Transparent Things

by Vladimir Nabokov

3 of 5 stars 1 rating • 1 review • 1 shelved
Book cover for Transparent Things

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The darkly comic Transparent Things, one of Nabokov's final books, traces the bleak life of Hugh Person through murder, madness, prison and trips to Switzerland. One of these was the last journey his father ever took; on another, having been sent to ingratiate himself with a distinguished novelist, he met his future wife.

"As casual, as unpredictable, as eccentric and as daunting as Mr. Nabokov's genius." -Mavis Gallant, The New York Times Book Review


Nabokov's brilliant short novel sinks into the transparent things of the world that surround this one person, to the silent histories they carry. Remarkable even in Nabokov's work for its depth and lyricism, Transparent Things is a small, experimental marvel of memories and dreams, both sentimental and malign.

“The final effect is both chill and comic, the transparencies both beautiful and terrifying.” —The Times (London)
  • ISBN10 0679725415
  • ISBN13 9780679725411
  • Publish Date 23 October 1989 (first published 1 December 1972)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Publisher Random House USA Inc
  • Imprint Vintage Books