Bend Sinister

A loving heart against the machine of dictatorship.

In his first American novel, Vladimir Nabokov tells the story of a philosopher who faces a choice: to preserve his beliefs or submit to a totalitarian regime. However, the book is not only about politics—it is also about a moving father-and-son bond, for which, as the author himself says, this novel was written.

“Under the Sign of the Illegitimate” (1947) is Vladimir Nabokov’s first novel created after his move from France to America, during one of the most difficult periods of the writer’s life. Contrary to his habit, Nabokov chose for it a socially significant—and very contemporary—topic: the life of an outstanding man under a totalitarian state. It is dedicated to the confrontation between the world-famous philosopher Adam Krug, who has lost his wife and is left with a small son, and the dictatorship of the “equilists” (“equalizers”), who, by all means, try to win him over.

But the main theme of the novel, as Nabokov himself notes, is “the beating of Krug’s loving heart <…> and this book was written precisely for the pages about David and his father, and for that reason it should be read.”

The novel is published in a new translation and comes with an author’s preface, the translator’s afterword and commentary, as well as additional materials that shed light on the author’s intentions. An extended version of the novel’s first chapter is included as an appendix—prepared for print for the first time from the manuscript.