Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
"Pnin" is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov centered around Timofey Pnin, a Russian émigré and instructor at Waindell College. The narrative follows Pnin as he navigates a series of personal and academic challenges, beginning with a comical mishap on the train to a lecture. Through flashbacks and reflections, Pnin recalls significant moments from his past, including his troubled marriage to Liza Wind and his memories of childhood in Russia. As he encounters various characters, including his estranged wife and her son, Victor, Pnin grapples with themes of loss, identity, and belonging in a foreign land. The novel also captures Pnin's experiences with fellow émigrés, highlighting the cultural dislocation faced by those who have fled their homeland. In an interesting twist, the narrative perspective shifts towards the end, revealing the narrator's connection to Pnin and offering further depth to the character's story. Overall, "Pnin" is a poignant exploration of exile, memory, and the complexity of human relationships.
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
First published: 1957
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Narrative
Time of plot: 1950s
Locale: New York and New England
Principal Characters
Timofey Pnin , an instructor of Russian at Waindell CollegeLiza Wind , Pnin’s former wifeEric Wind , Liza’s second husbandVictor Wind , Liza’s sonJoan Clements , Pnin’s landladyLaurence Clements , her husband, a professor of philosophy at Waindell CollegeHerman Hagen , the head of the German Department at Waindell CollegeJack Cockerell , the head of the English Department at Waindell CollegeLeonard Blorenge , the head of the French Department at Waindell CollegeMargaret Thayer , a librarian at Waindell CollegeMira Belochkin , the love of Pnin’s youthThe narrator , an Anglo-American writer
The Story
Timofey Pnin, an instructor of Russian at Waindell College, is taking a train to give a lecture to the Cremona Women’s Club. Sadly, he is on the wrong train. The discovery of his mistake and his subsequent attempts to get to Cremona in time for the lecture cause him to undergo a sinking spell: he plunges into a recollection of a time in his childhood when he suffered from a fever and struggled in vain to find the key to the recurring pattern of foliage on his wallpaper. The spell passes, but when he is about to begin his lecture he has a fleeting sense that some of the beloved people from his past, including his parents, are in the audience.
Pnin moves into a room rented to him by Joan and Laurence Clements. The room has been vacated by their daughter Isabel, who has married and moved away. Pnin learns that his former wife, Liza Wind, wants to visit him. Pnin’s marriage to Liza ended when she abandoned him for Eric Wind. When Liza arrives, she tells Pnin that she would like him to send some money in her name to her son, Victor, at boarding school. After her departure, Pnin is devastated with sorrow, and he resists all attempts by Joan Clements to cheer him up.
Pnin continues his routine at Waindell College, teaching classes and conducting research on the history of Russian culture. The librarian indicates to Pnin that Isabel’s marriage is in trouble and that he might have to relocate, but he does not pay full attention to her words. In the evening, Pnin watches a Soviet propaganda film and imagines himself back in the Russia of his youth. As he falls asleep that night, he is awakened by the noisy return of Isabel, who is about to burst into her old room until she is stopped by her mother.
Victor, who has an extraordinary IQ and is a talented artist, visits Pnin in Waindell. He has a recurring dream in which his father is a king who is forced into exile by a revolution in his country. During his correspondence with Pnin, he begins to develop a fondness for this man, who, in Victor’s eyes, has an exotic background. On the night of his arrival, Victor, who usually suffers from insomnia, falls asleep instantly, while Pnin seems to step into Victor’s dream, as he sees himself fleeing from a castle and pacing a deserted shore while awaiting the arrival of a boat to take him to safety.
Pnin visits a summer retreat in the woods of New England, where he finds a collection of Russian émigrés much like himself. Immersed in the culture and companionship of his fellow intelligentsia, Pnin seems fully relaxed. One woman staying at the summer house mentions Mira Belochkin, the woman Pnin had loved in his youth, and this causes Pnin to reflect upon his old romance. However, he is also reminded of Mira’s terrible death in a Nazi concentration camp.
Pnin moves into a house he has rented on his own, and he throws a housewarming party to celebrate the event. One of his guests is his protector at Waindell, Dr. Hagen, who will soon be leaving the college to move to a more prestigious institution. With Hagen’s departure, Pnin will be out of a job, and when Hagen learns that Pnin is thinking of buying his rented house, he informs Pnin of his bleak prospects. Pnin is troubled by the news, and when he washes dishes later that night, he absentmindedly drops a nutcracker into the soapy water and hears the sound of breaking glass. He fears that the broken object is a wonderful punch bowl given to him by Victor but learns to his relief that it was only a wine glass. The marvelous bowl is intact.
In the final chapter of the novel, the narrator, who has remained in the background until now, comes to the fore and begins to describe his own memories of Pnin. The narrator had an affair with Liza before she married Pnin, and it was apparently her suicidal despair over the outcome of the affair that led her to accept Pnin’s proposal. The narrator has accepted a job at Waindell College, and he has offered a position to Pnin as well, but Pnin refuses to work under his old acquaintance. As the novel ends, the narrator arrives in Waindell and catches a glimpse of Pnin driving out of town, leaving the narrator behind in his stead.
Bibliography
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