Trying to read Vladimir Nabokov's The Gift, his final Russian novel, without a literary guide is equivalent to reading James Joyce's Ulysses without a single line of commentary, notes Leving
(Russian studies, Dalhousie U.), who has produced just such a guide in order to aid those who wish to understand Nabokov's difficult novel. He presents discussion of the writing and publishing
of the novel, Russian and European historical and cultural contexts, the plot and characters of the novel, the novel's internal chronology, various literary elements (such as setting, themes,
method, points of view, and form), general principles of commentary on the novel, the history of the novel's English translation, and the novel's critical reception. An appendix presents and
examines a lengthy letter written by Nabokov to a friend that provides insight into Nabokov's artistic method and the autobiographical elements of The Gift and additional materials are
available on a companion website. Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
