What inspired or influenced vladimir nabokov to write lolita. The 10 best vladimir nabokov books publishers weekly. It was translated into french in 1953 as autres rivages. Vladimir nabokov on what makes a good reader brain pickings. In 1977, photographers larry sultan and mike mandel sifted through thousands of photographs in the files of the bechtel corporation, the beverly hills police department, the jet propulsion laboratories, the u. Nabokovs ars poetica, as i shall further evidence below. Vladimir nabokov biography vladimir nabokov biography and list of works vladimir nabokov books covid19 update april 29, 2020. Vladimir nabokov home libguides at princeton university. Nabokov always refused the label of satirist, and it would be an oversimplification to say that lolita merely skewers the materialism of fifties america. Nabokovs letters to vera slonim, beginning in 1921 and extending through their marriage. Five classics by vladimir nabokov that demonstrate his prowess for prose vladimir nabokov, one of the most famous russian writer of the twentieth century, spent a big part of his life in the us and consequently wrote in both russian and english. Witty, sensuous and profound, nabokovs story of a middleaged college professors passion for a honeyskinned, pubescent girl is one of the most evocative depictions of. Vladimir nabokov 18991977, born in st petersburg, exiled in cambridge, berlin, and paris, became the greatest russian writer of the first half of the twentieth century. To the editors with regard to the excerpt from edmund wilsons diaries concerning my father vladimir nabokov visiting nabokov and malraux, nyr, august 14.
This is a list of works by writer vladimir nabokov. Speak, memory is the one nabokov work outside his finest novels the. Commenting on the fact that the book takes the liberty to jump from one. He wrote a few good books, but the majority of the other stuff he wrote seems to be just pure resentful spleen against authors who did quite a bit better than he did. Translated from the russian, with a commentary, by vladimir nabokov.
Not only is ada his longest books, but it is also my opinion that it is the most literarily dense, truly a book which readers will have to return to again and again in order to understand all the genius which nabokov packed into this novel. Lolita 1955, nabokovs single most famous work, is one of the most controversial and widely read books of its time. A family chronicle 1969, the longest of nabokovs novels, is a witty and parodic account of a m. A family chronicle 1969, is his most excessive, both in its difficulty and in the pleasures it affords the rereader. Speak, memory, first published in 1951 as conclusive evidence and then assiduously revised in 1966, is an elegant and rich evocation of nabokovs life and times, even as it offers incisive insights into his major works, including lolita, pnin, despair, the gift, the real life of sebastian knight, and the defense. Vladimir nabokovs letters to vera, edited and translated. Please do not combine with the 1966 speak, memory, which is the autobiography revisited. Lolita that i absolutely adore, invitation to a beheading very interesting and written in kafkas style of writing dreamlike reality, the gift which i didnt liket too much and the original laura that is an incomplete manuscript but printed in nabokovs writing and hence a good. Jun 30, 2015 nabokov always refused the label of satirist, and it would be an oversimplification to say that lolita merely skewers the materialism of fifties america. Conclusive evidence, a memoir by vladimir nabokov goodreads. Feb 16, 2011 speak, memory, first published in 1951 as conclusive evidence and then assiduously revised in 1966, is an elegant and rich evocation of nabokovs life and times, even as it offers incisive insights into his major works, including lolita, pnin, despair, the gift, the real life of sebastian knight, and the defense. Nabokov himself translated into russian two books that he had originally written in english, conclusive evidence and lolita. Vladimir nabokov april 22, 1899july 2, 1977 was a man of wonderfully opinionated insights on literature and life.
People are going to be reading the brothers karamazov a lot longer than theyll be jumping to read and figure out all the ohsoclever russian puns in bend sinister. The story of how the great russianamerican writer vladimir nabokov conceived and created his masterpiece lolita, told in his own. Every page of this elegant psychopathic monologuea thief and murderers intelligent and restrained account of his inane and violent crimereveals banville. Of the major edifices he erected in english, his last, ada, or ardor. After reading each exam two or three times, he took the pile of blue books to professor nabokovs office, hoping finally to chat with the great man. Jan 28, 2010 in the case of vladimir nabokov, however, the converse seems to obtain. The second is a first edition of the novel podvig glory, 1932, which seems to have been nabokov s own copy, for it bears on the cover, in a hand resembling nabokov s, the authors name transliterated into roman characters as well as the notation nestor str. This is the first nabokov autobiography published in 1951 and loosely translated by the author into russian as. The first edition of an autobiographical memoir by vladimir. A synonym for the colloquial term incontrovertible evidence. Vladimir nabokov wrote lolita over a period of 5 years, finally finishing the novel on december 6, 1953.
Vladimir nabokov channelled by christopher plummer teaches kafka at cornell. First edition of nabokov s first novel published in english, one of only 1,500 copies printed. Vladimir nabokov was born on april 23, 1899, in st. Jun 10, 2011 the last substantial group of books and manuscripts to come directly from vladimir nabokov s family, scheduled to sell at auction on monday, june, 2011 by christies, has been sold en bloc prior to the auction by private treaty to an important collector. Conclusive evidence by vladimir nabokov librarything. Mar 18, 2003 and like pale fire, pnin explores the world of the emigre or exile coming to america from the old world. Irish novelist john banvilleknown to readers of mystery fiction as benjamin blackhad been writing novels for twenty years when, in 1989, the book of evidence was shortlisted for the booker. Several correspondents responded to my comments on nabokovs pale fire by suggesting that i read his most famous novel, lolita.
Yet, nabokov proved to many that his advanced age had no effects on his literary abilities. The listen links are to sound files in the aiff format, varying in size from 30200k. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the. The notecards on which vladimir nabokov wrote lolita. The second is a first edition of the novel podvig glory, 1932, which seems to have been nabokovs own copy, for it bears on the cover, in a hand resembling nabokovs, the authors name transliterated into roman characters as well as the notation nestor str. Vladimir nabokov readers of vladimir nabokovs novels might be slightly uncomfortable with them, were they not so aweinspiring. Lepidopteral 2000 nabokovs butterflies, collected works on butterflies. This library of america volume is the third of three devoted to vladimir nabokov, and contains the evanescent works of his later years. Lolita by vladimir nabokov, pale fire by vladimir nabokov, pnin by vladimir nabokov, ada, or ardor. Nabokov s books, biography, a timeline, discussion questions, etc. Although there is no evidence that nabokov ever met kinsey, nor that he actually.
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title conclusive evidence. The collection is of major value to nabokov scholars as well as to specialists in the areas of russian and american literary history and translation. I do not wish to belabor the late bunny wilson, who for years was fathers friend and who, during my childhood, regaled me with his ingenious. The novel made fourth place in the list of the modern library 100 best novels. Funny, satiric, poignant, filled with allusions to earlier american writers, it is the confession of a middleaged, sophisticated european emigres passionate obsession with a 12yearold american nymphet, and the story of their wanderings across a late 1940s america of. The nabokovs were known for their high culture and commitment to public service, and the elder nabokov was an outspoken opponent of antisemitism and one of the leaders of the opposition party, the kadets. For him, real life ended with a bang in the 1917 revolution. Help us create the kind of literary community youve always dreamed of. The 8 best vladimir nabokov books peter galen massey. Witty, sensuous and profound, nabokov s story of a middleaged college professors passion for a honeyskinned, pubescent girl is one of the most evocative depictions of unrequited love in the language. The book was first published in 1955 in paris, france and then in 1958 in new york, new york.
Jan 21, 20 vladimir nabokov april 22, 1899july 2, 1977 was a man of wonderfully opinionated insights on literature and life. Apr 20, 2018 from nabokovs 1964 interview in playboy, as reprinted in strong opinions i dislike intensely the brothers karamazov and the ghastly crime and punishment rigmarole. At the time he was writing conclusive evidence, nabokov explained to one of his correspondents that the book he was working on belonged to a new genre. The first part discusses the impact of ulysses on nabokovs novel the. What makes pninwork as well as it does is the title character, who is a professor of russian at a fictitious college in new england. Life, says one of vladimir nabokovs characters, makes a constant attempt to prove it is real. Alfred hitchcock and vladimir nabokov trade letters and ideas for a film collaboration 1964 nabokov reads lolita, names the great books of the 20th century. I had first thought that pnin was modelled after nabokov himself, but both from internal evidence and. Nabokov, arguably the greatest prose stylist since joyce, was born in russia and settled in the united states in 1939, living here until 1959. Also available are excerpts from nabokovs readings at harvard, recorded in. The story of how the great russianamerican writer vladimir nabokov conceived and created his masterpiece lolita, told in his own words and those of antonia byatt, martin amis. The meanest things vladimir nabokov said about other writers. From lewis carroll to vladimir nabokov and shirley jackson, the best of these stories combine fantasy with very real psychology published.
But in his elaborated works, proofread professionally many times. He was also, it turns out, equally opinionated in his criteria for what constitutes a good reader. I am somewhat wary of classics, having the same poor introduction to them as the majority of american public school students, and lolita has an additional stigma of being a controversial book some of which, like henry millers tropic of cancer, are better forgotten. Nabokovs book titled lolita 1955 is his most famous, and this is that book by nabokov which sting famously alludes to. Fleeing to the us with his family in 1940, he then became the greatest writer in english of the second half of the century, and even gods own novelist william deresiewicz. The papers of russian poet and novelist vladimir vladimirovich nabokov 18991977 are now open to researchers in the library of congress manuscript division. Nabokov joined the staff of wellesley college in 1941 as resident lecturer in comparative literature. The last substantial group of books and manuscripts to come directly from vladimir nabokovs family, scheduled to sell at auction on monday, june, 2011 by christies, has been sold en bloc prior to the auction by private treaty to an important collector. And like pale fire, pnin explores the world of the emigre or exile coming to america from the old world.
Visiting malraux and nabokov from the august 14, 1986 issue. The article suggests, in other words, that nabokovs obstinate and often petty. Vladimir nabokov marvels over different lolita book covers. Also available are excerpts from nabokov s readings at harvard, recorded in 1946, 1952, and 1964. Five classics by vladimir nabokov that demonstrate his. Oct 16, 2014 lolita 1955, nabokov s single most famous work, is one of the most controversial and widely read books of its time. Signed by the author on the halftitle page, vladimir nabokov wellesley jan.
Vladimir nabokov books biography and list of works author. A26 conclusive evidence speak, memory drugie berega, nabokovs memoir from his early consciousness in imperial russia in the first years of the twentieth century through to what he imagined was his sons. In the case of vladimir nabokov, however, the converse seems to obtain. If i take the historical mont blanc poster reproduced in my book nabokovs berlin to be a picture of the figure in question. Conclusive evidence hardcover january 1, 1951 by vladimir. Vladimir nabokov readers of vladimir nabokov s novels might be slightly uncomfortable with them, were they not so aweinspiring.