Vladimir Nabokov in Context

David M. Bethea, Siggy Frank

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781107108646
• eBook ISBN: 9781108676175
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: European Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Vladimir Nabokov, bilingual writer of dazzling masterpieces, is a phenomenon that both resists and requires contextualization. This book challenges the myth of Nabokov as a sole genius who worked in isolation from his surroundings, as it seeks to anchor his work firmly within the historical, cultural, intellectual and political contexts of the turbulent twentieth century. Vladimir Nabokov in Context maps the ever-changing sites, people, cultures and ideologies of his itinerant life which shaped the production and reception of his work. Concise and lively essays by leading scholars reveal a complex relationship of mutual influence between Nabokov's work and his environment. Appealing to a wide community of literary scholars this timely companion to Nabokov's writing offers new insights and approaches to one of the most important, and yet most elusive writers of modern literature.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Note on Transliteration and Dates
• List of Abbreviations
• Contextualising Nabokov
• Part I Identity
• Part II Places
• Part III Literatures and Arts
• Part IV Ideas and Cultures
• Further Reading
• Index