Reviews

Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically." -- John Updike
"Masterly ... brilliant." -- V. S. Pritchett, The New York Review of Books
"A gem to be appreciated by any admirer of the most graceful and provocative literary craftsman." -- Chicago Tribune
"One of the best books of the year ... [The Enchanter] displays the supple clarity of a master." -- Boston Globe
"Enchanting ... sleekly wrought." -- Newsweek

The Enchanter is a real findthe ``pre- Lolita novella'' Nabokov wrote in Paris in 1939 and subsequently lost. Rediscovered two decades later, it has only now been translated by the author's son. Just as in the later masterpiece, a pedophile marries a widow to be near her daughter; when the mother dies, the way is clear. Yet The Enchanter stands on its own as a bright, brief (some would say heartless) excursion into the mind of a madman, a marvel of potent imagery and taut storytelling. More's the pity then that Dmitri Nabokov has used the occasion to write an off-putting afterword aimed as much at settling literary scores as elucidating the text. Otherwise, highly recommended. Grove Koger, Boise P.L., Id.