Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) was a Russian-American novelist, poet, and entomologist, widely regarded as one of the greatest prose stylists of the twentieth century. Born in Saint Petersburg to an aristocratic family, he fled Russia after the 1917 Revolution, living in England, Germany, and France before settling in the United States in 1940. He first wrote in Russian under the pseudonym "Sirin," producing acclaimed émigré novels such as The Defense (1930) and Invitation to a Beheading (1938). After mastering English, he created his most celebrated works, including Lolita (1955), the controversial tale of Humbert Humbert's obsession with the young Dolores Haze, now considered a landmark of modern literature. His other major works include Pnin (1957), Pale Fire (1962), an experimental novel structured as a long poem with commentary, and the sprawling Ada (1969). His memoir Speak, Memory (1951) is hailed as one of the finest autobiographies ever written. Beyond literature, Nabokov was a distinguished lepidopterist and a beloved professor at Wellesley and Cornell. His fiction is admired for its dazzling wordplay, intricate narrative structures, vivid imagery, and enduring themes of memory, obsession, exile, and artistic creation.