King, Queen, Knave

King, Queen, Knave by Vladimir Nabokov is one of his earliest novels, written and published originally in Russian in 1928 as Korol', dama, vale and translated and heavily edited in 1968. I read the English translation. The novel follows Franz Bubendorf's travels to Berlin to work in his "Uncle's" department store. The uncle, Kurt Dreyer, is actually his mother's cousin. He meets his family on the train into Berlin. Martha (his "aunt") and he are instantly smitten and they quickly start up an affair, taking advantage of Dreyer's late nights at the office. King, Queen and Knave has some of the same elements that I loved in Lolita(1955) but it lacks the refinement of the later novel. Nabovok uses the urban journey to introduce and define his characters, something he perfects in the road trip in the middle third of Lolita. With the affair taking place under Dreyer's nose, there is also the awkward sexual humor. Of course, as all three members are adults, the affair is nothing compared to the relationship between Humbert Humbert and Lolita.

I read Lolita on a plane coming back from China. I bought it along with a couple of other books, and started it thinking I probably wouldn't like it, but would give it a try and then revert to one of the other book purchases later in the flight. As it turned out, I never put down Lolita. It's a very good read, despite it's rightfully controversial content. King, Queen, Knave did not capture my attention in the same way, despite Nabokov's unquestionable skill in crafting prose. That said, it is a different side of Nabokov, well written, and I'll probably read additional books by him.