The work of Vladimir Nabokov, the most famous Russian-American writer, will form the bulk of this course. We will read Lolita, discussing its intricate web of allusions, unreliable narration and punning stylistics, and compare the novel to a movie version. We will also have a look at Nabokov's short stories. Olga Grushin is an insider tip. She has not yet gained much fame, but is arguably as brilliant in terms of style and characterization as Nabokov. You may look forward to discovering a gifted young writer at the start of her carrier. Our third protagonist is Joseph Brodsky, a Nobel Prize winning bilingual poet and essayist. I will provide poems, short stories and essays; you are only required to buy two novels – and to read Lolita before our first session. Please acquire:
-Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, published by Vintage
(ISBN-10: 9582701048; ISBN-13: 978-0679723165)
-Olga Grushin's The Dream Life of Sukhanov, published by Penguin
(ISBN-10: 0141024402; ISBN-13: 978-0141024400)
You are very welcome to lead the class for a while, be it presenting one of the writer's biographies or chairing the discussion of a particular topic; please email me at your earliest convenience. |
