When Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions for his heirs to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that made up the rough draft of his final and unfinished novel, The Original of Laura. But Nabokov’s wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husband’s last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov, now seventy-five—the Russian novelist’s only surviving heir, and translator of many of his books—has wrestled for three decades with the decision of whether to honor his father’s wish or preserve for posterity the last piece of writing of one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His decision finally to allow publication of the fragmented narrative—dark yet playful, preoccupied with mortality—affords us one last experience of Nabokov’s magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.

As if writer Martin Amis, Knopf book designer Chip Kidd, and biographer Brian Boyd in conversation about Vladimir Nabokov were not a big enough draw for you, New York City’s 92nd St Y will also be displaying a dozen of the original 138 notecards that comprise The Original of Laura manuscript at their event on Monday, November 16th. A ticket to this 8:00 pm event is required for admission to the exhibit. For more information about the 92nd St Y’s “Celebration of Vladimir Nabokov,” visit their website.