Puning

Pnin

"He did not believe in an arbitrary God, but he had a vague belief in the democracy of ghosts."
★ A brilliant portrait of a small-world exile ★ A pioneering example of American academic absurdity ★ Nabokov's humorous and autobiographical classic, "Pnin," originally published in four chapters in The New Yorker, was Nabokov's first novel to attract widespread attention and popularity in the United States. It depicts the life of an elderly Russian professor in exile teaching at an American university. Gentle yet eccentric, he feels alienated by his surroundings, often mocked by his colleagues and abandoned by his wife. Alone, he finds comfort in immersing himself in old papers, delving into ancient Russian culture and classical literature. Constantly reminiscing about the past reveals a profound sense of homesickness. Nabokov skillfully blends Russian culture with modern American civilization, humorously and wittily portraying a distressed exile who has lost his homeland, his connection to its culture, and his love.
"Pnin" embodies Nabokov's exquisite novelistic techniques, featuring an "unreliable narrator" whose true identity is not revealed until the very end. The protagonist, Punin, is a Russian intellectual in exile in the United States, a pedantic old man in the eyes of others, out of tune with the times and the environment, and in dire straits. Nabokov narrates Professor Punin's various experiences with indifference, always maintaining a distance, and skillfully blending a strong sense of nostalgia with playfulness and irony. Fate's tricks on Professor Punin are so cruel and ruthless, but the novel's tone and tone are always elegant and restrained, allowing this gentle and unrealistic character to ultimately resonate and win the reader's respect. "Perhaps through Punin, Nabokov plays with his own past, with the possibility of another life that began at some mysterious fork in the road."
Recognized as a preeminent novelist and stylist of the 20th century, 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 highly 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

256

9787532780723