num_pages: 203
description: "Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically." -- John UpdikeThe Real Life of Sebastian Knight is a perversely magical literary detective story -- subtle, intricate, leading to a tantalizing climax -- about the mysterious life of a famous writer. Many people knew things about Sebastian Knight as a distinguished novelist, but probably fewer than a dozen knew of the two love affairs that so profoundly influenced his career, the second one in such a disastrous way. After Knight's death, his half brother sets out to penetrate the enigma of his life, starting with a few scanty clues in the novelist's private papers. His search proves to be a story as intriguing as any of his subject's own novels, as baffling, and, in the end, as uniquely rewarding.
language: English
title: The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
titlecomplete: The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
characters: Sebastian Knight, V
genres: Classics, American, Mystery, Russia, Novels, Russian Literature, 20th Century, Literature, Literary Fiction, Fiction
ratings_count: 6049
publisher: Vintage