As a child in Russia, Vladimir Nabokov enjoyed conjuring: "I loved doing
simple tricks--turning water into wine, that kind of thing." In this
engrossing book Michael Wood explores the blend of arrogance and
mischief that makes Nabokov such a fascinating and elusive master of
fiction. Wood argues that Nabokov is neither the aesthete he liked to
pretend to be nor the heavy-handed moralist recent critics make him.
Major works like Pnin, Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada appear in a new
light, but there are also chapters on earlier works, like the Real Life
of Sebastian Knight; on selected short stories; and on the translation
of Eugene Onegin, as well as detailed discussions of Nabokov's ideas
of literature, memory, pity, and pain.
The book comes fully to terms with Nabokov's blend of playfulness and
seriousness, delving into the real delight of reading him and the odd
disquiet that lurks beneath that pleasure. Wood's speculations spin
outward to illuminate the ambiguities and aspirations of the modern
novel, and to raise the question of how we uncover "the author" in a
work, without falling into the obvious biographical traps. The
Magician's Doubts slices through the dustier conventions of criticism
and never loses sight of the emotional and sensual pleasure of reading.