Putnam's cover cites Nabokov's “Pnin” to draw on the success of “Lolita”

On 18 August 1958 Nabokov's "Lolita" was first published in the USA and for the second time in English.

The cover of the New York: Putnam's edition bore the legend "by the author of Pnin". What sort of Pnin was that?

It was Nabokov's lesser-known novel, issued the year before, about a teacher of Russian and literature who tries to fit into the academic world of the USA. By reminding readers of Timofey Pnin, the publishers hoped to hitch a work neglected by the public to the success of "Lolita". Another question is how one could ever have called a novel Pnin.

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The White Mouse cocktail from London's The Stafford hotel and the life of spy Nancy Wake

Thirty millilitres of saffron gin, fifteen millilitres of fresh lemon juice, fifteen millilitres of honey and rosemary syrup, dry champagne and a star anise for garnish. The White Mouse cocktail is named after the legendary Nancy Wake, the most decorated servicewoman of the Second World War. The Gestapo nicknamed her

Screenshot of an irene.shots post about the ARTPLAY open call: a free exclusive licence on entries that also applies to those who lose.

ARTPLAY Visual Dominant Open Call Terms and a Call to Read Contracts

How is this even a thing? Will there be any comment from the very party in question? And yes: young and not so young, seasoned hands and novices, the naive and the prudent alike, let us always read the contract with the utmost care. Whoever proposes that we sign it,

Three white ventilation pipes of the Centre Pompidou with graffiti, in front of scaffolding covering the facade.

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is closed for renovation until 2030

My beloved Centre Pompidou is now wrapped in scaffolding. Until 2030, Paris has one fewer brilliant place of pilgrimage. But, honestly, every time I glance at it in passing, I am afraid: what if it never reopens?

James Heath's 1806 engraving after Fuseli showing Patroclus's shade before Achilles

The engraving by the celebrated English master James Heath, executed in 1806 after an original drawing by the eminent Swiss-British artist Henry Fuseli, re-creates one of the most mystical and poignant scenes of Book XXIII of the Iliad. It is the moment when the Greek hero Achilles tries

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The White Mouse cocktail from London's The Stafford hotel and the life of spy Nancy Wake

ARTPLAY Visual Dominant Open Call Terms and a Call to Read Contracts

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is closed for renovation until 2030

James Heath's 1806 engraving after Fuseli showing Patroclus's shade before Achilles