nabokov, "bend sinister." amazing, his ability to refigure sensation. with one exception ("invitation to a beheading"), i have been nothing less than dazzled by every word writ by the guy. one of - if not THE - best?
Quote from: Scot on June 18, 2009, 09:57:35 PMnabokov, "bend sinister." amazing, his ability to refigure sensation. with one exception ("invitation to a beheading"), i have been nothing less than dazzled by every word writ by the guy. one of - if not THE - best? Agreed Pale Fire might be the single greatest work of literature in English.
Quote from: Pastor Josh on June 19, 2009, 10:01:49 AMQuote from: Scot on June 18, 2009, 09:57:35 PMnabokov, "bend sinister." amazing, his ability to refigure sensation. with one exception ("invitation to a beheading"), i have been nothing less than dazzled by every word writ by the guy. one of - if not THE - best? Agreed Pale Fire might be the single greatest work of literature in English.Thirded. I've read Pale Fire, Lolita, Pnin, Despair and Speak, Memory, and all are among my favorite books.
Quote from: crumbum on June 19, 2009, 02:33:09 PMQuote from: Pastor Josh on June 19, 2009, 10:01:49 AMQuote from: Scot on June 18, 2009, 09:57:35 PMnabokov, "bend sinister." amazing, his ability to refigure sensation. with one exception ("invitation to a beheading"), i have been nothing less than dazzled by every word writ by the guy. one of - if not THE - best? Agreed Pale Fire might be the single greatest work of literature in English.Thirded. I've read Pale Fire, Lolita, Pnin, Despair and Speak, Memory, and all are among my favorite books.i'm about halfway through all of it. i've been reading his novels in the order they were published. it's interesting to watch the same images/fixations pop up again and again; the puzzles get more fun with each new book. people who write VN off as a manipulative grump unburdened by human emotions (i've heard this complaint, or ones like it, several times) must not be reading the same books as me.
The Annotated Lolita is amazing. The games that man played with language and meaning are astounding. I certainly needed a guide to find them, let alone understand them.
Just finished up Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Uniform. His ability to blend genre and literature so effortlessly never fails to impress me. I loved the little glimpses into the alternate history of the book, too (for example, the main character's favorite movie is Orson Welles's version of Heart of Darkness). I will say that it kind of stalled out right before the big reveal of the mystery that started the book but it coasted into a satisfying ending.
Speaking of alternate-universe Jews, I polished off Philip Roth's The Plot Against America in two days. What an awesome read. Now I am on to Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which is OK but not great.