Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

Pale Fire has two story-lines. One story takes place in New Wye, a small New England town, and the other takes place in a foreign land called Zembla. John Shade is a poet and professor who lives in New Wye. Shade is regarded as a success within literary circles. Shade's final work is a poem called "Pale Fire." It is divided into four cantos, and Shade dies before he writes the final line.

The novel, Pale Fire, includes a foreword, the text of Shade's poem, extensive commentary, and a table of contents. Charles Kinbote is the author of the foreword and commentary. Kinbote tells us that he is a literature professor. He was also Shade's next door neighbor. Kinbote comes from a country called Zembla, and he is rather lonely in the United States. Despite the mounting criticism of his peers, Kinbote has decided to edit Shade's poem and publish his commentary as well. Kinbote's detractors suggest that he is without sufficient academic qualifications, and too psychologically unstable to complete the work.

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