Vladimir Nabokov

Here is what I have read from him in order of preference:
Ada
Lolita
Invitation to a Beheading
Pnin
Transparent Things
The Enchanter

Ada and Invitation are the big standouts in my mind. Lolita is brilliant but a lot of the techniques it uses (Unreliable narrator, conflicting perspectives, temporal/sensory relationships) were implemented more robustly in Ada. Ada also gave Nabokov a greater variety of characters, settings, and subjects, which allowed the book a greater emotional range. I also think he strikes a more satisfying balance between uneventful stretches of time, and what he refers to as the novelistic elements of the story.

For those who have read his early work, which of his Russian books should I prioritize? A friend told me I would like The Eye so I was going to read that next.

>>8653942
I haven't read Pale Fire, or else I would ask why you felt underwhelmed. I will recommend that you don't give up on cornkov, and when you are ready for another of his books try Invitation to a Beheading. It is a short book and its machinations occur much closer to the surface, although there is no lack of discussable material.

Did anyone pick up the Nabokov chart that was posted a few days ago? It was pretty lame but still, something to work on

pale fire is absolutely stunning

>>8654118
Despair is another of his that implements an unreliable narrator. It's great. The Eye is a fun read too, but it can be read in one sitting, so have another book ready.

>>8654118
this anon seems to know what he's talking about

>>8654839
Despair is a solid 9/10 for me. One of my favorite books

desu pale fire and pnin are way overrated

>>8654839
>>8655008
Thanks for the tip, I did not realize that The Eye was so short and Despair was so highly regarded. I will read these two next.

>>8655014
I can't speak for Pale Fire but Pnin is boldly underrepresented on this board and in other literary circles. It's a quiet and sincere novel, which is all the more rare among a bibliography characterized by egoistic trickery. It seems to me that Nabokov uses this book to express the unglamorous parts of his early life in America. In doing this he creates a foil character (Pnin), to the equally fictional character of himself, the author. I'd recommend reading the intro to Strong Opinions to get a better idea of what I am saying, Nabokov is himself a facade, a character.

It's also one of the coziest books I've read, in a reminiscent way. Which is really the emotion he is trying to express through the novel, nostalgia.

>>8654775
this desu

>>8654118
After reading Lolita, I read a number of his other books before finally reading Ada. I wish I'd read it sooner - it was the only one that I felt equalled Lolita (and even bettered it).

Here's how I'd rank them.
Ada, or Ardor
Lolita
Laughter in the Dark
King, Queen, Knave
Pnin
The Enchanter
The Defence
Mary
Transparent Things
Collected Poems
The Original of Laura

File: liberace-3.jpg (67KB, 660x371px) Image search: [Google]

67KB, 660x371px

pic related. it's Nabokov if he were a pianist.

>>8653942
His collected stories are great as well. Specifically "Russian Spoke Here" and "Details of a Sunset"

>>8656240
Thanks for this, I'll have to get a copy of Laughter in the Dark.

>>8656787
Signs and Symbols

Felt the same way about Pale Fire op. Other anons have already listed his better works