Invitation to a Beheading

Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov   (As if Nabokov needs my sanction…) Do not be thrown by the title; there is little violence in this brilliant novel by Vladimir Nabokov. Hilarious, contemplative, surreal, and lyrical, Invitation to a Beheading tells the story of a man – Cincinnatus C. – who is condemned to death in a bizarre dystopian future for an absurd crime (“gnostical turpitude”). The novel catalogues the final days leading up to Cincinnatus’ execution, wherein he receives several strange visitors: his eccentric jailers, his in-laws’ extended family (who brings their furniture with them), and his own executioner disguised as a fellow prisoner. No summary could do this novel justice, so I recommend reading the first few pages and seeing for yourself: Nabokov’s turn of phrase is both artful and illuminating. As John Updike said, “Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically.”