/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.6863630]

What's /lit/'s recommended reading order for Nabokov?

I've read Lolita (annotated edition), and one of his short stories called 'Cloud, Castle, Lake' and throrougly enjoyed both.

Where next?

[Anonymous No.6863636]

>>6863630
Pale Fire

[Anonymous No.6863644]

>>6863630
>(annotated edition)

what would the annotations even say? anyone who hasn't been living a thousand miles away from a library should be able to catch all of the vocabulary and references pretty easily

[Anonymous No.6863651]

>>6863636
Thanks for the tip. It seems to be the top seller on Amazon as well. But where after that?


There should be a reading guide like pic related.

[Anonymous No.6863652]

>>6863644
To be honest I never read any of the notes in the back. I just added that in case someone came along and said "re-read lolita, but this time with all the notes".

[Anonymous No.6863654]

>>6863651
>But where after that?
Chill and read. Don't worry about what you're to read later.

>needing internet faggots to tell you in which order to read books and which books to read

[Anonymous No.6863655]

>>6863644
Translates the french, cues you into a lot of little self-references the novel makes, provides clear references to other literature the novel makes and sources for reading them.

[Anonymous No.6863667]

>>6863654
You are right, but I blame /lit/ for scaring me into wanting to have my hand held. "Bu-but wh-what if I read [insert author] in the wrong order".
Still, I do enjoy having the business-class /lit/ experience, so please hold my hand.

[Anonymous No.6863669]

>>6863655
Is there really a lot of french in the book ?

[Anonymous No.6863672]

>>6863630

Read Pnin. It was written while he was writing Lolita, and is an emotional complement to it. It's his version of Don Quixote, about a Russian emigre professor bumbling adorably through episodes in America.

After that I would suggest the collection of the stories, Pale Fire, and Speak Memory, which are his most read English works.

I haven't read the Russian translations, so somebody else can chime in.

[Anonymous No.6863684]

>>6863630
You have read the Saga of the Volsungs right? Nabakov references that constantly throughout his works

[Anonymous No.6863708]

>>6863684
No, but I've heard about it. Should I read it?

[Anonymous No.6863733]

>>6863669
Mostly dialogue, and the occasional addition in the narration. I speak French and could understand it, but most of it wasn't crucial to the reading experience, it just adds more of a flavour that'd be lost in translation. I would still suggest looking up the translations though, as you wouldn't want to skip them.

[Anonymous No.6863742]

>>6863630
I read PF first then Loli. Ada, or Ardor is next one my Nabokov list

[Anonymous No.6863769]

>>6863630
Pale Fire, Invitation to a Beheading, Pnin and finally Ada


and if you're in need for more Nabby, his collected short stories are great

[Anonymous No.6863806]

I'm not a big Nabokov fan but thought Laughter in the Dark was a seriously ominous and cruel book and exceptionally underrated

[Anonymous No.6863966]

>>6863806
>>6863769
>>6863742
>>6863672

Thanks for all the suggestions.
I'm going to read Pale Fire next, and definitely will get his collected stories. The short story seems to be a popular tradition with Russian writers. If none of you have read 'Cloud, Castle, Lake' then you really should:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1941/06/cloud-castle-lake/305003/

[Anonymous No.6864670]

>>6863708
lmao I was meming don't worry; read it tho it's sehr gut

[Anonymous No.6864698]

>>6863806
I just read it recently myself. It was pretty good. Really straightforward and to the point for Nabokov, though.