Customer Reviews

Enchanter (Picador Books)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That insight, about introspection itself constituting the story, is made by Dmitri Nabokov in an essay appended to The Enchanter. As many have noted in so many words, "The Enchanter" lacks Humbert Humbert's appeal. Still, Nabokov permits us to see in the enchanter, perhaps more succintly than in Lolita, the introspective anxiety of an outwardly ordinary man driven mad by his single-minded obsession with an eternally adolescent female, at least eternal younth "was the carnal postulate." He can neither ignore her as as an object of his desire, nor bring himself to rationalize adequately her hold on him. Indeed, he can empathize with her disgust as he envisions himself through her eyes, a "monstrosity, some ghastly disease." The book's opening sentence, a question, signals the ordeal that is about to unfold, "How can I come to terms with myself?" And, the answer is that he cannot; he cannot gain the distance he needs from his moral framework. He is both sinner and judge; without control,insane and yet damned as a morally responsible soul.

After nearly completing my first year in Law School, I decided that I needed a break from case reading. Thankfully, Nabokov was there to provide a welcome respite from the tedium of my case books.

The Enchanter is a short book, almost not worthy of publication independently, nevertheless it provided me with a brief repose of a perfect magnitude. In this short novella the protagonist is a proto-Humbert who is embryonic in almost every respect. We do not know his name, his history, profession, origin or the raison d'etre for his fatal obsession. For this reason the reader will find it harder to humanize the attrocious acts that he engages in. Similarly, the object of the unnamed protagonist's desire is no Lolita; rather then present us with the beguiling temptress, or the iconic nymphet of Nabokov's latter novel, we are left with a somewhat fungible, inchoate and forgettable young girl. The story follows a somewhat predictable path towards the eventual destruction (is it what he was seeking?) of the protagonist.

There are a few reasons why this novella is worth four stars. First, the brief size of the novella allows the busy or casual reader a little taste of Nabokoviana without the conmesurate investment in time by the reader. Secondly, all of our favorate Nabokov traits are present to some extent in the text. The word play, the beautiful imagery, and the defectless prose-poem quality of his writing are given expression in the pages. Finally, the climax and denoument of the novella executed prefectly. Each scene inevitably leads to the next and appears to offer only one conclusion. The end of our anti-hero is satisfiyingly conveighed.

In conclusion, the serious reader can (almost) never go wrong with Nabokov and The Enchanter does not disappoint. If you have a spare hour and desire some beautiful writing pick up this short volume.

Interesting book. Yes, this a precursor to Lolita but only in glimpses. The nameless girl did not have the edge of the later Lolita; the man did not have the dark comedic personality of Humbert Humbert. Also the writing style, for me, was somewhat indulgent, obtuse unlike the accessible prose of the novel. This story stayed with Nabokov for years, later "growing claws." The incubation period was worth it. Another observation: a sleeping young girl appears to be fodder for many, i.e. Nabokov, Garcia Marquez.

Definitivamente, si un autor decide no publicar una obra en vida, sus herederos (por más dinero que quieran o necesiten, por más avaros que puedan ser) deberían abstenerse de hacerlo. Se deben respetar las decisiones del autor, que es el único que tiene derecho a tomarlas. Esta obra (genial, como todo lo que escribió el autor) es una especie de ejercicio inicial que luego daría origen a uno de los libros más hermosos que se han escrito en la historia: "Lolita". Pero, siendo una especie de experimento, carece de la calidad de este último. En todo caso es un documento importante para estudiosos de la literatura, pero en si mismo, empobrece un poco la totalidad de la obra de Vladimir Nabokov. Cero (0) estrellas para Dmitri (su osado hijo).

Though I have no Russian to make a forensic case of what I'm about to say, I have a hunch that Nabokov's Russian at the time of his writing THE ENCHANTER exceeded the mastery of English that Nabokov would later demonstrate with LOLITA et al.

Even in English translation, THE ENCHANTER is more poetry than prose, a phenomenom not unlike Flaubert's MADAME BOVARY. Every sentence quivers with meaning, conveying a sinuous artistry that only the brevity of the piece seem to spoil and mar. Then again it may be the brevity of the piece that its perfection can't do without.

"The Enchanter" is an incredible example of what Nabokov can do in less than 100 pages. The book is a portrait of a pedophile, in his own words. Despite the fact that it is a translation, the genius of the original text is carefully preserved by his son, Dmitri's rendition into English. The prose is practically verse. The use of language is pure genius. And the device of using the deviant mind as the story teller is again, just another example of Nabokov's incredible creative ability.

As noted in the afterword by Dmitri, the title of the book most usually translates to "The Magician" but apparently, Nabokov indicated that his intended English translation should be "The Enchanter." Perhaps this is because the pedophile is enchanted with the concept of having a prepubescent girl to bring along through all the various sexualities that ran within his warped persona.

Additionally, the story rolls along as an incredible pace. The last 10 pages being probably the most `enchanting' of all, as the story comes to a crashing crescendo of an ending. Like most of the writings of Nabokov, the book is an example of a brilliant novelist at his very best. Do not fail to read the afterword by Dmitri Nabokov, the translator and son of the author, especially where he disavows any direct relationship to "Lolita." It is recommended to those with a wide vocabulary and a not overly judgmental mind.

...but is it my own lack of a philosophically absolute morality, or Nabokov's ambiguity, that makes The Enchanter such an uncomfortable book to read? I will confess, to establish my critical credibility, that I have transgressed the Mosaic commandments about my neighbor's wife and, yes, also his maidservant. I didn't get to throw the first stone at Bill Clinton or wife-betraying John McCain for their sleazy behavior. But some behaviors do disgust me, outrage me, enflame me with vengeful wrath. Sexual violence toward children is so creepy that I'd throw away my objections to capital punishment for it. The Enchanter is a novella about the obsession of a middle-aged man with barely pubescent girls, in which the protagonist schemes slyly for months to gain access to such a girl, in the role of her widowd step-father, in order to seduce her and shape her to his fantasies. In the end, his hateful self-control fails and he tries to rape her. She screams, the "world" intervenes, and the hopeful pederast throws himself before a truck in the dark.

There, I've told the story, spoiled the denouement, haven't I? But as always with Nabokov, it's the language that matters anyway, the wily tricks the master plays with our sympathies and susceptibilities, the bitter taste in the mouth this story leaves in the form of the realization that any of us might be as depraved and loathsome to ourselves as the nameless protagonist of The Enchanter. That's one possible reading, anyway, and the one offered by Nabokov's son Dimitri, who translated the novella from Russian to English. Is it my reading? Only provisionally, at best. The vividness of the sexual details and of the sadistic finale seem altogether too artful, so that I fear "somebody out there" will be enjoying them a bit too freely. (There I go, throwing the stone after all.) It's one thing to formulate an acceptable answer to the question of 'what Nabokov meant by such a tale.' It's another to be troubled by the question of 'why Nabokov chose to write such a tale.'

Notice that I've made no mention of a connection between this novella, written in Europe, and a much more famous novel written later in America. Let's leave it that way, with the understanding that many of the same perplexities will arise.

In a sense, "The Enchanter" was not meant to be published. Author Vladimir Nabokov unearthed the extremely brief novel in his papers, 20 years after he dashed it off (and thought it was gone forever). It's "Lolita" before there was "Lolita"... but not quite as interesting.

The main character is a middle-aged, respectable, well-off man, living alone and lonely. He also has a distinct "liking" for teenage girls who are just hitting adolescence, but doesn't dare to try anything. One in particular catches his notice, a coltish girl on roller skates who talks to him at times and gains his affection and lust.

He proposes to the girl's widowed mother, who is terminally ill and pretty crabby; he has no interest in his "monstrous bride" but it's the only way he can get to the girl. The wife's condition gets worse over the following months, and she dies. And the man choreographs his own downfall as he plots to seduce his new stepdaughter...

The mind of a pedophile is a disgusting thing, and Nabokov makes no excuses for it. "The Enchanter" is a pretty straightforward story in comparison, without a lot of twists or surprises. It's far from a bad book, but it's not a terribly good one either. It's fairly ordinary, especially when compared to modern classic "Lolita."

The high point of "The Enchanter" is the rambling thoughts of the lead character as the book opens. Then it dips down and proceeds more or less steadily. Nabokov's lush language and complex symbolism aren't really very present here. His writing is blander and more straightforward, with a lack of polish.

The characters are given no names -- they're just the man, the girl, the wife. And the only characters we really get insight into are the lead character and the teenage girl. He's a lech, a creepy pedophile, with nothing good about him. Though he's the center of the novel it's impossible to feel any understanding for him, only a sort of disgusted pity. And Nabokov evoked that with a flair. And the girl is a sort of vibrant athlete that can be seen at any school.

"The Enchanter" is a sort of pale shadow of "Lolita," a straightforward story about a pedophile and how his obsessions bring him down. Worth checking out, but far from the best.

No one can write about "The Enchanter" without mentioning the fact that it is the precursor to "Lolita". Keeping in mind that this was a sketch for "Lolita", it isn't that bad. Who can say that they've written something brilliant without thought on the first try? Also, keep in mind that it was translated from Russian into English (not by Nabokov), so Nabokov's usual beauty in writing may be badly put into English. If you are interested in reading "The Enchanter", be it for the fact that you want to see where it meets with "Lolita".

The Enchanter is a novella Nabokov wrote years before Lolita so it can be taken as a precursor to his famous novel. In it, an unnamed man becomes infatuated with a 12 year old girl and dreams of being with her. To make that dream a reality he ingratiates himself to the mother, doing favors, visiting when she is ill, etc. He finds out just how sick she is and that the father is dead and that the girl is actually living with a friend. He pushes his plan farther by marrying the mother but is frustrated to find the girl won't be living with them because the mother in her frail state can't deal with her. His fantasies are temporarily thwarted but its not long before the mother passes away and he takes sole custody of the girl. He decides they will go on a trip for several months because he feels this will give him a chance to be alone with the girl and begin his grooming of her. It doesn't work out as on the first night they're alone together, as she sleeps, he gets too close to her and when she wakes up, she begins to scream. He runs from the hotel, his dreams shattered.

It is a strange book to read because of the subject matter. The descriptions are not graphic by today's standards although the final passages in the hotel room as she's sleeping were more than a little uncomfortable to read. This is the first Nabokov book I've read. I found him to be a gifted writer who sometimes puts things so beautifully it takes your breath away, but at other times I felt like he went overboard and pummeled you with words, using 20 when 5 would have sufficed. Because this is a novella there's not a lot of depth to the characters. While you delve into the main character's behavior and fantasies, you don't find out why he is the way he is. The Enchanter was a quick and interesting read, probably accomplishing what Nabokov's son wanted when he published it, which was to encourage you to read Lolita.