“The theme of
The Eye is the pursuit of an investigation which leads
the protagonist through a hell of mirrors and ends in the merging of twin
images.” That plot description is from
Vladimir Nabokov’s own
foreword to the 1965 English publication of
The Eye. The protagonist
Mr. Nabokov spoke of is a Russian émigré (a common theme in his body of work)
living in Berlin and working as a tutor for two young boys in whose home he
lodges. An attractive friend of the family, Matilda, visits, and he starts an
illicit affair with the married woman. Her husband finds out and beats the tutor
in front of the young pupils. Agonized from shame, the tutor packs his bags and
leaves. He finds another room, then shoots himself in the heart with a
revolver.
After death, he learns his problems are only just beginning...
My article on Vladimir Nabokov's The Eye is live at Criminal Element.
