The book itself is well made and contains notes on each of the sixty-eight stories from either Nabokov or his son.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nabokovian delights,
This review is from: The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov (Hardcover)
Having been a fan of Nabokov since LOLITA and PALE FIRE (the latter is especially good and a little neglected), I was fascinated to find THE STORIES OF VLADIMIR NABAKOV on Amazon. Translations, of course, always offer a delicate problem of who to credit or criticize for particular stylistic choices, but in this family project it's clear that these versions at least received the approval of the author. These tales are really expertly crafted gems, something akin to the Chopin "Preludes" in their remarkable conception and execution. Some of the more compelling ones come to mind: "Spring in Fialta," "A Forgotten Poet," and the autobiographical "Mademoiselle O" are but three that show a complexity of emotion that do not make you laugh and then cry but instead (something far more brilliant) laugh and cry at the same time. 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 incorporated in the stories is what helps Nabokov to fool the reader. I would also recommend another great collection of short stories by the author Jackson McCrae, called "THE CHILDREN'S CORNER." They're ever bit as riveting as the Nabokov and also have the ability to make us look at ourselves as much as the characters actually in the stories.
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