#3676
Mentioned in 5 episodes
Pale Fire
Book • 1962
Pale Fire is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1962.
It consists of a long poem titled 'Pale Fire' by the fictional poet John Shade, along with a foreword, lengthy commentary, and index written by Shade's neighbor and academic colleague, Charles Kinbote.
The poem is a masterpiece in heroic couplets, while Kinbote's commentary reveals his own delusional narrative, believing himself to be the exiled king of Zembla.
The novel is a brilliant parody of literary scholarship, an experimental synthesis of Nabokov’s talents for both poetry and prose, and is often cited as an example of metafiction and hypertext fiction.
It includes profound meditations on death, the afterlife, and the anguish of Kinbote’s madness, as well as the tragic story of Shade’s daughter.
It consists of a long poem titled 'Pale Fire' by the fictional poet John Shade, along with a foreword, lengthy commentary, and index written by Shade's neighbor and academic colleague, Charles Kinbote.
The poem is a masterpiece in heroic couplets, while Kinbote's commentary reveals his own delusional narrative, believing himself to be the exiled king of Zembla.
The novel is a brilliant parody of literary scholarship, an experimental synthesis of Nabokov’s talents for both poetry and prose, and is often cited as an example of metafiction and hypertext fiction.
It includes profound meditations on death, the afterlife, and the anguish of Kinbote’s madness, as well as the tragic story of Shade’s daughter.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 5 episodes
Mentioned by 
Karl Deisseroth as an example of an author who wrote beautifully in both English and Russian.
Karl Deisseroth as an example of an author who wrote beautifully in both English and Russian.
492 snips
#274 – Karl Deisseroth: Depression, Schizophrenia, and Psychiatry
Mentioned by Rebecca Kuang as a book she loves and plans to read with the index cards.
32 snips
Rebecca F. Kuang on National Literatures, Book Publishing, and History in Fiction
Recommended by Katherine DeClear as a puzzle-like novel with a slow reveal.
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Compared to "Pale Fire" in feeling, particularly the feeling of being led astray and never truly knowing the truth of the matter.
Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer (Book Review)
