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Audiobooks > Fiction >  General Fiction > Look at the Harlequins!
Look at the Harlequins! Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov Play Audiobook Sample

Look at the Harlequins! Audiobook

By: Vladimir Nabokov
Look at the Harlequins! Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Stefan Rudnicki Publisher: Brilliance Audio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.17 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.88 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: October 2011 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781441873569
3.01883561643836 out of 53.01883561643836 out of 53.01883561643836 out of 53.01883561643836 out of 53.01883561643836 out of 5 (3.02) - 584 listener ratings
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Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

43

Longest Chapter Length:

20:18 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

03:58 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

10:57 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

17

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King, Queen, Knave Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
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The Eye Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
Laughter in the Dark Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
Despair Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
The Gift Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
The Real Life of Sebastian Knight Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle Audiobook, by Vladimir Nabokov
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Publisher Description

As intricate as a house of mirrors, Nabokov’s last novel is an ironic play on the Janus-like relationship between fiction and reality. It is the autobiography of the eminent Russian-American author Vadim Vadimovich N. (b. 1899), whose life bears an uncanny resemblance to that of Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, though the two are not to be confused (?). Focusing on the central figures of his life — his four wives, his books, and his muse, Dementia — the book leads us to suspect that the fictions Vadim has created as an author have crossed the line between his life’s work and his life itself, as the worlds of reality and literary invention grow increasingly indistinguishable. One of the twentieth century’s master prose stylists, Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg in 1899. He studied French and Russian literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, then lived in Berlin and Paris, where he launched a brilliant literary career. In 1940 he moved to the United States, and achieved renown as a novelist, poet, critic, and translator. He taught literature at Wellesley, Stanford, Cornell, and Harvard. In 1961 he moved to Montreux, Switzerland, where he died in 1977. “One of the greatest masters of prose since Conrad.” — Harper’s

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"I didn't read this book during my big Nabokov phase several years ago, and I had really missed out--it's fantastic, easily as good as some of Nabokov's best (such as Pnin). I'm not quite sure how much I would've gotten out of it had I not read most of Nabokov's books already and been very familiar with his life (from the grad Nabokov class I took); the parallels and mirrorings between the narrator and Nabokov were delightful and sometimes somewhat obscure."

— Alex (5 out of 5 stars)

Look at the Harlequins! Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.47368421052632 out of 53.47368421052632 out of 53.47368421052632 out of 53.47368421052632 out of 53.47368421052632 out of 5 (3.47)
5 Stars: 2
4 Stars: 8
3 Stars: 6
2 Stars: 3
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
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1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
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4 Stars: 0
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1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " LatH! LatH! "

    — Elliott, 1/29/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Fun, as always. Nabokov's pompous, self-indulgent and self-absorbed academics and novelists are so obviously based on himself that it's hard not to like both him and them. This book purports to be an autobiography, but whether of Nabokov (as Nabokov) or of one of his literary stunt-doubles is not clear. I enjoyed the romp through Vadim's life, whoever the hell he is. "

    — Dave, 1/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " This book follows the failed marriages of Vadim Vadimovich, his strange ailment (the inability to retrace his steps in dreams) and his books. This book is filled with stunning descriptions, courage and devotion to art and literature and offers an intense and instructive look at a peculiar artist, both Vadimovich and Nabokov himself. "

    — Jennifer, 11/19/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " his last "

    — Claire, 9/26/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " trying sooo hard to get into this. such beautiful language. "

    — Stephanie, 8/26/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Nabokov's last book ends on the line "mumbling, mumbling, dying." That's just too wonderful. "

    — Madeline, 8/12/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " i love Nabokov language. how does he do that?! "

    — Jeanne, 7/20/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " I got interested in Last Books by authors that have passed on. I read Updikes' Widows of Eastwick. Now I'll give Nabokov's last one a spin. "

    — Kent, 2/11/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Wonderful Russian lit. "

    — Carly, 2/29/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Part one starts the book off brilliantly, but most of the middle section--everything before the final fifty pages or so--seems a waste. The ending once again picks up a few interesting threads. "

    — Jake, 2/9/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Lolita is much better. "

    — Anne, 1/9/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " In my memory I confuse this book with Lolita--all I remember from it is how the narrator gets weird tan lines (like a Harlequin). "

    — Kate, 7/10/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Excellent writing, but I didn't really get into it. It would help if you spoke Russian and French because some things weren't translated. "

    — Jean, 6/14/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " '...an alchemysterious treatment, a technique of genius...' p.173 "

    — Lazarus, 12/14/2010
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " After Lolita, I wanted to read more Nabokov. This book was interesting, and I enjoy having my mind stimulated by the involvement in character. But, when he went started with the pubescent urges again, I couldn't take it. That said, he's clearly a genius. "

    — Ann, 9/6/2010
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Amazing novel, but probably only appreciably so for those who've got 8-10 other Nabokov novels and a picture of the man himself from Boyd's two volume biography in their heads. The memoirs of a vulgar N. echo - the N. his worst critics assumed he was. Marvelous. "

    — Kit, 6/3/2010
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " I got interested in Last Books by authors that have passed on. I read Updikes' Widows of Eastwick. Now I'll give Nabokov's last one a spin. "

    — Kent, 3/9/2009
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " trying sooo hard to get into this. such beautiful language. "

    — Stephanie, 10/18/2008
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " In my memory I confuse this book with Lolita--all I remember from it is how the narrator gets weird tan lines (like a Harlequin). "

    — Kate, 7/5/2008

About Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1889–1977) was one of the most prolific writers and literary critics of the twentieth century. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, he grew up in a trilingual household and later studied Slavic and romance languages at Trinity College, Cambridge, taking his honors degree in 1922. For the next eighteen years he lived in Berlin and Paris, writing prolifically in Russian under the pseudonym “Sirin” and supporting himself through translations, lessons in English and tennis, and by composing the first crossword puzzles in Russian. Having already fled Russia and Germany, Nabokov became a refugee once more in 1940 when he was forced to leave France for the United States. There he taught at Wellesley, Harvard, and Cornell. He died in Montreux, Switzerland.

About Stefan Rudnicki

Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.