How does Pnin portray an exiled Russian professor’s life in the United States?

In the novel Pnin (1957), Vladimir Nabokov depicts the life of Timofey Pnin, an exiled Russian professor navigating the challenges of his new environment at the fictional Waindell College in New York.1

The narrative serves as a comic and tender exploration of a defenseless intellectual attempting to reconcile his background with the complexities of American life. Rather than a grand epic, the story is episodic, focusing on Pnin’s personal struggles and his efforts to adapt to the academic and social landscape of the United States. The character’s experiences are further referenced in Nabokov’s later work, Pale Fire, which also examines the nuances of academic life.1