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Agnieszka's Reviews > Śmiech w ciemności
Śmiech w ciemności
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Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster .
That way Nabokov starts Laughter in the dark and in fact these words are enough to describe the plot. Outwardly it is a banal tale of tragicomic romance of older man with young girl. There are loads such stories but this one stands out with acerbity and witticism. Nabokov is brilliantly ironical and pungent and whole story full of sardonic humour.
Laughter in the dark. Indeed. After reading you may only applaud how apt the title is. Though when you're reading how blinded by passion fool changes into the fooled blind laughter gradually sticks in your throat.
by
Agnieszka's review
bookshelves: 2015, reviewed, nabokov, own-a-copy
Dec 10, 2014
bookshelves: 2015, reviewed, nabokov, own-a-copy
Reading for the 2nd time. Most recently started July 29, 2022.
Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster .
That way Nabokov starts Laughter in the dark and in fact these words are enough to describe the plot. Outwardly it is a banal tale of tragicomic romance of older man with young girl. There are loads such stories but this one stands out with acerbity and witticism. Nabokov is brilliantly ironical and pungent and whole story full of sardonic humour.
Laughter in the dark. Indeed. After reading you may only applaud how apt the title is. Though when you're reading how blinded by passion fool changes into the fooled blind laughter gradually sticks in your throat.
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Śmiech w ciemności.
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Reading Progress
December 10, 2014
– Shelved
February 15, 2015
–
Started Reading
February 16, 2015
–
0.0%
"Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster."
February 18, 2015
–
Finished Reading
July 29, 2022
–
Started Reading
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Jibran
(new)
Oct 15, 2015 02:11PM
Agni, fine snippet of a review to whet our appetite for Nabokov. He can make even the most banal and cliched of plots sound innovative and interesting with this wit and use of language no?
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His hero, a fool for "love." A rich, worldly novel. Mmmmm...
Sketchbook wrote: "His hero, a fool for "love."As was HH!
I just read this book, Agna - and I too laughed at how apt the title was - though who was laughing in the end, I wasn't quite sure about....
The title reminds me of the secret sexual encounters of Axel and Margot while Albinus was blind. They were ruthless in their deception of the pathetic man.
This is a great black (dark?) comedy. Albi is not pathetic.
Why don't you see him as pathetic? He is taken advantage of by a young girl, leaves behind his wife and daughter, who dies, loses a ton of money. He doesn't show much strength in the book at all.
