Nabokov's second novel,

was published in 1928 by the Berlin émigré publishing house, Slovo. Nearly forty years later, Nabokov turned to the task of producing an English translation –

– which was published in 1968. In 1972, a film version by Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, starring Gina Lollobrigida and David Niven, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Korol', Dama, Valet marked a distinct departure from the “destitution”, “nostalgia” and “human humidity” of Nabokov's first novel, Mashen'ka [Mary], initiating a process of “gradual inner disentanglement” which was to culminate ten years later in his last Russian novel, Dar [The Gift]. Set once again in contemporary Berlin, Korol', Dama, Valet

1815 words

Citation: Wyllie, Barbara. "Korol', dama, valet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 December 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4204, accessed 21 November 2024.]