Ganin, un joven exiliado ruso, sobrevive en el Berlín de entre guerras gracias a los más diversos trabajos -camarero, vendedor a domicilio, extra de cine...- mientras sueña con abandonar la ciudad y rememora su infancia y adolescencia en la añorada Rusia y su temprano romance con Mashenka, mujer deseada e idealizada, amor perdido en el pasado. Anhelante, mientras rebusca en su memoria los preciados recuerdos, Ganin rompe con su acutal novia y deja pasar el tiempo en la pensión en la que vive con otros exiliados que mantienen una peculiar relación de amor-odio con la madre patria; el viejo poeta rondado por la muerte, la romántica muchacha de los grandes pechos, los dos bailarines homosexuales y el mediocre hombre al que el protagonista conoce cuando ambos se quedan encerrados en el ascensor y que resulta ser el marido de Mashenka, que pronto irá a reunirse con él...Mashenka, primera novela de Vladimir Nabokov, es una temprana muestra de su talento y contiene ya mucho de los elementos que configuran el fascinante mundo del genial autor de Lolita, así como la admirable prosa y la desbordante capacidad fabuladora que caracterizan su producción literaria.

"Mary" is Nabokov's 1st novel. The protagonist is a Russian emigre living in a boarding house filled with other Russian emigres. He is always broke, planning to leave Berlin (but has not yet), he's bored with his girlfriend, tired of everyone. Then unexpectedly he learns that one of his annoying neighbors is the husband of his first love, Mary, and that she is due to arrive in a very short time. He begins to reminisce and suddenly is filled with detailed and touching memories of his relationship with her. He dreams of their reunion, of how she'll leave her husband, go with him to France. He prepares for this and awaits the moment she gets off the train... It is a well-written story of longing, even in its predictability. ( )

SO mauve. ( )

2020

https://www.librarything.com/topic/315313#7038570 ( )

This was another disappointing read by Nabokov. I know that it was his first novel, but- for me, it did not hold any of the elements that I feel makes his work great. Overall, the plot was flimsy and the execution was questionable. Not a great book, and not recommended unless you REALLY want to delve into his oeuvre.

2 starts. ( )