Nabokov, Perversely

Naiman (comparative literature and Slavic languages, University of California, Berkeley) offers a view of Nabokov that incorporates the overtly sexual nature of much of his work while arguing that his "perversity" extended to a determination to give the reader the unexpected. Naiman presents Nabokov as one who wishes his readers to work, to become "good readers". Both in subject and subtext, the intention is to make the reader uncomfortable. The first section of the study looks at Nabokov's views of sex and sexual orientation. The second addresses the uses of Nabokov by contemporaries, particularly the politicization of his most famous book in Reading Lolita in Tehran. He also takes to task those who need to diminish the sexual content in Nabokov in order to appreciate his literary genius. The final section suggests that a closer reading of Nabokov is always in order. He ends with a provocation of his own; how would Dostoyevsky's The Double be read if the author were presumed to be Nabokov? From its cover art to the conclusion, Naiman's take on Nabokov is certain to provoke discussion among both scholars and devot矇es of Nabokov. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)