I first read Pale Fire 30 or so years ago - I forgot the details but the recollection of an intriguing but odd story lingered. When I reread it about a year ago it all came back.
The story is buried in the critical apparatus surrounding the poem, introduction, commentary, footnotes etc. You have to piece it together yourself ( not the dry exercise it might sound ) to uncover a tale of exile, academic rivalry, jealousy, paranoia and maybe murder. As the story progresses, though not in a straight line, it becomes clear the critic is unhinged. It also becomes clear that Nabokov is having great fun at the expense of American academic life and his fellow Russian emigres. Don't worry about… Read more
