The real life of Sebastian Knight
The novel follows narrator V, who, motivated by admiration for his half‑brother and frustration with a biography by Mr. Goodman, attempts to document the life of Sebastian Knight. The narrative is filled with extensive quotations, digressions, explanations, and criticisms, yet Knight’s erratic and troubled character remains elusive. Nabokov’s first English‑language novel explores the tension between reality and imagination and the pursuit of human truth.