When Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions for his heirs to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that made up the rough draft of his final and unfinished novel, The Original of Laura. But Nabokovβs wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husbandβs last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov, now seventy-fiveβthe Russian novelistβs only surviving heir, and translator of many of his booksβhas wrestled for three decades with the decision of whether to honor his fatherβs wish or preserve for posterity the last piece of writing of one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His decision finally to allow publication of the fragmented narrativeβdark yet playful, preoccupied with mortalityβaffords us one last experience of Nabokovβs magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.
Media Buzz
Early Show - December 9, 2009 On The Media - October 31, 2009
© 2003-2026