The Defense (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Vladimir Nabokov
- First Published: 1929
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Philosophical realism
- Time of Work: The 1910’s and 1920’s
- Setting: Russia and Germany
- Genres: Long fiction, Philosophical realism
- Subjects: Memory, Suicide, 1910’s, 1920’s, Mental illness, Russia or Russian people, Contests, Chess or chess players
- Locales: Germany, Russia
Characters Discussed
Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin (ee- VAH-noh-vihch LEW-zhihn), a world-class chess player. Growing up in an aristocratic Russian household, the solitary Luzhin develops into a brilliant chess prodigy. Estranged from his parents, who do not understand his unique talent, he travels extensively to compete in chess tournaments in Europe. After several years, he becomes so immersed in a cerebral world of chess strategies that he loses contact with everyday reality and suffers a mental breakdown during the final match of a major tournament in Berlin. Although he...
[The entire page is 650 words long]
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