King, Queen, Knave

by Vladimir Nabokov Narrated by Christopher Lane

Overview

This novel is the story of Dreyer, a wealthy and boisterous proprietor of a men's clothing emporium. Ruddy, self-satisfied, and thoroughly masculine, he is perfectly repugnant to his exquisite but cold middle-class wife, Martha. Attracted to his money but repelled by his oblivious passion, she longs for their nephew instead, the thin, awkward, myopic Franz. Newly arrived in Berlin, Franz soon repays his uncle's condescension in his aunt's bed.

One of the twentieth century's master prose stylists, Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg in 1899. He studied French and Russian literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, then lived in Berlin and Paris, where he launched a brilliant literary career. In 1940 he moved to the United States, and achieved renown as a novelist, poet, critic, and translator. He taught literature at Wellesley, Stanford, Cornell, and Harvard. In 1961 he moved
to Montreux, Switzerland, where he died
in 1977.

"Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically." - John Updike

Editorial Reviews

JANUARY 2011 - AudioFile

When the naïve, provincial Franz becomes entangled in an affair with his uncle’s wife, Martha Dreyer, he finds himself caught in a dangerous love triangle. As Martha becomes more intent on murdering her husband, she enslaves Franz in her diabolical plan. But the lovers find that the perfect plot for murder leads to numerous complexities. Christopher Lane’s narration is utterly mesmerizing. His deep voice and measured pace capture the ominous undertones that Nabokov supplies throughout the novel. Without missing a beat, Lane’s vocal characterizations are wonderfully diverse. He conveys the sensual and malicious nature of Nabokov’s vicious femme fatale as flawlessly as he stammers the thoughts of the bumbling Franz. With his fluid and compelling performance, Lane’s delivery of this tantalizing novel resonates with richness. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169527193
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	12/05/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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