Acclaimed as one of Vladimir Nabokov’s best stories, Spring in Fialta’s is a haunting reminiscence of what was and might have been. A businessman travels widely across Europe. On many occasions, and in different cities, he coincidentally comes across and enjoys brief dalliances with the same enigmatic woman. Both are married and know each other’s partners. He has strong romantic feelings for her, but is unsure if they are reciprocated. A meeting in Fialta, in which he tentatively admits his love, is their last before her tragic death. Themes include memories and the past, fate, love and desire, death, loss.
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