Nabokov's Laura tries ballet

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Published time: November 20, 2010 13:46
Edited time: November 20, 2010 16:57

The author of one of the most risqué novels ever, Lolita, the Russian- American writer Vladimir Nabokov, would not believe his eyes if he had seen a ballet based on his last, unfinished novel, The Original of Laura.

According to the writer's last will, his final novel was never supposed to go public.

Shortly before his death in Switzerland in 1977, the Nobel-prize nominee Nabokov asked his wife Vera to burn The Original of Laura, but neither she, nor their son Dmitry dared do so.

They chose to preserve the manuscript of the novel as Nabokov had left it – in 138 catalogue cards with text.

It was not until November 2009 that "The Original of Laura" was finally brought to light, appearing on sale in the UK and the USA, then in Russia.

A ballet production based on the best-selling novel, which focuses on the relationship between a scientist, Philip Wild, and his young, unfaithful wife Flora, has been put together in the Russian capital.

The world premiere is scheduled for November 23, with leading dancers of the “Ballet Moscow” Marina Nikitina and Roman Andrejkin in the limelight.