Pnin

Pnin is the fourth written in English language novel by Vladimir Nabokov. Nabokov started it in 1953 and finished it in 1955. Chapter 1 was released on November 28, 1953 in New York, there are also chapters 3, 4 and 6 during the year 1955. 's Full book in seven chapters was published in 1957. In 1960 appeared the first, 1994, a second German translation.

Namesake of the work is its main character: Timofei Pnin, a tragicomic always, unfortunately prone anti-hero, an elderly, lovable and subtle college professor in the U.S. during the 1950s.

Action

Professor Pnin force on the provincial College of Waindell in New York State, depending on the view, as touchingly old-fashioned scholar, academic original, European gem or as impossible codger. In its barely attended courses he teaches Russian and Russian literature, his - useless in the America of the Cold War - native language.

Professor Pnin is a loser and a Lost uprooted in many kind and remains in America always a foreign body, even if he, after many years with only a Nansen passport proudly and joyfully accepts the new citizenship. With the American culture, or, as he understands it, the utter lack of culture, does he cope with difficulty. He learned the English language is difficult and so imperfect that he for the formulation of his lectures requires the help of an assistant for many years. After more than a decade, it is still not succeeded to create a home in America, not even in Waindell because he obviously does not feel at home in the New World. So Waindell is referred to at the beginning of the book as a " university shelter ".

A consistent theme of the novel is the progress Pnin, to establish domesticated in America. He resides first in faculty dorms or sublet. Timid he is trying to set up in a former lumber room of the University own office to his modest but private cabinet of his scholarship, " pninisieren " it. Through a soon there also quartered and Pnin deeply unsympathetic professor from Austria and whose dog is this attempt zunichtegemacht. Private succeeds in gradually, in the house of a guest to convert the first quite unsentimental sublease with a family connection, to the daughter of his landlord after her failed marriage back home feeding - for Pnin, a new loss. After an unsatisfying stint as a lodger at two aged brothers, he finally makes the leap and creates a home. He is master of his own cottage, only to see his housewarming party, that the director of his chair Waindell intends to leave and his successor is calculated N.. Since Pnin personal reasons refuses any cooperation with or better under N., he must give up his position at the college and seek elsewhere for a teaching position. Professor Pnin is homeless again.

All of these losses, the major and minor defeats, Pnin bears brave. His motto is: "You have to face the destiny. " Despite all the setbacks of fate he did not despair. He is a basically cheerful, optimistic spirit. On the other hand, he is aware of the insidiousness animate and inanimate objects, and especially of chance always aware embarrassing. Therefore, he is overly cautious and in a roundabout kind of effort -consuming, not to avoid accidents but ruled out, only to meet his unhappy fate more certain and precise to get into new and different accidents.

His hypervigilance and anxiety are also related to his body, his mental state, he always observed suspiciously. Uncommon cardiac arrhythmias white Nabokov to connect with dreamlike visions of the past and so introduce the reader into bays beloved people in the past or the experiences of a much younger Pnin.

The narrator N.

The reader sees everything through the eyes of observant narrator, Pnin N.. Assumptions, with N. Nabokov could have its own real person introduced in the novel, fail because of the biographical reality. N., although itself a character in the novel, long stretches an omniscient narrator, even repeatedly turns directly to the reader. He has detailed knowledge of the emotional state of Pnin at any moment, he can the plot of the novel at any venue to describe, without regard to their own presence there or those of Pnin, then takes but suddenly the role of a narrator on, at least shared a part of his past and the love with Lisa's Pnin and claims to have 40 years not seen him. Perhaps because of its erstwhile relationship with Lisa Pnin tried again and again to keep N. at a distance.

Form of narrative

The story does not present itself as a classic novel with a continuously narrated storyline. Instead, Chapter rows of different lengths as a seemingly loose series of stories together. In the center is always Pnin, which is shown in ever new contexts: Pnin in the train, on the way to a lecture. Pnin as a lodger. Pnin as a lecturer in the struggle with the English language. Pnin and the meeting with his ex-wife still exploiting ligand him Lisa. Pnin and Lisa's son Victor, applying money and paternal feelings for the Pnin. Pnin in the company of other Russian exiles. Pnin as a host and host. First, hardly connected to these descriptions finally close artfully into a circle, in which the end of the novel is at the same time also its beginning. The book, ostensibly as unspectacular approach presents itself to the slightly ridiculous -looking person Pnin is interwoven with a complex web of relationships, hints, clues, motives and symbols. The novel 's best attributes through the delicate, finely branched story that always seems behind the figure, Pnin. Thus connects Nabokov in Pnin serene ease with the depths of human tragedy.

Even in language and style of the novel knows how to impress is always accurate and precise. John Updike 's verdict: " Nabokov writes prose the only way it Should Be written, did is ecstatically. " ( Nabokov writes prose the only way how it should be written, namely ecstatic. )

Reception

The figure of Professor Pnin reappears on in another story Nabokov, in Pale Fire of 1962.

Expenditure ( selection)

• Pnin. Translated and Edited by Dieter E. Zimmer. Rowohlt, Reinbek 1994, Special Edition 2004 Pnin. Ulrich Matthes reads " Pnin " in the translation by Dieter E. Zimmer. Audio Verlag, 2002. The audio book was honored in 2003 with the German Audio Book Prize 2003 for best entertainment and as an audio book of the year 2002.