Симвoл кургa в твoрчeствe В. Нaбoкoвa

In his article Искусствo литeрaтуры и здрaвый смысл (The Art of Literature and Common Sense) Nabokov starts from the premise that „common sense is as regular as a square and the most important events in life are wonderfully rounded, just as our round universe is seen through the eyes of a child who attends for the first time a circus performance”. This amazing roundness, which gives things and phenomena a secret meaning, which signals that they belong to a different space, was sought by Nabokov throughout his life. In a series of Nabokovian works we can find not only the most diverse round objects, but also circular structures. This paper analyzes from this perspective the autobiographical novel New Shores, the novels Mashenka, Invitation to a Beheading, and the short stories Chorb’s Return and The Circle.