Finding Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) was one of the most fascinating literary figures of the 20th century. Known primarily as the author of Lolita, he was at first scorned as a pornographer but eventually hailed as the writer of a masterpiece. A Russian born into wealth and privilege, he was forced into exile by the Bolshevik Revolution. Married to a Jewish woman and living in poverty in Berlin, he fled first to Paris and then to America, always barely one step ahead of the Nazis. His 50-year career encompassed the creation of brilliant novels, teaching positions at Wellesley and Cornell, and work as a respected scientist in lepidoptery at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology.
This A–Z guide to Nabokov’s life and achievements runs the gamut from Academe, that rarefied, collegiate realm of Nabokov’s most biting satires, to Zoorland, a fictitious totalitarian country that bans the arts because they give talented people opportunities to rise above the masses.

Larry Gaffney taught composition and literature at Penn State University and Lock Haven University. He lives in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Larry Gaffney
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 211
Bibliographic Info: appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9134-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5078-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction 1
Chronology 3
Family, Friends, Associates, Places 4
Fictional Personae: The Primary Characters 5
A ­Bare-Bones Bibliography: The Titles of VN’s Most Important Books, with Dates of First Publication, and Abbreviations (If Consisting of More Than One Word) 6
Vocabulary 7
The Companion 11
Appendix: Secrets and Surprises Omitted from the Companion 189
Kubrick’s Lolita: A Short Quiz 189
Zarloff, Blossom 190
The Girl in Dirty Lit 190
Kinbote Redux 194
Bibliography 197
Index 199