Vladimir Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
Description
The masterwork that was nearly destroyed, from one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century.
Dr Philip Wild, a man of brilliance, wit, fortu
...
ne and tremendous bulk, is used to suffering humiliation at the hands of his wife - the young, slender, and rudely promiscuous Flora. In a novel, a 'maddening masterpiece' documenting her infidelities, written by one of her lovers and given to the doctor, she appears as My Laura. Dishonoured, Wild still finds pleasure in life by indulging in virtual self-annihilation, beginning with the removal of his toes.
Sensing that he would be prevented from completing The Original of Laura, Nabokov drew up his instructions that the manuscript was to be burned after his death. For thirty years his wife, and then his son Dmitri, debated whether to follow the writer's wishes. Now available for the first time, this novel - almost destroyed - is accompanied by an introduction by Dmitri Nabokov on his father's final great book, and the difficult decision to publish.
Read more