"One cannot read a book: one can only reread it. "-Vladimir Nabokov
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (1899 to 1971) is a wonderfully creative, very funny work of genius. The prose is dazzling in its brilliance and beauty. As I read the book I began to wonder what is Nabokov doing in this work. Sometimes it seemed like Pale Fire was an incredible work of art that speaks deeply about a large range of topics and sometimes it seemed like an elaborate semi-private joke. Of course maybe in the end it is both of these things. It is also a great commentary on the reading life and a lesson in how to read.
There are two central figures in Pale Fire, set in an imaginary small town in up state New York. One is John Shade who has written a 999 page poem called Pale Fire. The poem is part of the novel and we get to know Shade directly only through the poem. The eighteen page poem is itself a mystery. Is it supposed to be silly or we just not able to understand the great brilliance of it all? The bulk of the novel is taken up with a commentary on the poem written by Shade's very crazy neighbor, Charles Kinbote. In the mind of Kinbote, the poem Pale Fire contains great wisdom and hidden truths that it is his sacred duty to reveal to the world.
Kinbote is as crazy a character as I have encountered in a long time. He lives next door to Shade. He is an unreliable a narrator as one could find. Sometimes Kinbote seems like a crazed stalker. Much of Kinbote's commentary on the poem seems totally based on his own obsessions and multifarious delusions and has little to do with the poem. Some of the time it seems Shade and Kinbote are life time close friends and some times it seems they barely know each other. Kinbote constantly talks of the history of the "The Northern Kingdom of Zembla" and at times seems to think he is the king in exile. Kinbote wants desperately to see a hidden meaning about Zembla and its politics in the poem. . We are left wondering whether the kingdom even exists at all or if it is just a strange fantasy.
Pale Fire is, among other things, a satire on overly intellectualized literary commentary. As I was reading Pale Fire I at first tried to "understand" the book then I stepped back and simply decided to enjoy it.
Most of the works I have blogged on in the last year can be readily compared to other works. I cannot think of any easy comparisons for Pale Fire. It would well repay numerous readings. Even if it is an elaborate joke it is still a stunning work of art. When you read this book, just give yourself over to the wonder of the language and the strangeness of the narration and do not over stress on understanding it. Nabokov said that the best of literature was what he called "ecstatic fairy tales" and to me Pale Fire is in this category for sure.
A lot of people in their Goodreads.com or Amazon.com reviews of Pale Fire stress that it was a difficult to understand but quite profound work. This is no doubt true but it also accepts the joke as straight and misses the great fun of this work. I read his only really famous work, Lolita, a long time ago. I recently acquired a copy of it in a book trade and will be rereading it soon.
