David Given Schwarm

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov My rating: 5 of 5 stars Holy Cow! This is an absolutely amazing book–an academic doing a close read of a poem is the premise, but what unfolds is the universe in a bottle. Nabokov is simply showing off and it is a joy to watch the fireworks–so much literary firepower and playfulness and understanding of human experience and love and tragedy and hubris and just awesomeness. Seriously, yet another must-read from arguable America’s best Russian German writer–or something. View all my reviews