The Luzhin Defense

Interesting Facts

• The main character of the book, Luzhin, is a chess genius, reflecting Nabokov's interest in chess, as the author himself was an avid chess player and even created chess problems.
• The book explores the theme of genius and madness, showing how an obsession with chess leads Luzhin to a mental disorder.
• The novel was written in Berlin, where Nabokov lived in exile, and this is reflected in the description of the city and its atmosphere.
• The work contains autobiographical elements, as Nabokov himself was the son of a prominent lawyer and politician, which parallels Luzhin's biography.
• The book was first published in 1930 in Russian and became one of Nabokov's first significant works.