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The Gift Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,266 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The Gift is the last of the novels Nabokov wrote in his native language and the crowning achievement of that period in his literary career. It is also his ode to Russian literature, evoking the works of Pushkin, Gogol, and others in the course of its narrative: the story of Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, an impoverished émigré poet living in Berlin, who dreams of the book he will someday write — a book very much like The Gift itself. 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. “Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically.” — John Updike
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"Not Nabokov's best book, but possibly one of his best protagonists in the form of Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, a Russian expat poet who is as frustrating as he is lovely. His growth as a poet and his day-to-day battles against the tediousness of real life will strike a chord with anyone who would rather create than haul their arse to yet another day at work. The book suffers slightly with it's (in)famous 4th chapter - a pseudo-biography of the Russian poet Chernyshevsky. To someone with a full knowledge of Russian poetry, it's probably wonderful. Unfortunately, I felt it all went completely over my head - c'est la vie."
— Alex (4 out of 5 stars)
The Gift Listener Reviews
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" Brilliant, layered - the best for me is the contrast between the idyllic remembered childhood (a sensual memory like no other), and the historical sort-of novel within the novel, about Chernyshevsky. Of course it's Nabokov's way of confronting the Soviet Russia that had mysteriously replaced the land of his memory. Maybe the pinnacle of Nabokov. "
— Elizabeth, 2/14/2014 -
" major wtf but gorgeous all the same "
— Danica, 2/3/2014 -
" Wildly uneven and hard to follow. Only slightly redeemed by some lovely sections. "
— Whitney, 1/26/2014 -
" Not my favorite Nabokov, but definitely worth the read for fans. It really is "out there" in a wonderful way. Lots of weird, nontraditional bits in it. Like where it jumps to a nonfiction book the main character wrote for 100 pages.... and even that is not quite what it seems. "
— Manday, 1/24/2014 -
" Includes: Hunting expeditions in Tibet; fake executions; nude sunbathing; mysterious disappearances; Siberian exiles; three-way suicide pacts; left-wing censorship; recurring ghosts; Russian emigre life in Berlin; an affecting love story; the secrets of fictional composition; and much, much more. One of Nabokov's greatest masterpieces. "
— Jeff, 1/13/2014 -
" I need to re-read this someday, when I am ready. It is written with such a quality that I feel as if it must be a great book but I was lost and aloof for much of the story. Some background knowledge of Nabokov and Russian lit might be necessary to really connect with this book. "
— Curtis, 1/2/2014 -
" one of the best books I have ever read "
— sasha, 12/29/2013 -
" Maybe my least favorite Nabokov that I've read - such a statement is sure to be blasphemy - but it's my problem... I just felt lost almost the whole time, missing the background of Russia and Russian literature that one definitely needs to appreciate this novel. "
— Jared, 12/21/2013 -
" Maybe it would be more interesting if I was more into other people's narcissism, or lively debates abaout 19th century Russian ex-patriate literature. "
— Justin, 12/2/2013 -
" Slow in the middle, often incredibly difficult, but in my opinion on par with other great high modernist works like those of Joyce or Woolf. "
— Trevor, 6/23/2013 -
" This was one of those books that was more impressive than enjoyable. You sit back in awe of the absolute mastery, and at the same get utterly frustrated with the monotonous drone of the novel within a novel within a novel that starts to feel like a Russian history lesson. "
— Garrett, 8/16/2012 -
" worthwhile, amazing etc but lemon lemon difficult. "
— kissmyshades, 6/28/2012 -
" A big rambling book. Nabokov's last written in Russian. Some wonderful descriptive passages... "
— Lysergius, 5/6/2012 -
" he will steal you up from behind and grasp you by the sides*, you wont know what hit you and how. he has a very imperceptible way of stirring your infrastructure with just a simple description of a trivial daily encounter or the flair of a character. a book that generates life. "
— Pupa-ria, 1/30/2012 -
" Kind of difficult to really get into without a thorough understanding of the Russians Nabokov was paying homage to... "
— Alex, 8/23/2011 -
" Read this in Russian, can't find it on GR. "
— Olga, 7/6/2011 -
" I read this in Russian and hated everything with passion - characters (esp main), sentences (that were too long), plot (or lack thereof), development, romance, poetry. Simply everything. Unfortunately, I was forced to read it for an exam. If I could give this book zero stars, I would. "
— Julija, 4/9/2011 -
" Another tale about the meandering, lost male intellectual. Not my favorite genre but as far as it goes, Nabokov definitely has the handle on it. Sorry, Kundera! "
— Kate, 3/29/2011 -
" Read this in Russian, can't find it on GR. "
— Ollka, 3/28/2011 -
" Sure, it's a masterpiece.. But only nearly finished it because I was getting marked on it. There were some beautiful passages and it's EXTREMELY well written, but I'm in no state of mind to unpack it all, so it remains elusive and dense to me! "
— Ash, 1/14/2011 -
" My cup of tea, writing to savor line by line...<br/>But a month later, I admit I gave up, half way through.<br/>Maybe I'll try it again. "
— Mary, 9/22/2010 -
" Nabokov not only wrote a very passable fiction here, but what makes it so amazing to me is the wonderful biography of the Russian writer Chernyshevski it contains which suddenly verges into sheer fantasy. Anyone who digs Gogol and Pushkin should read this book. "
— Jeremy, 1/5/2010 -
" Maybe my least favorite Nabokov that I've read - such a statement is sure to be blasphemy - but it's my problem... I just felt lost almost the whole time, missing the background of Russia and Russian literature that one definitely needs to appreciate this novel. "
— Jared, 11/6/2009 -
" this is no Lolita.. had a hard time following "
— Melissa, 6/29/2009 -
" major wtf but gorgeous all the same "
— Danica, 10/6/2008 -
" Maybe it would be more interesting if I was more into other people's narcissism, or lively debates abaout 19th century Russian ex-patriate literature. "
— Justin, 8/20/2008
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.