The Gallery

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Willard Motley

Willard Motley’s 1947 masterpiece, *Knock on Any Door*, is **a gritty, naturalistic novel that traces the tragic downfall of Nick Romano**; a former Catholic altar boy who spirals into a life of crime and ultimately dies in the electric chair at age 21. **Plot Overview** The story follows Nick, a young immigrant whose life begins to unravel after his father’s business fails, forcing the family to relocate to a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Chicago. Caught up in petty crimes, he is sent to a brutal reform school that serves only to harden his resistance to authority. His life spirals through family conflicts, sordid sex, a tragic marriage, and ultimately culminates in his arrest for the murder of a police officer, setting the stage for a dramatic courtroom trial.

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Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, whom he sexually molests after he becomes her stepfather. "Lolita" is his private nickname for Dolores. The novel was originally written in English and first published in Paris in 1955 by Olympia Press. Later it was translated into Russian by Nabokov himself and published in New York City in 1967 by Phaedra Publishers. --- Also contained in: - Собрание сочинений русского периода в пяти томах: Смех в темноте / Lolita - Novels 1955-1962 - Works: Ada / Lolita

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Samuel Beckett

Mercier et Camier is a celebrated work by Samuel Beckett (Nobel Laureate), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Vladimir Nabokov

Priglashenie na kaznʹ is a celebrated work by Vladimir Nabokov (National Book Award Finalist), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.