Ebook: Vladimir Nabokov
- Tags: Authors American, Authors American--20th century, Authors Russian, Authors Russian--20th century, Biography, Biographies, Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich -- 1899-1977, Authors Russian -- 20th century -- Biography, Authors American -- 20th century -- Biography
- Series: Critical lives
- Year: 2010
- Publisher: Reaktion Books
- City: London;U.K
- Language: English
- epub
Best known for his deeply controversial 1955 novel, Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) is celebrated as one of the most distinctive literary stylists of the twentieth century. In Vladimir Nabokov, Barbara Wyllie presents a comprehensive account of the life and works of the writer, from his childhood and earliest stories in pre-revolutionary Russia, to The Original of Laura—a novel written almost entirely on index cards published for the first time in 2009, perhaps against Nabokov's wishes.
This literary biography investigates the author's poetry and prose, in both Russian and English, and examines the relationship between Nabokov's extraordinary erudition and the themes that recur throughout his works. His expertise as a specialist in butterflies complemented his wide knowledge of Russian and Western European culture, philosophy, and history, and informed the themes of transformation and transcendence that dominate his work. Wyllie traces his lifelong preoccupations...