A Nursery Tale
| "A Nursery Tale" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Vladimir Nabokov | |
| Original title | 'Skazka' |
| Translator | Vladimir Nabokov & Dmitri Nabokov |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Rul'[1] |
| Publication date | 1926 |
A Nursery Tale is a short story by Vladimir Nabokov titled Skazka in its original Russian when written in Berlin in 1926. The author and his son translated the story into English fifty years later. It is contained in his collection Tyrants Destroyed and Other Stories and The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov.
Plot summary
Erwin, the protagonist, is shy and “collects” an imaginary harem of women by tagging them mentally when looking from the streetcar. One day, he encounters the Devil in the shape of a German middle-aged women, Frau Monde, who tells him he can have all the women he can “collect” before midnight provided their number is uneven. Erwin tries to do so but ultimately fails.
Comments
The story makes reference to a teenage girl as one of the women Erwin tries to make part of his collection, an early reference to the theme of ephebophilia that is later spun out in Lolita. This may be the earliest reference in Nabokov’s work to the attraction of pubescent girls.
External links
Reference