In the twenties of the twenty-first century

Vladimir Nabokov, “A Guide to Berlin.” In The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov (1997).

Nabokov’s note on this story:

Written in December 1925 in Berlin, Putevoditel’ po Berlinu was published in Rul’, December 24, 1925, and collected in Voztrashchenie Chorba, Slovo, Berlin, 1930.

Despite its simple appearance, this “Guide” is one of my trickiest pieces. Its translation has caused my son and me a tremendous amount of healthy trouble. Two or three scattered phrases have been added for the sake of factual clarity.

V.N., Details of a Sunset and Other Stories, 1976

Here’s an old yellow streetcar in Berlin, date of manufacture unknown.

Related reading
All OCA Nabokov posts (Pinboard)