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Product Description

In Berlin there lived a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable and happy but one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress he loved. He was not loved in return, however, and his life ended in disaster. The original Russian text of this novel was published in 1933.

Ingram

Irresistibly ironic, this chilling novel of folly and destruction is about a January to May romance between a sensitive, middle-aged man and a cretinous girl half his age. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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First Sentence
Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Nabokov's best novel, Jan 29 2004

By	David Cullen "Dave Cullen" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Laughter in the Dark (Paperback)

This is one of my all-time favorite books, and favorite Nabokov novel (though nothing comes close to his memoir, "Conclusive Evidence" -- now sold under the inferior title, "Speak, Memory; I loved that one so much I named my blog after it.)

This book includes the usual Nabokov wit in every sentence, but it's also a deliciously fun read. Nearly all the characters are kind of bad, but not blood-curdling Humbert Humbert sort of way. These are people who fail despite themselves.

And it won my heart with the first sentence. Try it out:

Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster.

Gutsy opening, huh? But it's all in the telling.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Lolita - Lite, May 15 2003

By	"mephistopheles_9000" (Mount Prospect, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laughter In The Dark (Paperback)

This is one of Nabokov's earlier books, published 22 years before Lolita. In many ways, the plot and feel of the two stories are quite similar (older man falls in love with younger girl who he idealizes, she doesn't love him but realizes her dependence on him, eventually ends in disaster). It's interesting to compare Nabokov's writing from one book to the other - Lolita is much more emotionallty intensive, challenging, has smoother and richer language, has more to say, and seems far less contrived than Laughter in the Dark. There's not so much to enjoy in Laughter outside of a pretty basic, well-written story. If you haven't read Lolita, buy an annotated copy and read that first, if you've already read it and are a fan of Nabokov's other works, definitely give it a shot, but with lowered expectations. A very good little book, just not a classic.

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5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Nabokov, April 13 2003

By	"cpiy" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laughter in the Dark (Paperback)

Having read many of his books, this is by far my favorite.
Nabokov does not hide from the reader that his main character will have a bad ending, even though at some point in the novel one feels he might have a chance.
This book is delicious. Nabokov's cynicism and his choice of words make this book near perfect. For those who are cynics, this book is very funny and enjoyable. Nabokov is very straight forward and this book is not hard to understand at all, and it is also not psychologically opressive.
For some strange reason, it reminded me of Balzac's Eugene Grandet, another one of my favorite books

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Nabokov
Having read many Nabokov books, this is by far my favorite. It is simply delicious. It starts with a catchy line, and Nabokov never hides from the reader that the main character... Read more

Published on April 13 2003 by cpiy

3.0 out of 5 stars Despicably delicious.
This novel is noteworthy for two reasons: (1) This was the first novel of Nabokov's to be published in the United States, and (2) It marked the first occasion in which Nabokov... Read more

Published on Sep 27 2002 by Jerry Clyde Phillips

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, extraordinary story
What a lovely book. Strange and awful and amazing. The prose is beautiful and it was a joy to read. His best that I've ever read.

Published on Sep 6 2002 by A. Acheson