Synopses & Reviews
At last: Vladimir Nabokov's final and unfinished novel, in print — thirty years after his death, years in which the fate of
The Original of Laura was in constant and closely watched question.
When Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions for his heirs to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that made up the rough draft of The Original of Laura. But Nabokov's wife, Vera, couldn't 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-four — the Russian novelist's only surviving heir, and translator of many of his books — has struggled for 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 will be passionately welcomed by both scholars and general readers. And the ingenious format of the book (which includes removable facsimiles of the index cards) will make an even more extraordinary occasion of this publishing event.
In its fragmented narrative — dark yet playful, preoccupied with mortality — we are given one last experience of a writer's unparalleled creativity, a glimpse of his last days, and a body of work finding its apotheosis.
Review
"The inklings of Saramago’s style swell throughout...Skylight shines in little moments that underscore the awful inanity of a common existence, the compromises we make to live together...[and] offers a rarer glimpse into the mind of a then-young writer, and even into the past itself." --
New York Times Book Review "The gifted young Saramago makes these characters click together in a way that's extremely sympathetic...It's unfortunate that early in his career the writer couldn't enjoy the praise this book now calls forth. This book, once lost, now found." --Alan Cheuse, NPR's All Things Considered
“An astute, sensitive character study of the family…The prose is beautifully crafted; sentences beg to be savored and reread. In ‘Skylight’ readers will see the beginnings of Saramago’s experimental, avant-gardist style…Whether you read this novel as an exercise in literary archaeology of one of European literature's best contemporary writers, or as an introduction to the author, you will be gifted with a masterfully wrought contemplation — a skylight's ray of light — on some of the most pressing issues of life.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Skylight is a masterwork of characterization, place and point of view…It was only a matter of time before a work of such extraordinary honesty and perception would make its way into the world." –San Francisco Chronicle
"Skylight bears witness to a craftsman learning his trade, and the text gets better the further the reader advances through it...Having Skylight more than 60 years later is a gift, though, as it shows the master of his craft at a time he was just starting to realize his power as a writer." --Chicago Tribune
“Skylight is a fascinating and startlingly mature work, one that would merit publication even if its author had never written another book. The many hints of the styles and themes of his later novels add interest, but the book is a gem in its own right…Saramago’s talent for charting the darker territories of human nature is unsettling and profound. Dedicated Saramago readers will see many seeds of his later novels here.” –The Boston Globe “A sketchbook for the superb work that Saramago would ultimately produce. But there is no shortage of wonders to be found in it. This master of human observation…clearly had a few literary faculties in place even as he was ratcheting bolts on cars.” –Washington Post "Skylight, with its humanity boldly on display, deserves to reside amongst the late author's sincerest efforts. Saramago's gifts were myriad, and even in this, his second novel, it's easy to see why he would go on to become one of the world's most beloved and respected storytellers." --The Oregonian
"It is a work about the strictures of poverty and domesticity but also about momentary glimpses of beauty and fulfillment, and as such, it is immediately recognizable as Saramago, even though his political emphases, and his syntax, would evolve over the years. It will be bittersweet delight for Saramago fans, as this selection may well be his final published work." --Booklist, starred review
"Saramago’s novel is a delightful creation of characters with universal appeal. Readers will want to explore his other works after reading this gem." –-Library Journal, starred review "The novel spins a series of frank, honest stories that strike deep. This translation offers fans the opportunity to read the pages that helped shape a master." –-Publishers Weekly
"Rarely has a novel with a publication delayed as long as this one's proven such a pleasure...an early sign of considerable promise and spirited storytelling." --Kirkus
"[Skylight] has become the Nobel laureate's posthumous gift, and it's a literary explosion of youthful talent...The opening chapter alone is a bravura performance...Skylight is an exuberant classic farce with a philosophical spin...It crackles with subtext, subtle set-ups and unexpected payoffs, turning narrative somersaults with ease...All the elements of Saramago's thought-provoking genius are here, and several of the story threads have profoundly satisfying endings as we watch these early Saramago characters struggle to be happy." --Shelf Awareness
"A must-read for Saramago lovers, with insights into his later themes and characters. And it’s a complete delight. Reading this energetic and wry portrait of the inhabitants of one Lisbon apartment building in the mid-20th Century, with their intrigues, secrets and fantasies, is like watching a classic black-and-white movie."--BBC Culture
"Skylight is an artful depiction of the every day, and the unknown interiors of the people with whom we live...It’s fascinating to see the germ of his theories about love and how people should, above all, be decent to one another here in their earliest forms...Saramago fans can discover Skylight like an entryway to the past." --Bustle
"Fluid and imaginative...[Skylight] is a masterly creation: pessimistic without being bleak, lyrical without being sentimental...Brilliantly structured, the novel contains moments of extraordinary poignancy...[Saramago] shows humanity at its most anxious, its most vulnerable and most true." —The Independent (UK)
"Not only does [Skylight] illuminate the slow development of a radically original artist, but it is an interesting novel in its own right...The explicit sexuality of the book (which may have kept it from being considered for publication in Salazar's Portugal in 1953) is remarkable now only because it is so compassionate...Moving from character to character, the loosely plotted story includes a good deal of mean-spirited evildoing, quite in the tradition of Balzac and the naturalists. It also includes dry humour, and at least one tranquil domestic scene revealed suddenly as almost visionary." —The Guardian (UK)
"Compelling...[Skylight] is shot through with more than enough flashes of brilliance to justify it seeing the light of day." —The National (UAE)
Review
"The manuscript gets stranger and more fitfully elliptical in the second half....[I]t isn't a stretch to imagine a wretched Nabokov in his Lausanne hospital bed, wishing to "efface/expunge/erase/delete/rub out/wipe out/obliterate" his offending body parts. These are the words listed on the last card of this tantalizing, fascinating, occasionally perplexing manuscript. Pity he didn't get to finish it. Fortunate we get to see it at all." Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor (read the entire )
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
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 Nabokovs wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husbands last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov, now seventy-fivethe Russian novelists only surviving heir, and translator of many of his bookshas wrestled for three decades with the decision of whether to honor his fathers 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 Nabokovs magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.
Synopsis
Published for the very first time, an early novel by Nobel Laureate and literary master José Saramago that tells the intertwined stories of the residents of a faded Lisbon apartment building in the late 1940s.
Synopsis
A previously unpublished novel by a literary master, Skylight tells the intertwined stories of the residents of a faded apartment building in 1940s Lisbon. Silvestre and Mariana, a happily married elderly couple, take in a young nomad, Abel, and soon discover their many differences. Adriana loves Beethoven more than any man, but her budding sexuality brings new feelings to the surface. Carmen left Galicia to marry humble Emilio, but hates Lisbon and longs for her first love, Manolo. Lidia used to work the streets, but now shes kept by Paulo, a wealthy man with a wandering eye.
These are just some of the characters in this early work, completed by Saramago in 1953 but never published until now. With his characteristic compassion, depth, and wit, Saramago shows us the quiet contentment of a happy family and the infectious poison of an unhappy one. We see his characters most intimate moments as well as the casual encounters particular to neighbors living in close proximity. Skylight is a portrait of ordinary people, painted by a master of the quotidian, a great observer of the immense beauty and profound hardships of the modern world.
Description
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.
About the Author
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was born on April 23, 1899, in St. Petersburg, Russia. As a young man, he studied Slavic and romance languages at Trinity College, Cambridge, taking his honors degree in 1922. For the next eighteen years he lived in Berlin and Paris, writing prolifically in Russian under the pseudonym Sirin and supporting himself through translations, lessons in English and tennis, and by composing the first crossword puzzles in Russian. In 1925 he married Vera Slonim, with whom he had one child, a son, Dmitri.