My “2023 new year resolution” is to complete all major fiction works by Vladimir Nabokov. That was due long time ago but better late then never - so here we go. This will be (preferably and hopefully) done in chronological order. I have started and finished two of his earliest works so far: • 1926) Mashen'ka (Машенька); English translation: Mary (1970) • (1928) Korol', dama, valet (Король, дама, валет); English translation: King, Queen, Knave (1968) The first book is a romantic memoir of russian emigrant meeting abroad the first love of his life and reflecting on his past and present emotions. The one main thought of this book that VN underlines in the very end imho: You can not go back in time to your old self. Moments of our past are not good material for building our present. Those moments, people, emotions that we had are gone forever and “sicklied over, with a pale cast of” Time. Here is the link to the audiobook with a very impressive female narration: https://youtu.be/F3POXvVFUCU The second book is a flamboyant detective melodrama” with the love-triangle and a touch of sci-fi. The first of VN works that is set in Germany but originally still written in Russian language. This one deals with ideas of irony, of fate, justice and love. I found it to be slightly too long for the premise imho and, as a consequence not as solid. Still would recommend though - it is a good example of the VN writing style slowly blooming in to the “perfect flower of thought” we could observe in his later works. Here is the link to the well-narrated audiobook i was using: https://youtu.be/oc1udRtXYV4 The main idea here imho is - if you want to make the god laugh- tell him about your plans. Both links are in Russian. #vancouverpuppet #viktorbarkar #nabokov #readthebook (at Vancouver Puppet Theatre) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn8eXpJOEFd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
