Reddit reviews Nabokov's Congeries

Buy Nabokov's Congeries--it's a collection of stories, self-contained parts of some novels, the complete novel Pnin, essays, poems, and criticism. It's very good, and was put together with Nabokov's supervision before his death. Of his Russian novels, I can recommend The Defense, Laughter in the Dark, Despair, Invitation to a Beheading, and The Gift, especially The Gift. Of his English novels, I can recommend The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pnin, Pale Fire, Ada, and Transparent Things. If you're interested in his "philosophy of art" read his lectures on literature (collected in two volumes--European and Russian), his book entitled Nikolai Gogol (by the way Gogol is incredible), and perhaps Strong Opinons (a collection of interviews and essays--riotous stuff).