Mary

Author: (American) Vladimir Nabokov (Nabokov, V.) wrote, translated by Wang Jiaxiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: A is my novel. I began writing this book in Berlin, shortly after my marriage in the spring of 1925, and completed it by the beginning of the following year. It is well-known that beginners in creative writing have a strong tendency to incorporate their own experiences into their work. They place themselves or a substitute into their A novel, not so much because of the attraction of ready-made material, but rather to free themselves from the self so they can engage in more beautiful things afterward. This is one of the few general rules I accept. Due to Russia's extraordinary distance and the fact that homesickness is always a passionate companion in life, I have grown accustomed to enduring this companion's heart-wrenching quirks in public. I admit to having a strong emotional attachment to this first novel and am not the least bit embarrassed by it. The story depicts the consequences of exile in Berlin. The officer Ganin discovers from a neighbor's photograph that the woman waiting for him is Mashinka, his first love from his school days. In the following days, Ganin constantly recalls his past and the beautiful times spent with her, so he sets his neighbor's alarm clock back, replaces him to pick up Mashinka, and hopes to rekindle old flames with her. However, while waiting for the train, Ganin realizes that the Mashinka of today is already someone else's wife. No matter how much the past is cherished, it is ultimately gone forever. Finally, Ganin boards another train, leaves Berlin, and begins a new life in France.