Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle (Penguin Modern Classics)

For the next eighteen years he lived in Berlin and Paris, writing prolifically in Russian under the pseudonym Sirin and supporting himself through translations, lessons in English and tennis, and by composing the first crossword puzzles in Russian. In he married Vera Slonim, with whom he had one child, a son, Dmitri. Having already fled Russia and Germany, Nabokov became a refugee once more in , when he was forced to leave France for the United States.

There he taught at Wellesley, Harvard, and Cornell. He also gave up writing in Russian and began composing ficticvbn ral books of criticism.

Vladimir Nabokov died in Montreux, Switzerland, in Books of Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov. Add to cart Add to Wishlist.

Overview Details Reviews 0. Tess Gerritsen GHS The Magic Cottage by: It tells a love story troubled by incest. Ada, or Ardor is no less than the supreme work of an imagination at white heat.

See all Product description. Kindle Edition File Size: Penguin; New Ed edition 6 September Sold by: Customers who bought this item also bought. The Little Drummer Girl: TV tie-in Picador Classic Book Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a product review. Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon. I need to clear up something in regards to Nabokov and then present a different kind of Nabokov review that will be from an unfiltered point of view. What i mean by unfiltered is leaving out any remarks as seen through the Lolita filter as if Lolita is his ultimate work everything else less than.

I will compare the two in relation to how a controversial theme is used to fool you into a deep examination of different human conditions. It seems like the common trend with amazon reviewers in relation to Nabokov's books is to immediately compare it to Lolita. This is like beginning an essay with a negation of the main thesis. I will not compare this to Lolita but will include Lolita as a reaction to why Nabokov used another provocative theme. The big misunderstanding of Lolita and the main important context of Ada is these books are not about the controversial themes but maneuver within the provocative context as a literary technique.

9780141181875 - Ada or Ardor (Penguin Modern Classics) by Vladimir Nabokov

Here we are treated to philosophical technique that begs the attention of the reader and separate themselves into 2 categories: You are falling for Nabokov's dark humor if you believe Ada is about incest just like you are being duped if you believe Lolita is about a pedophile. Being that Lolita became a cultural phenomenon for all of the wrong reasons Ada does have a main theme that is constantly commenting on what a work of art can do if placed in a category that showcases it in the wrong light. In ada the characters are living in a world called Terra where many things are similar to our world but drastically different.

This concept is eerily similar to modern physics theories such as Brane theory. There is an anti Terra realm that is identical to this concept leaving a comical interpretation open to suggesting that anti Terra may be out world or possible a Brane slice. The hidden joke here is it is never totally implied that incest is wrong. Being that the main characters are from a privileged background you get to see the intricately complex and comedic ways in which anti Terra compares to ours.

ADA or Ardor: A Family Chronicle (Penguin Modern Classics) - Vidya Bookstore

Here Nabokov creates a huge canvass to mix fantasy with reality as well as take the reader on a crash course in academic literature as well as philosophy of time wile constantly joking about the differences in the two realities. The theme of incest feels almost like an invisible fence that locks out readers who will not understand. He makes the first 40 pages extremely challenging in a way that feels again like a security devise that real Nabokov fans should recognize.

With Ada he literally installs a double secure security device to keep the wrong people out and apparently it worked because you do not here about this masterwork alongside say Lolita or Pale Fire.

ADA or Ardor: A Family Chronicle (Penguin Modern Classics)

Ada is not about sex or incest its's, i feel a bittersweet and compassionate experiment about memory being one of the best tools to mental paradise humans have. The story is about the passing of time and the importance of family and loved ones. It is also a seriously affectionate and compassionate love story. The story of Van and Ada is one of the great romances in literature because it has a bittersweet honesty that can be very useful to people as a very effective work of art.

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More than anything this is a beautiful observation of time and the attempt to capture the beauty of youth as well as create a therapeutic way to get through life by using constant mnemonic ques or written forms to always remind yourself of better times. There is something very serious going on here among the humor. I feel the Terra concept is the ultimate way of deconstructing learned mores and linguistics as well as our common socioeconomic climates to ask very important questions--What is a taboo and why is a taboo a taboo?

And ultimately what is a book and the purpose of serious literature.

• Living Deep: Beyond Superficial Faith.
• Ada, or Ardor by Nabokov, Vladimir;
• The Holly Wreath Man.
• La Route de laéroport (Libres) (French Edition).
• Suite Temptation (Mills & Boon Kimani) (Kimani Romance).

I think Nabokov was bothered by the reaction to Lolita and Ada is like him attempting to probe into similar ground without accidentally catering to a predominantly commercial mindset due to subject matter outshining the inner artistic point. Ada is an important and therapeutic experience that will help you through life if you let it.

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The first thing you hear or read about in relation to this book is incest. The main character has a very beautiful love affair with his sister that spans a lifetime and remember being that Terra differs from our world in extreme ways the morals and socioeconomic climate is not defined well enough to let the reader know the extent of incest as a taboo. Vans story is a wake up call in one sense for people to not let go of their true love-life is short.