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Pale Fire

By Vladimir Nabokov
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
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4.17 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is an intricate novel that blends the format of a 999-line poem by a fictional poet, John Shade, with a commentary on the poem by an obsessive scholar, Charles Kinbote. The story unfolds through Kinbote's commentary, where his eccentric analysis reveals his own delusions and obsessions, creating a rich tapestry of imagination, madness, and literary cleverness. The interplay between truth and fiction creates a unique narrative experience that challenges traditional storytelling.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate intricately crafted narratives and find delight in Nabokov's signature wit and wordplay. It's an engaging blend of poetry and prose that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, offering a unique experience for those who enjoy unraveling complex literary puzzles.

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The American poet John Shade is dead; murdered. His last poem, Pale Fire, is put into a book, together with a preface, a lengthy commentary and notes by Shade's editor, Charles Kinbote. Known on campus as the 'Great Beaver', Kinbote is haughty, inquisitive, intolerant, but is he also mad, bad - and even dangerous?

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Pale Fire is a novel constructed around the last great poem of a fictional American poet, John Shade, and an account of his death. The poem appears in full, and the narrative develops through the lengthy, and increasingly eccentric, notes by his posthumous editor.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is lauded for its unique structure, blending poetry and prose into a compelling narrative. Critics praise its beauty, originality, and moral depth, considering it a significant artistic achievement of the 20th century, despite its intentionally peculiar presentation.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141185262

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 August 2000

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 189g

Pages: 256

Collections

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About the Author

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) was born in St Petersburg. He wrote his first literary works in Russian, but rose to international prominence as a masterly prose stylist for the novels he composed in English, most famously, Lolita. Between 1923 and 1940 he published novels, short stories, plays, poems and translations in the Russian language and established himself as one of the most outstanding Russian emigre writers.

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