Pale Fire

by Vladimir Nabokov

This is an amazing novel on many different levels. It is creative, funny, creepy, and sincere (just kidding). Trying to explain this book will be a challenge because of its complexity, but here it goes.

Nabokov’s novel, as I see it, focuses on three different areas, the life of the Poet John Shade through his poem “Pale Fire”, the live of his neighbor Charles Kinbote seen through Kinbote’s forward to “Pale Fire” and various comments in him Commentary, and the crazy world of Zembla which Kinbote has created in his head.

Charles Kinbote begins the novel by writing a hilarious forward to the poem “Pale Fire”. Immediately the reader is caught up in the outrageousness of Kinbote and his bizarre relationship with John Shade. Along with the humor, which had me laughing out loud, we are introduced to the eventual death of the poet by an unnamed murderer.

“Pale Fire” is Shade’s poem describing his life. I have never learned how to read poetry and when I first read the poem, it was difficult. I would suggest after reading “Pale Fire”, to listen to the Audio version. This helped me greatly understand Shade’s life and appreciate the beautiful of Nabokov's poetry.

The final part of the novel is Kinbote’s commentary to John Shade’s poem. Again, humor is everywhere. Kinbote sites lines from the poems followed by long descriptions of thing that have nothing to do with the lines quoted. From the commentary, the world of Zembla is described along with its ruler Charles.

Nabokov genius is how humor morphs into the disturbed. By the end of the novel is not clear who Charles Kinbote really is, the eccentric neighbor, the beloved ruler of Zembla, or a crazy killer.

This was an excellent read.