Vladimir Nabokov
Biography
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born into an affluent noble family in Saint Petersburg, he was trilingual from a young age (Russian, English, French). The Russian Revolution forced his family into exile, leading him to England, Germany, and later France, where he established himself as a prominent Russian émigré writer under the pseudonym Vladimir Sirin. In 1940, he moved to the United States, teaching literature at various universities, including Wellesley and Cornell, and becoming a naturalized citizen. His American period saw him transition to writing primarily in English, producing some of his most famous works, including "Lolita" (1955), which brought him international fame and financial security, allowing him to dedicate himself fully to writing and his passion for lepidopterology. He spent his final years in Montreux, Switzerland.
Selected Thoughts
«My private tragedy, which cannot, and indeed should not, be anybody's concern, is that I had to abandon my natural idiom, my untrammeled, rich, and infinitely docile Russian tongue for a second-rate brand of English.»
«The world is a disc, and we are but dust of stars on its spinning surface.»
«Curiously enough, one cannot read a book: one can only reread it. A good reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is a rereader.»
Writing Style
Nabokov's writing style is characterized by its exquisite, ornate, and highly stylized prose, often employing complex sentence structures, elaborate wordplay, puns, alliteration, and intricate allusions. He was a master of literary artifice, unreliable narration, and meta-fiction, often blurring the lines between reality and illusion. His works frequently showcase a meticulous attention to detail, a keen sense of irony, and a blend of intellectual rigor with sensual description, creating a unique aesthetic experience for the reader.