Dim fire

Pale Fire

“Human life is but a series of notes upon an obscure and unfinished masterpiece.”
★ Nabokov's perfect and extremely difficult experimental text ★ Groundbreaking postmodern literature and "meta-fiction" model ★ More controversial than "Lolita" and more magical than "Ulysses"
Pale Fire is a highly peculiar novel by Nabokov, defying conventional notions of the novel. The novel consists of a preface, a four-part poem, commentary, and an index. Nabokov fictionalizes a professor and poet named Scheder and his colleague and neighbor, Ginbot. Upon his death, the poet leaves behind an autobiographical poem, for which the neighbor provides a preface, commentary, and index. The poem comprises only one-tenth of the book, yet the commentary is incredibly lengthy and tedious. The main poem recounts the poet's life, his deceased daughter, and his understanding of life, love, death, reality, and illusion. The neighbor's lengthy commentary interprets the poem's meaning as the story of the last king of the fictional land of Zambara. As an avant-garde and exploratory writer, Nabokov constantly sought original novelistic forms. This intertextual structure, centered around commentary, reflects Nabokov's view that "human life is nothing more than a series of annotations to an obscure and unfinished masterpiece."
"Pale Fire" comes from a Shakespearean tragedy, describing the moon as a thief, absorbing the sun's light to create "pale fire." As an avant-garde, exploratory writer, Nabokov constantly sought original novel forms, and "Pale Fire" was the ultimate expression of this endeavor. Its release astonished critics, subverting conventional notions of the novel and arguably a groundbreaking example of postmodern literature and "meta-fiction." This impeccably crafted, exceptionally challenging experimental text blurs the line between reader and writer, inviting readers into a frenzy of creative thought.
Vladimir Nabokov's works have had an indelible impact on English-language literature and world literature. "The Nabokov Collection I" curates five of Nabokov's most iconic classics from over twenty published titles, presenting them in a brand-new hardcover edition. Among these works are hard-to-find, eagerly awaited "anticipated books." Besides the celebrated and controversial "Lolita," the collection also includes the incredibly challenging experimental text "Pale Fire," the dark parody of melodrama "Laughter in the Dark," the humorous autobiographical classic "Pnin," and the distinctive memoir "Speak, Memory." Each of these five works is distinctive, representing unique aspects of Nabokov's creative process, offering a fresh perspective on understanding the master novelist.
"Since Shakespeare, no other writer has cast and used language with such agility, wit, and creativity," commented the Daily Mail. Updike praised him, saying, "The power of imagination has rarely found a more vibrant voice."
A masterful novelist's technique, a dark and turbulent allegory of the present, the echo of a lifetime's memory. Welcome to the world of Nabokov's fiction. If words can evoke the purest sensory enjoyment, nothing else can do it.

2019-06-01

上海译文出版社

Shanghai Translation New Text

378

9787532780693