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Invitation to a Beheading
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
Written in Berlin in 1934, Invitation to a Beheading contains all the surprise, excitement and magical intensity of a work created in two brief weeks of sustained inspiration. It takes us into the fantastic prison-world of Cincinnatus, a man condemned to death and spending his last days in prison not quite knowing when the end will come. Nabokov described the book as a violin in a void. The worldling will deem it a trick. Old men will hurriedly turn from it to regional romances and the lives of public figures ... The evil-minded will perceive in little Emmie a sister of little Lolita ... But I know a few readers who will jump up, ruffling their hair.
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Kaag
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov
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Pickpick

While at times Invitation to a Beheading is incredibly hilarious, first and foremost it‘s a novel that provokes thought. What is going on? What does Nabokov mean? Which of the many many interpretations does this novel represent?

It‘s reminiscent of Kafka‘s The Trial but more farcical and comedic, which is embodied in the excellent Pierre. Not an easy one to read but a good one.

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Kaag
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Bookoutlet got me again 🤷🏻‍♂️ And how dare they entice me with $5 off my next order! Oh well. Looking forward to a lot of them I think maybe Invitation to a Beheading most of all. The Le Carre is one of my favorites of all time so I had to upgrade my copy.

Billypar I loved Invitation to a Beheading - very memorable! Eileen, A Brief History..., and Operation Shylock are all outstanding as well. 4y
BarbaraBB So many good ones! Looking forward to your thoughts on the Nabokov! 4y
5 likes2 comments
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Graywacke
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Pickpick

I‘m really enjoying working through Nabokov‘s novels, even if I‘m behind my planned schedule. This goes down as the best and most beautiful so far and one of my favorite books of the year. Nabokov plays with fabric of reality while barely leaving a prison cell inside a fortress, and it works wonderfully (even before dwelling on the maybe Soviet commentary).

KathyWheeler Lolita is the only one of Nabokov‘s works that I‘ve ever read. I‘ll have to check this one out. 4y
Graywacke @KathyWheeler I haven‘t read Lolita yet. Working through his novels chronologically. It‘s supposed to be my February read, but then i just started my September one, so I‘m running a little slow. 4y
Liz_M ? Nice picture. I do believe all cats are secretly thinking "off with their heads!" 4y
Graywacke @Liz_M he totally approved of the title. 🙂 4y
47 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Drosera
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov

The most beautiful book I‘ve ever read. Subversive, poetic, and surreal, the book is a work of art. I love that in reading it you get the feeling that you are reading a nightmare. Soviet life described in a dreamlike quality emphasizes the absurd and arbitrary actions of the state in a way that exposes the true insanity of life under such a structure. #Nabokov

Graywacke wow, beautiful? I'll read this later this year and this is the first I‘ve heard about it other than the title. Encouraging! (edited) 5y
Graywacke I didn‘t realize you were new to Litsy. Warm welcome. You can follow this link for some advice on how to get going. @LitsyWelcomeWagon 5y
Drosera @Graywacke thanks, I am new and I‘m still learning how to use the site. I‘m really excited for you to read Invitation to a Beheading. I‘d describe the writing as ethereal you feel like your reading a dream. I have three copies of it lol digital, physical, and Audio. 5y
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Graywacke @Drosera wow. Ok, when I read this I might give you a nudge. (around August?) Have you read a lot of Nabokov? 5y
Drosera @Graywacke feel free to contact me whenever you‘re in a Nabokov mood lol. I‘ve read three books by him and some short stories. Invitation to a Beheading, is my favorite if you ever read, Lolita, I recommend, Reading Lolita in Tehran as well by Azar Nafisi. It‘s a basically a story about an illegal women‘s book club and the insight into Nabokov‘s, Lolita, is better than any review I‘ve ever read. (edited) 5y
Graywacke I‘ve heard about Reading Lolita in Tehran. Now I‘ll try to get to it at the right time. I give myself reading plans each year - have for several years now. This year is is Nabokov‘s Russian novels. I read his first last weekend - Mary. And I‘ll one per month. (I have a few other themes too - Dante, Shakespeare, Willa Cather, 2019 Booker long list) Unfortunately that puts Lolita in Feb 2021 ☺️🙂...but there‘s interest in a Litsy group read. (edited) 5y
Graywacke Ps - I‘m hoping you get to like Litsy. Let me know if you would like any advice. 5y
Graywacke Admiring your review. I loved this novel. 4y
Drosera Hey, sorry I vanished from this app for a bit. Thanks for the admiration of my review lol the way the book is written is wonderful. 4y
3 likes9 comments
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Bertha_Mason
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov
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Envy so hard 😮😫

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Bertha_Mason
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov

"Cincinnatus, after passing many other doors, stumbled, hopped, and found himself in a small coutryard filled with various parts of the dismantled moon."

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Bertha_Mason
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov
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This is on the second page.

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Bertha_Mason
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov

"it was a hot day, a day that was blue all through"

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Bertha_Mason
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov

I can't decide whether to read Invitation to a Beheading.

Naj It sounds good, is also short. Go for it! 6y
Bertha_Mason Thanks for tipping the scale! On the list now. 6y
3 likes2 comments
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juliegumdrop
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Choose my August TBR from this list of books I‘ve been meaning to read for ages and never seem to get to. What a great idea from @TheReadingMermaid I created a form to fill out: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclsFXL6bm_OlFpzfwMmJpVq-x2EiK9iAu7r72t... or you can leave your choice in the comments. I will read the book with the most votes. So fun! #makemereadit

40 likes20 comments
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OrangeMooseReads
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Find me on Goodreads I am also Orangemoosereads over there

Jess7 Added! If anyone wants to follow me on Goodreads - my screen name there is BookLover7733 (edited) 7y
Teafiend Cool. I added you both!!! 7y
KCorter I just added you! I'm KCorter over there too. 😊 7y
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susanw Added! I'm susanw there too! 7y
[DELETED] 3803335244 I will have to add you! Do you know a way to add someone on the Goodreads app? Otherwise when I get to the computer I will 🌞 7y
OrangeMooseReads @ForeverNerdy I believe you can just go to the person's profile and click/tap +friend 7y
OrangeMooseReads Thank you all for the adds, I've added you all as well. 😊👓📚 7y
[DELETED] 3803335244 Oh that was easy! Now I feel 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ haha! 7y
OrangeMooseReads @ForeverNerdy it happens to us all. 😊 7y
42 likes9 comments
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SaraBeagle
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Dmitri Nabokov

"Anguish! The books heaped on the table have all been read."

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Moray_Reads
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Pickpick

This is only the second Nabokov I've read (the other being Pnin). Though he had not read Kafka when Invitation was written and refuses to admit to similarities anyone who has read The Trial or the Castle will see the likeness. The fierce strain of satire is common to both, the claustrophobic immanence of fate and the wicked farce of the police state. Nabokov's language is typically dense, playful, elaborate and his characters ridiculous 👇

Moray_Reads I feel Kafka edges it with the claustrophobic immanence of Josef K's suspected but uncertain fate. However, Nabokov's exploration of the duality of the conformist/non-conformist selves is a fascinating addition to the literature of imprisonment. 8y
saresmoore "...a fascinating addition to the literature of imprisonment." This is an incredibly astute review, but that last line made me giggle. Only on Litsy have I found other people as nerdy as I am! ? 8y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore I realised as I was writing that it was starting to sound like an undergraduate essay but it was too late to turn back! The more I wrote, the worse it got! 😂 8y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads Hahahaha! Well, I appreciated it. I think sometimes I miss undergrad lit discussions. 8y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore I never had any! I studied history 😂 8y
37 likes4 stack adds5 comments
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Moray_Reads
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Moray_Reads
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Moray_Reads
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Hunting for #candycolouredcovered made me realise how dreary the colour scheme of my #libraryhaul is! 😂

Kalalalatja 😂😂😂 8y
45 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Simone_Gibson
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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Pickpick

The flimsiness of the environment and people surrounding the protagonist, Cincinattus C., flicker around him as he awaits his death. He experiences, hope, fear, and bitter disappointment from the fickle world that condemns him. In an effort to ground himself in reality he reads/ writes without relief. The title explains the tone of this story by the incongruity of something as polite as an invitation to something as gruesome as a beheading.

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Adventures_of_a_French_Reader
Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov
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#bookmail... Can't wait to read this one, it is scheduled for 2017! #tbr