Reading Groups

Vladimir Nabokov: The Art and the Artist with Matilda Lin Berke

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6 Sessions 6:00 pm EDT - 7:30 pm EDT May 14 to June 24, 2026

The Center for Fiction

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The ‘With Books’ option includes the titles required for this group at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
5/14, 5/21, 5/28, 6/4, 6/11, 6/24
In Person at The Center for Fiction

Vladimir Nabokov, one of the greatest prose stylists of all time, was fluently trilingual: After immigrating to the United States in 1940, he produced two of his best-known works—the infamous Lolita and Pale Fire—in English, his new writing language. His complex, multivalent approach to language itself directly informed his poetic cadence as well as his unique command of narrative structure. In our contemporary environment of increased fear and censorship, Nabokov’s nuanced sub- and super-textual handling of challenging subjects provides a model for active engagement over avoidance. Instead of separating the art from the artist, it is crucial to parse how the former emerges from the latter.

In this reading group, we will tackle these texts (starting with Lolita, which—while controversial—is somewhat more conventionally written, making it an accessible entry point) in their shared context as self-reflexive, self-critical nested works of art. Pale Fire in particular laid the groundwork for “hypertext fiction”—a popular mode in today’s digital ecosystem—while retaining the traditionally analog qualities of beauty, sensitivity, and extreme pathos for which the author is known. Finally, we will ground our technical analyses in Speak, Memory: a memoir composed of a series of thematic essays tracking Nabokov’s relationship to language throughout his life.

Reading List: Parts 1 and 2 of Lolita will be split between the first two sessions, with the next two devoted to Pale Fire. The final two sessions will be dedicated to Speak, Memory.

What to read in advance of the first meeting: Please read Part 1 of Lolita in advance of the first meeting.

What to expect from this reading group: Although the course will be slightly more structured at first, I look forward to opening it up to a more conversational format as we gain familiarity with our lens of study and the texts at hand.

Pricing inclusive of sales tax if applicable.

Led by

Matilda Lin Berke

Matilda Lin Berke

Matilda Lin Berke is a New Yorker from Pasadena, California. She has written theory and criticism for publications including the Brooklyn Rail, Filmmaker, Spike, and The Whitney Review, with pieces forthcoming in Purple Fashion Magazine and Mutt Magazine. You can find more information (fiction, poetry, and other projects) on her website (matildalinberke.neocities.org).

About this series

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