[1] In the 1920s, Anton Petrovich, a Russian expatriate residing in Berlin, returns from a business trip to a distressing discovery: his wife has been unfaithful with a friend named Berg.
[1][2] "An Affair of Honour" unfolds in Nabokov's signature style, weaving a complex tapestry of irony and subversion around the traditional theme of duels prevalent in Russian literature.
Originally titled "Podlets" ('The Cur' or 'The Scoundrel'), the story centers on Anton Petrovich, an expatriate Russian in 1920s Berlin, who, upon discovering his wife's infidelity with Berg, challenges him to a duel.
Anton's choice of incompetent seconds, Mityushin and Gnushke, adds to the farcical elements, echoing Nabokov's penchant for grotesque duos.
Anton's descent into moral abyss becomes the true denouement, emphasizing Nabokov's ability to creatively reimagine and deconstruct familiar themes from Russian cultural history.