{"product_id":"the-magicians-doubts-9780691048307","title":"The Magician's Doubts","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs a child in Russia  Vladimir Nabokov enjoyed conjuring: \"I loved doing simple tricks--turning water into wine  that kind of thing.\" In this engrossing book Michael Wood explores the blend of arrogance and mischief that makes Nabokov such a fascinating and elusive master of fiction. Wood argues that Nabokov is neither the aesthete he liked to pretend to be nor the heavy-handed moralist recent critics make him. Major works like Pnin  Lolita  Pale Fire and Ada appear in a new light  but there are also chapters on earlier works  like the Real Life of Sebastian Knight; on selected short stories; and on the translation of Eugene Onegin  as well as detailed discussions of Nabokovs ideas of literature  memory  pity  and pain. The book comes fully to terms with Nabokovs blend of playfulness and seriousness  delving into the real delight of reading him and the odd disquiet that lurks beneath that pleasure. Woods speculations spin outward to illuminate the ambiguities and aspirations of the modern novel  and to raise the question of how we uncover \"the author\" in a work  without falling into the obvious biographical traps. The Magicians Doubts slices through the dustier conventions of criticism and never loses sight of the emotional and sensual pleasure of reading.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67959351672885,"sku":"ByrdShop_0691048304","price":38.62,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780691048307.jpg?v=1794484982","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-magicians-doubts-9780691048307","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}