Invitation to a Beheading

Brief Overview

The novel «Invitation to a Beheading» by Vladimir Nabokov tells the story of Cincinnatus C., who is sentenced to death for «gnostical turpitude», meaning he is different from other people. The setting is an absurd and totalitarian world where everything is governed by strict rules and norms. Cincinnatus spends his final days in prison, contemplating life and death, interacting with jailers and other characters who are caricatures of society. In the novel's conclusion, Cincinnatus realizes his inner freedom and transcends the illusory world in which he was confined.