Be Specific About Out Of Books King, Queen, Knave

Title	:	King, Queen, Knave
Author	:	Vladimir Nabokov
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 275 pages
Published	:	2010 by Penguin Books (first published 1928)
Categories	:	Fiction. Cultural. Russia. Classics. Literature. Russian Literature. Novels

King, Queen, Knave Paperback | Pages: 275 pages

Explanation To Books King, Queen, Knave

'Of all my novels this bright brute is the gayest', Nabokov wrote of King, Queen, Knave. Comic, sensual and cerebral, it dramatizes an Oedipal love triangle, a tragi-comedy of husband, wife and lover, through Dreyer the rich businessman, his ripe-lipped ad mercenary wife Martha, and their bespectacled nephew Franz. 'If a resolute Freudian manages to slip in' - Nabokov darts a glance to the reader - 'he or she should be warned that a number of cruel traps have been set up here and there'.

Mention Books As King, Queen, Knave

Original Title:	Король, дама, валет
Edition Language:	English

Rating Out Of Books King, Queen, Knave

Ratings: 3.81 From 3945 Users | 264 Reviews

Piece Out Of Books King, Queen, Knave

I thought KQK was great; it's amazing that between 1926 and 1928 (between the publications of KQK and Mary), Nabokov became so much stronger as a writer. The plot of this novel isn't all that complicated, so most of the beauty lies in Nabokov's rich, almost visceral descriptions (the first couple of chapters particularly fucked me up). And I'm always impressed by the unraveling of threads and the infinity of realities that Nabokov manages to create. More of a 4.5/5, with my one quibble being

If I was to give Nabokov one single descriptive name, it would have been "The Lord of the Word". I don't think he was a master with words. He did not use them; he controlled them. Nabokov was beyond words. He was one of the few people who understood the difference in the meanings of the so-called "synonyms", and created prose in the way that has been least experienced ever. His writing, though often complicated, never pursues to be so. He is one unpretentious stylist; words do not tend to induce



Vladimir Nabokov (if the universe were just, I would be writing "Nobel Prize-winner Vladimir Nabokov," but the universe is not just) wrote King, Queen, Knave in Russian in 1928, when he was an emigre living in Berlin. His son, Dmitri Nabokov (born after the novel was written) translated it from Russian to English in 1968, with Vladimir Nabokov making several changes to the story itself during the translation process. I read the English version, which is beautifully written.The book is nominally

It's "sensual and cerebral" according to the official review, but I'd call it "smut for smarties."I love Nabokov's writing and this book is also beautifully expressed. As he says in the introduction, it was written at an early phase in his career. That might explain the presence of some overly obvious metaphors and devices. I could imagine this being a good choice for a book club.

3.50 starsFrom this novel, we would be simply disappointed if we hoped to read a tragedy since its subtly been written as a sensual and surprising black comedy. (back cover) It is amazing to read Nabokovs novel seemingly entitled like a detective story or a kind of soap-opera murder on television. Rather he has his own ways in manipulating the three characters, that is, Dreyer, Martha and Franz into the duos sin in disguise. One of the reasons is that Franzs insane aunt (p. 145) and himself both

Maybe it's chauvinistic provincialism on my part, but I find Nabokov less interesting when his stories take place in foreign countries. I just didn't find this novel as enjoyable as his later American books. Maybe the humor doesn't travel well, but there were times when this book was a slog to get through.