Voronina, O. (2023). Cryptogram: Nabokov. Archive. Subtext. St. Petersburg: Izdatelstvo Ivana Limbakha. (In Russ.)

Abstract

Olga Voronina’s book offers  a close and careful analysis of Nabokov’s works created during a momentous period of his life. The scholar has outlined the routes of her research in the book’s title: they point to the riddles planted by Nabokov in his novels. Armed with the method of archival search, Voronina combs through the writer’s discarded drafts, letters, and notes scribbled on the margins.  In her book, she demonstrates the transformation of Russian and foreign literary tradition in Nabokov’s novels and explains the function of allusions and reminiscences in his works. Voronina’s meticulous study of initial drafts resulted in the discovery of an alternative ending to Laughter in the Dark [Camera obscura], which throws light on the depth and controversy of the character of Kretschmar. The scholar also invites readers to puzzle over Vera Nabokov’s presence in the writer’s novels as well as letters. Following the author across the chapters of Cryptogram and piecing together extracts from manuscripts, the reader may get closer to solving the riddle of Nabokov’s art.