Pnin
“Pnin” by Vladimir Nabokov is a notable work published by Penguin Books in 1997, featuring 170 pages in English. This novel centers on Professor Timofey Pnin, a Russian émigré navigating life on an American college campus during the 1950s. Pnin’s journey is marked by a series of comic and poignant misunderstandings as he grapples with his precarious employment and the complexities of his new environment, all while facing the challenges posed by an unreliable narrator.
Readers will encounter a blend of humor and pathos as Pnin’s character evolves from a seemingly ridiculous figure to one that elicits empathy. The narrative explores themes of identity and belonging, showcasing Pnin’s struggles with language and social interactions. Through his misadventures, including a mishap on his way to a lecture and the realization of his job insecurity, Nabokov crafts a story that resonates with the reader’s protective instincts. This edition of “Pnin” offers a rich exploration of literary fiction, reflecting the author’s unique style and insight into the human experience.
Official synopsis Publisher
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
One of the best-loved of Nabokov’s novels, “Pnin” features his funniest and most heart-rending character. Professor Timofey Pnin is a haplessly disoriented Russian emigre precariously employed on an American college campus in the 1950s. Pnin struggles to maintain his dignity through a series of comic and sad misunder-standings, all the while falling victim both to subtle academic conspiracies and to the manipulations of a deliberately unreliable narrator.
Initially an almost grotesquely comic figure, Pnin gradually grows in stature by contrast with those who laugh at him. Whether taking the wrong train to deliver a lecture in a language he has not mastered or throwing a faculty party during which he learns he is losing his job, the gently preposterous hero of this enchanting novel evokes the reader’s deepest protective instinct.
Serialized in “The New Yorker” and published in book form in 1957, “Pnin” brought Nabokov both his first National Book Award nomination and hitherto unprecedented popularity.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Pnin” about?
Who is the author of “Pnin”?
When was “Pnin” published?
What is the ISBN for “Pnin”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
