The Luzhin Defense

by Vladimir Nabokov Narrated by Mel Foster

Overview

Nabokov's third novel, The Luzhin Defense, is a chilling story of obsession and madness. As a young boy, Luzhin was unattractive, distracted, withdrawn, sullen - an enigma to his parents and an object of ridicule to his classmates. He takes up chess as a refuge from the anxiety of his everyday life. His talent is prodigious and he rises to the rank of grandmaster - but at a cost: in Luzhin's obsessive mind, the game of chess gradually supplants reality. His own world falls apart during a crucial championship match, when the intricate defense he has devised withers under his opponent's unexpected and unpredictable lines of assault.

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 is] the supreme master." - The New York Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Mel Foster turns in a workmanlike performance in this uninspired audio version of Vladimir Nabokov's third novel. Luzhin is a sullen, lonely child who takes refuge in chess and eventually becomes a grandmaster until chess begins to control and alter his conception of reality. Mel Foster's narration is crisp and clear, but too stiff for Nabokov's limber, playful prose. And while Foster deftly creates voices for the various characters, listeners might wish he could have mustered a Russian accent. However Foster's performance has its highlights: his rendition of the adult Luzhin, with his high-pitched voice and abrupt, awkward manner is delightful. (Dec.)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172667732
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	12/20/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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