Nikolai Gogol

Nabokov Vladimir

ISBN 10: 0811201201 / ISBN 13: 9780811201209

Published by New Directions, 1961

About this Item

RO80247504: 1961. In-8. Broché. Etat d'usage, Couv. légèrement passée, Dos satisfaisant, Intérieur frais. 172 pages. Texte en anglais. Etiquette de prix collée au second plat. . . . . Classification Dewey : 420-Langue anglaise. Anglo-saxon. Seller Inventory # RO80247504

Bibliographic Details

Title: Nikolai Gogol

Publisher: New Directions

Publication Date: 1961

Binding: Couverture souple

Condition: bon

About this title

Synopsis:

This biography begins with Gogol's death and ends with his birth, an inverted structure typical of both Gogol and Nabokov. The biographer proceeds to establish the relationship between Gogol and his novels, especially with regard to "nose-consciousness", a peculiar feature of Russian life and letters, which finds its apotheosis in Gogol's own life and prose. There are more expressions and proverbs concerning the nose in Russian than in any other language in the world. Nabokov's style in this biography is comic, but as always leads to serious issues―in this case, an appreciation of the distinctive "sense of the physical" inherent in Gogol's work. Nabokov describes how Gogol's life and literature mingled, and explains the structure and style of Gogol's prose in terms of the novelist's life.

About the Author:

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), one of the 20th century's greatest writers in both Russian and English, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and spent his adult life in Germany, France, the United States, and Switzerland. In addition to his literary work, he was a passionate lepidopterist and chess player. His books include Lolita, Pale Fire, The Real Light of Sebastian Knight, Laughter in the Dark, and many more.