Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2009
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
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 Nabokov's wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husband's last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov, now seventy-five—the Russian novelist’s only surviving heir, and translator of many of his books—has wrestled for three decades with the decision of whether to honor his father’s 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 narrative—dark yet playful, preoccupied with mortality—affords us one last experience of Nabokov's magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.
"[A]fter reading the book, readers will wonder if the Lolita author is laughing or turning over in his grave." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Son Dmitri pondered for decades before deciding to release these cards. Should he have done so? Probably, yes: it's astonishing to get this last bit of light from Nabokov." - Library Journal
This information about The Original of Laura was first featured
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For the backstory to the publication of this book, see BookBrowse's news stories: November 19 2008 and July 8 2009.
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