Vladimir Nabokov, King, Queen, Knave

Barbara Wyllie (University College London)

Ed. by Neil Cornwell, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 2.2.2.00: Post-1917 Writing and Culture in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, 1917-present.
Vol. editors: Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol), Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Andrei Rogatchevski (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1968

Places

Russia (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Nabokov's second novel,

Korol', Dama, Valet

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 –

King, Queen, Knave

– 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

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1815 words

Citation: Wyllie, Barbara. "King, Queen, Knave". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 December 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4220, accessed 21 November 2024.]

Vladimir Nabokov, King, Queen, Knave

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