A gripping literary thriller. The novel was adapted for the screen in 1978 by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, with a screenplay by Tom Stoppard.

For his sixth Russian-language novel, 'Despair,' Vladimir Nabokov chooses a crime plot. A middling Russian businessman, Hermann, lives in Berlin and sells chocolate. His business is going from bad to worse. One day, while in Prague, he meets a homeless man, Felix, who appears to be a double of the protagonist. Hermann decides to dress Felix in his clothes, kill him, and disappear under his name to another country. Felix's wife, Lida, meanwhile, collects the insurance money for her husband's supposed death and comes to him. This opening of a thrilling detective thriller, upon closer examination, reveals itself to be a subtle and sophisticated parody of both Dostoevsky and Freud and his psychoanalysis. Nabokov, deftly juggling cultural codes and literary allusions, continues to toy with readers and critics. And he does it flawlessly. The novel is published based on the first book edition of 1936, taking into account the text of the 1934 magazine publication.

Abstract

With the outbreak of World War I, Hermann, who has German roots, was interned and from 1920 lived in Berlin, in a cozy apartment with his lovely and loving wife Lida, helpful maid Elsa, a sunny balcony, and central heating. The only disappointment is that the chocolate business he has started isn't bringing in the expected income. Lately, things have been going downhill. One day, while on a business visit to Prague, Hermann meets a homeless tramp named Felix, who looks exactly like him. A perfect plan is brewing in Herman's mind: kill Felix and, dressing him in his clothes, stage a suicide. Lida will collect the insurance money and travel with it to the hero, who is hiding in another country. But from the very first steps, everything begins to go wrong.

Author: Vladimir Nabokov