A Revolver to Carry at Night

“Absorbing…This slim, immersive novel cleverly examines the interior experiences of Véra Nabokov as she supports her famous husband’s literary career.” —Shelf Awareness

“A literary delight. Monika Zgustova’s A Revolver to Carry at Night gives voice to the nearly forgotten story of Véra, wife of renowned author Vladimir Nabokov. This is just the kind of novel I love—one that illuminates the significance of a strong, historical woman so that her sacrifices and victories are written and remembered.” —Sarah McCoy, New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of The Baker’s Daughter

“What a fascinating, intimate look into the complex marriage of Nabokov and his wife, Véra, the woman not only behind the man but making the man—without her, his masterpieces might not have been written. With elegant, precise language Zgustova creates a vivid, provocative portrayal of this passionate, enduring relationship. I couldn’t put it down.” —Jeanne Mackin, author of Picasso’s Lovers

“Vladimir Nabokov once said that without his wife, he wouldn’t have written a single novel. That certainly feels true in Monika Zgustova’s brilliant A Revolver to Carry at Night, in which Véra Nabokov emerges as a strong, formidable figure who left her mark on every aspect of her husband’s professional and personal lives. A fearless, intimate portrait of the Nabokovs’ complicated marriage and creative partnership, this is historical fiction at its finest.” —Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light

“A provocative take on an intriguing marriage.” —Kirkus Reviews

Monika Zgustova is an award-winning author whose works have been published in more than ten languages. Born in Prague, she studied comparative literature in the United States at the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago. She later moved to Barcelona, where she writes for El Pais, The Nation, and CounterPunch, among others.

As a translator of Czech and Russian literature into Spanish and Catalan, including the works of Havel, Kundera, Hrabal, Hasek, Dostoyevsky, Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, and Babel, Zgustova is credited with introducing major twentieth-century writers to Spain. Her book Dressed for a Dance in the Snow: Women’s Voices from the Gulag was a World Literature Today Notable Translation of the Year.

Julie Jones is Professor Emeritus of Spanish at the University of New Orleans. She has published widely on the Latin American writers of the “Boom,” with a focus on Luis Buñuel’s work, in numerous articles for journals such as Cineaste and Cinema Journal.

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