AllMovie

Russian-born novelist Vladimir Nabokov was considered one of the masters of 20th century prose. His novel Lolita both shocked and intrigued readers. Nabokov was also a prolific critic, having penned several lectures on literature, themselves explorations of world-famous writers. One of his subjects was Austrian author Franz Kafka. With both humor and intense scrutiny, Nabokov analyzes Kafka's absurd masterpiece in Nabokov on Kafka: Understanding The Metamorphosis. Christopher Plummer stars as Nabokov in this half-hour video re-enacting his lesson. Plummer breathes new life into the 1940s lectures, making them both real and accessible.