Pnin

Synopsis

Professor Timofey Pnin is a gentle, absent-minded Russian émigré trying to build a life in 1950s America. Teaching at a small college while navigating an unfamiliar language, baffling customs, and the lingering pain of exile, Pnin stumbles through a series of comic misunderstandings that mask a deep loneliness. As he contends with professional insecurity, lost love, and the quiet cruelties of academic life, he remains steadfastly kind, dignified, and quietly resilient.

At once hilarious and profoundly moving, Pnin is one of Vladimir Nabokov's warmest and most beloved novels. Beneath its wit and playful narration lies a poignant portrait of displacement, memory, and the search for belonging. Through one of literature's most unforgettable protagonists, Nabokov creates a deeply humane story about endurance, compassion, and the quiet heroism of ordinary life.

About the Author

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and literary critic whose works include Lolita, Pale Fire, Speak, Memory, and Ada, or Ardor. Renowned for his dazzling prose, intricate structures, and linguistic brilliance, he is regarded as one of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century. Pnin remains one of his most accessible and deeply affectionate works.

Publisher
Vintage International

Publication Date
March 19, 1989

Format
Paperback

Pages
192

Subjects
Classics · Literary Fiction · Russian Literature · Humour

ISBN
9780679723417