When Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions for his heirs to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that made up the rough draft of his final and unfinished novel, The Original of Laura. But Nabokov’s wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husband’s last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov, now seventy-fivethe Russian novelist’s only surviving heir, and translator of many of his bookshas wrestled for three decades with the decision of whether to honor his father’s wish or preserve for posterity the last piece of writing of one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His decision finally to allow publication of the fragmented narrativedark yet playful, preoccupied with mortalityaffords us one last experience of Nabokov’s magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.

Photos of the handwritten index cards accompany the text. They are perforated and can be removed and rearranged, as the author likely did when he was writing the novel.

From the Hardcover edition.

Book Description

When Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions for his heirs to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that made up the rough draft of his final and unfinished novel, The Original of Laura. But Nabokov’s wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husband’s last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov, now seventy-five--the Russian novelist’s only surviving heir, and translator of many of his books--has wrestled for three decades with the decision of whether to honor his father’s wish or preserve for posterity the last piece of writing of one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His decision finally to allow publication of the fragmented narrative--dark yet playful, preoccupied with mortality--affords us one last experience of Nabokov’s magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.

Photos of the handwritten index cards accompany the text. They are perforated and can be removed and rearranged, as the author likely did when he was writing the novel.

弗拉基米爾·納博科夫（1899-1977），二十世紀最偉大的作傢之一、翻譯傢、鱗翅類昆蟲學傢。他的作品包括用俄文創作的小說《防守》和《天賦》；用英文創作的小說《洛麗塔》、《普寜》、《微暗的火》、《阿達》；自傳體小說《說吧，記憶》；譯作包括《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》（英譯俄）、《尤金·奧涅金》（俄譯英）；還有《文學講稿》。

德米特裏·納博科夫（1934-），納博科夫作品的主要譯者，他共用四種語言譯介過納博科夫的作品。他是哈佛大學優等畢業生，後進入美國隆基音樂學院，曾在很多國傢的歌劇院擔任男低音領唱。