The Enchanter
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Veteran readers with a deep interest in exploring Nabokov's literary world
- Researchers or literature enthusiasts who wish to understand the evolution of Lolita's themes and style from its source
- Readers who appreciate cold, meticulously precise psychological description and novels of complex moral issues
- Readers capable of enduring and analyzing marginal narratives and taboo themes in twentieth-century modernist literature
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or conventionally plot-driven stories
- Readers uncomfortable with sensitive or taboo subject matter
Reading tips
- Reading it alongside Lolita is recommended, to appreciate how the same motif is handled and artistically elevated in different texts
- Pay attention to Nabokov's control of detail and use of imagery while reading; these are often the key to understanding character psychology and theme
- Nabokov's life and other works (such as The Defense and Despair) may be consulted appropriately for a fuller grasp of his creative trajectory
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 作者按语一
- 作者按语二
- 英译者按语
- 魔法师
- 关于一本题名《魔法师》的书
FAQ
What are the main differences between The Enchanter and Lolita?
In what aspects does the book's literary value mainly lie?
What psychological or intellectual preparation is needed before reading?
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About the author
Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian-born American novelist, poet, translator, and lepidopterist. Born in 1899 into a noble family in St. Petersburg, he went into exile in Europe in 1919, later graduated from Cambridge University, became a U.S. citizen in 1945, and taught at Cornell University; he died in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1977. His work spans novels, short stories, essays, and literary criticism, with major titles including Lolita, Pale Fire, Pnin, and Speak, Memory. His prose is intricate and ornate, marked by irony, wordplay, and unreliable narration, and has deeply influenced modern fictional technique; annotated and guided editions of Lolita and his correspondence collections attest to the continued reach of his work in the Chinese-speaking world.
Jin Shaoyu is a Chinese publishing figure engaged in the translation and compilation of foreign literature; publicly available information about him is limited. Judging from the nine works recorded in the database, his work centers on world classics and foreign literature, covering several periods and national traditions of English-language writing. Representative titles include the eight-volume set of Fitzgerald's collected works, Dickens's Little Dorrit and Christmas Stories, Austen's Northanger Abbey, and Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, along with selections such as The Beat Generation and The Magician. His overall orientation favors the systematic introduction of classic authors' works, spanning different genres and eras, and offers Chinese readers a varied range of readings in English and American literature, suitable for enthusiasts and students of foreign literature.
