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The Defense
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Manufacturer: Vintage
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publisher: Vintage
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $11.20
You Save: $ 2.80 ( 20% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Vintage
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publisher: Vintage
Average Customer Rating:
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The Defense Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 891.7342
EAN: 9780679727224
ISBN: 0679727221
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 272
Publication Date: 1990-08-11
Publisher: Vintage
Product Release Date: 1990-08-11
Studio: Vintage
Dewey Decimal Number: 891.7342
EAN: 9780679727224
ISBN: 0679727221
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 272
Publication Date: 1990-08-11
Publisher: Vintage
Product Release Date: 1990-08-11
Studio: Vintage
Editorial Review of The Defense
Nabokov's third novel, The Defense, is a chilling story of obsession and madness. As a young boy, Luzhin was unattractive, distracted, withdrawn, sullen--an enigma to his parents and an object of ridicule to his classmates. He takes up chess as a refuge from the anxiety of his everyday life. His talent is prodigious and he rises to the rank of grandmaster--but at a cost: in Luzhin' s obsessive mind, the game of chess gradually supplants the world of reality. His own world falls apart during a crucial championship match, when the intricate defense he has devised withers under his opponent's unexpected and unpredictabke lines of assault.
Customer Reviews of The Defense
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A waste of time and paper
Review: This... is the worst book... on anything... I have ever read!!!
I thought this through and came to the conclusion that there is just no way I can explain everything that's wrong with this work in a couple of sentences or even paragraphs. The writing basically goes against every principle of literature I ever learned. Many parts are nonsensical, pointless and just overall displeasing. I can be more specific, but you'd really have to read it yourself to know what I'm talking about (but I don't recommend it).
What I do recommend are "The Royal Game" a.k.a. "Chess Story" by Stefan Zweig and "The Queen's Gambit" by Walter Tevis. Both are much more entertaining and easier to read (in the sense that they don't make you want to insert sharp, metal objects into your brain to end the pain).
How truly bad is this book? Let's put it this way: I'd rather be reading Goethe; I'd rather be watching "Lost in Translation"; I'd even rather be studying! Got the picture?
I'm dumping this book on my best friend, hoping against hope he doesn't hate me after he's finished with it. Thanks to this, I've decided to be officially done wasting time with fiction. If I didn't have so much respect for books in general, I'd burn it!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do?
Review: A lesser-known work of Vladimir Nabokov, this novel deals with the spiraling descent into madness, and ultimately self-destruction, of a gifted chess player. Originally written in Russian (and translated into English by Nabokov himself), its original title is "Luzhin's Defense." This refers both to a hypothetical chess opening invented by the protagonist, as well as to his "defense" against an irrational world. Throughout, the protagonist is given but the single name "Luzhin" -- which translates roughly to "mud puddle" --or more colloquially, to "drip." (Nabokov was fond of giving his characters Bunyanesque names.)
As a child Luzhin is neglected by his parents. Taught the rules of chess by an "auntie" -- the game becomes his all-consuming passion. The first part of the novel presents Luzhin as a charming, if somewhat "nerdy," young man. The latter part of the book describes his bid for the world championship, and his catastrophic disintegration.
G. K. Chesterton speculated that:
"Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, in any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination. Artistic paternity is as wholesome as physical paternity."
Was this Nabokov's message as well? Were the seeds of Luzhin's destruction sown by parental neglect, or were they caused by the "Chesterton factor" ? Was there a genetic predisposition, or was it the pressures of the match? Perhaps Nabokov intended all be true; but read the novel and formulate your own opinion.
It is almost certain that Nabokov patterned after a specific chess player. (It is conjectured that this was Akiba Rubinstein.)
With the recent untimely death of former world champion Bobby Fisher, the demands of professional chess take on additional relevance.
Incidentally, the novel has been turned into a movie.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: chess, madman and his fair maiden
Review: An earlier work, this novel is a well-thought-out story of a troubled genius. The setting and characters are recognizable as being from Nabokov's world. The old world European lifestyle, somewhat smelly and pompous, isn't my cup of tea, but the flow of language and the unfolding of the plotline are very good. Chess is a main focus, but the development of the main characters' lives and downfalls are the thought-provoking centerpieces. The last scene demanded to be read several times. It was a bit shocking. The prefaces to many of Nabokov's works give valuable insight into his goals and motivations. He was kind to share them. While certainly not even close to later pieces such as Pale Fire, this is a decent novel. There is a movie based on the book, though it tends to focus more on the relationship/lovey-dovey stuff than on the struggle/battle that is the real issue. It is worth reading, if only once.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An Outstanding Literary Work!
Review: 'The Defense' is a well-written and engrossing read, wherein Vladimir Nabokov uses foreshadowing masterfully. It is a first-rate book!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: you can't go wrong with Nabokov and Chess
Review: This early Nabokov novel is not of the mindbending genius of later works like Pale Fire and Lolita, but it is still better than even the best work by many other writers.
Nabokov is a brilliant stylist and imagines the world of his protagonist brillantly. The phrasing is sparse and compelling, but as the main character's mind starts to disintegrate, so does the book. The last third is a bit of a disppotment. A disappointment only because its a nabokov novel, and I've come to expect such great things for him. Its worth the time, especially if you have an interest in chess, but I'd read his later works first.
Review Summary: A waste of time and paper
Review: This... is the worst book... on anything... I have ever read!!!
I thought this through and came to the conclusion that there is just no way I can explain everything that's wrong with this work in a couple of sentences or even paragraphs. The writing basically goes against every principle of literature I ever learned. Many parts are nonsensical, pointless and just overall displeasing. I can be more specific, but you'd really have to read it yourself to know what I'm talking about (but I don't recommend it).
What I do recommend are "The Royal Game" a.k.a. "Chess Story" by Stefan Zweig and "The Queen's Gambit" by Walter Tevis. Both are much more entertaining and easier to read (in the sense that they don't make you want to insert sharp, metal objects into your brain to end the pain).
How truly bad is this book? Let's put it this way: I'd rather be reading Goethe; I'd rather be watching "Lost in Translation"; I'd even rather be studying! Got the picture?
I'm dumping this book on my best friend, hoping against hope he doesn't hate me after he's finished with it. Thanks to this, I've decided to be officially done wasting time with fiction. If I didn't have so much respect for books in general, I'd burn it!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do?
Review: A lesser-known work of Vladimir Nabokov, this novel deals with the spiraling descent into madness, and ultimately self-destruction, of a gifted chess player. Originally written in Russian (and translated into English by Nabokov himself), its original title is "Luzhin's Defense." This refers both to a hypothetical chess opening invented by the protagonist, as well as to his "defense" against an irrational world. Throughout, the protagonist is given but the single name "Luzhin" -- which translates roughly to "mud puddle" --or more colloquially, to "drip." (Nabokov was fond of giving his characters Bunyanesque names.)
As a child Luzhin is neglected by his parents. Taught the rules of chess by an "auntie" -- the game becomes his all-consuming passion. The first part of the novel presents Luzhin as a charming, if somewhat "nerdy," young man. The latter part of the book describes his bid for the world championship, and his catastrophic disintegration.
G. K. Chesterton speculated that:
"Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, in any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination. Artistic paternity is as wholesome as physical paternity."
Was this Nabokov's message as well? Were the seeds of Luzhin's destruction sown by parental neglect, or were they caused by the "Chesterton factor" ? Was there a genetic predisposition, or was it the pressures of the match? Perhaps Nabokov intended all be true; but read the novel and formulate your own opinion.
It is almost certain that Nabokov patterned after a specific chess player. (It is conjectured that this was Akiba Rubinstein.)
With the recent untimely death of former world champion Bobby Fisher, the demands of professional chess take on additional relevance.
Incidentally, the novel has been turned into a movie.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: chess, madman and his fair maiden
Review: An earlier work, this novel is a well-thought-out story of a troubled genius. The setting and characters are recognizable as being from Nabokov's world. The old world European lifestyle, somewhat smelly and pompous, isn't my cup of tea, but the flow of language and the unfolding of the plotline are very good. Chess is a main focus, but the development of the main characters' lives and downfalls are the thought-provoking centerpieces. The last scene demanded to be read several times. It was a bit shocking. The prefaces to many of Nabokov's works give valuable insight into his goals and motivations. He was kind to share them. While certainly not even close to later pieces such as Pale Fire, this is a decent novel. There is a movie based on the book, though it tends to focus more on the relationship/lovey-dovey stuff than on the struggle/battle that is the real issue. It is worth reading, if only once.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An Outstanding Literary Work!
Review: 'The Defense' is a well-written and engrossing read, wherein Vladimir Nabokov uses foreshadowing masterfully. It is a first-rate book!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: you can't go wrong with Nabokov and Chess
Review: This early Nabokov novel is not of the mindbending genius of later works like Pale Fire and Lolita, but it is still better than even the best work by many other writers.
Nabokov is a brilliant stylist and imagines the world of his protagonist brillantly. The phrasing is sparse and compelling, but as the main character's mind starts to disintegrate, so does the book. The last third is a bit of a disppotment. A disappointment only because its a nabokov novel, and I've come to expect such great things for him. Its worth the time, especially if you have an interest in chess, but I'd read his later works first.