15/07/2026
Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) was a Russian-American novelist, poet, and lepidopterist known for his dazzling prose.
Born into an aristocratic family in St. Petersburg, he fled Russia after the 1917 Revolution and lived in Europe before settling in the US.
He wrote first in Russian, then switched to English and became famous worldwide.
His masterpiece Lo**ta (1955) is controversial yet praised for its linguistic brilliance and complex narrator.
Other major works include Pale Fire, Pnin, and Speak, Memory, his acclaimed memoir.
Nabokov’s style is known for wordplay, intricate patterns, unreliable narrators, and vivid detail.
He was also a serious butterfly researcher and taught literature at Cornell.
Later he lived in Switzerland, where he kept writing until his death.
He remains one of the 20th century’s most influential stylists, blending art and intellect in every sentence.
