Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov (English) Paperback Book

Description: Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov Takes us into the prison-world of Cincinnatus, a man condemned to death and spending his last days in prison not quite knowing when the end will come. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Nightmarish, witty and immaculately conceived, Invitation to a Beheading unsparingly teases out the illogic of tyranny and will establish Nabokov in readers minds as a serious and intelligent writerWritten in Berlin in 1934, Invitation to a Beheading contains all the surprise, excitement and magical intensity of a work created in two brief weeks of sustained inspiration. It takes us into the fantastic prison-world of Cincinnatus, a man condemned to death and spending his last days in prison not quite knowing when the end will come. Nabokov described the book as a violin in a void. The worldling will deem it a trick. Old men will hurriedly turn from it to regional romances and the lives of public figures ... The evil-minded will perceive in little Emmie a sister of little Lolita ... But I know a few readers who will jump up, ruffling their hair. Author Biography Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), born in St Petersburg, exiled in Cambridge, Berlin, and Paris, became the greatest Russian writer of the first half of the twentieth century. Fleeing to the US with his family in 1940, he then became the greatest writer in English of the second half of the century, and even Gods own novelist (William Deresiewicz). He lived in Europe from 1959 onwards, and died in Montreux, Switzerland. All his major works - novels, stories, an autobiography, poems, plays, lectures, essays and reviews - are published in Penguin Modern Classics. Kirkus US Review Written long before Lolita, twenty five years ago, this is both a specific study in terrorism- and an allegory of Man in prison (Life) awaiting his own execution for the vague crime of being Different (Alive). As Nabokov says in his preface, he has been compared to Kafka, and there is a resemblance to Kafka, to many others, in the mysterious imprisonment, the impotent seeking, in the confused dream of officialdom. But the long, nightmare, hopeless quality of Kafka is actually quite different from this brilliant, fractured reality in which all ugly, ordinary things are present but displaced; all friends, foes; all escapes,- carefully planned delusions, in an incredibly detailed and propped stage set which the hero demolishes at the last possible moment by refusing to believe, any more, in the necessity of his own destruction. The evolution of betrayals, of private pleas for understanding, freedom and/or acceptance, makes this frequently an agonizing book to read, as is life itself for certain people. There is as well a desperate, farcical humor. As the author himself says of this book- "Most may not see it but I know a few readers who will jump up, ruffling their hair"... Obviously not for the market of Lolita- but critical attention should help to bring this to the attention of an intellectually fastidious audience. (Kirkus Reviews) Details ISBN0141185600 Pages 192 Publisher Penguin Books Ltd Year 2001 Translator Dmitri Nabokov ISBN-10 0141185600 ISBN-13 9780141185606 Format Paperback Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom Translated from Russian Birth 1899 Death 1977 Author Dmitri Nabokov Media Book DEWEY 891.7342 Short Title INVITATION TO A BEHEADING Language English Residence St. Petersburg, RUR Series Penguin Modern Classics Imprint Penguin Classics Publication Date 2001-04-26 UK Release Date 2001-04-26 Alternative 9780141913803 Audience General NZ Release Date 2001-06-26 AU Release Date 2001-06-26 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:1673192;

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