Nabokov is greater as a writer or poet. Brief Biography B

On April 22, 1899, writer, literary critic, translator, entomologist and passionate chess lover Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg. Today we remember the main milestones of his creative life.

Biography of Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov is perhaps the most scandalous, controversial and mysterious figure of the first wave of emigration. What they accused him of: breaking with the Russian literary tradition, and in pornography, and in cold snobbery, and even in plagiarism. Thus, in the 2000s, it turned out that the story “Lolita” with a similar plot was allegedly written by the German writer Heinz von Lichberg 40 years before the release of Nabokov’s novel (however, the hype quickly subsided, although new scandals were not long in coming).

Nabokov led a secluded life and did not communicate with former compatriots, making the only exception for Bella Akhmadulina. Rarely did anyone receive his praise, except perhaps the same recluses as himself, for example, Sasha Sokolov with his “School for Fools.” Typically, reviews of Nabokov’s work have always been contradictory: Kuprin called him a “talented idle dancer,” Bunin a “monster” (while adding: “But what a writer!”), and Soviet critics called him a writer “without roots.” Let's try to sort through the heap of opinions and understand what this one really was like. extraordinary person, after which the asteroid was named in 1985.

Happy St. Petersburg childhood of Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg, in a house on Bolshaya Morskaya Street, 47. On the second floor, according to the words of the author, who was always sensitive to small and seemingly insignificant details. This mansion, which combined the features of Baroque, Art Nouveau and Renaissance in its architectural decoration, was purchased by the grandfather of the future writer, Ivan Rukavishnikov, for 300 thousand rubles. Riga stained glass, Gothic windows, main staircase, bronze, walnut-trimmed fireplace - in these luxurious interiors little Volodya tormented his bonnes and governesses, because, according to his own statement, he was a spoiled and wayward child. Tellingly, the boy learned to read English earlier than Russian: his parents were convinced Anglophiles, but at the same time they spoke fluent French and, of course, their native language (this is the cosmopolitanism that later became business card our hero).

Despite his classical European upbringing, Nabokov paid great attention to the Russian cultural tradition. Thus, he noted more than once that he was born a hundred years after Pushkin, his nanny was from the same place as Arina Rodionovna, and as a child he went for walks in Summer garden, like Evgeny Onegin. Of course, we don’t know what was more in these parallels - literary game, bravado or seriousness and his awareness of continuity, but the author maintained a connection with Alexander Sergeevich throughout his life. Hence the painstaking translation of “Eugene Onegin” into English, the compilation of cultural commentaries, and lectures on Pushkin’s work.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: in this chapter, Vladimir is young, brushing his teeth with London toothpaste, listening english fairy tales, which mother reads at night, plays tennis, slides along the railings of her parents’ mansion and relaxes in the summer on the Vyra estate near Gatchina.

A few years before the revolution, Nabokov inherited from his maternal grandfather a million-dollar fortune and the luxurious Rozhdestveno estate in the same region - this, by the way, is another important Nabokov locus, praised by him more than once. " Christmas manor<... >was, they said, built on the ruins of the palace where Peter the Great, who knew a lot about disgusting tyranny, imprisoned Alexei. Now it was a charming, extraordinary house. After almost forty years, I can easily restore both the general feeling and its details in my memory: the checkered marble floor in the cool and sonorous hall, the heavenly light from above, white galleries, a sarcophagus in one corner of the living room, an organ in another, the bright smell of greenhouse flowers everywhere, purple curtains in the office<...>and the unforgettable colonnade of the rear facade, under the romantic canopy of which they concentrated in 1915 happiest hours my happy youth“,” the writer recalled in his autobiographical novel “Other Shores.”

Nabokov received his education at one of the most expensive and prestigious institutions - the Tenishevsky School on Mokhovaya Street (among the famous graduates were Osip Mandelstam, linguist and literary critic Viktor Zhirmunsky, and in 1921, four years after Nabokov, Korney Chukovsky graduated from it).

They drove Vladimir to his alma mater by car - luxury and foppishness even for the capital. This is what is important: during his studies, Vladimir became interested in literary creativity and entomology (by the way, it was these two faithful companions that accompanied him throughout his life). At the same time, his amazing property appeared - the worship of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. " I learned to conjure and revive the past, God knows when early years- back when, in essence, there was no past“,” Nabokov noted in “Other Shores.”

Literary debut

Using the money he inherited, the sixteen-year-old, tormented by the delight and despair of his first love for Valya Shulgina, published his debut poetry collection with the simple title “Poems”. That youthful book caught the eye of the director of the school and part-time poet and literature teacher Vladimir Vasilyevich Gippius, who, frankly speaking, was not delighted with such opuses and did not fail to tear them to smithereens in one of the classes to the approving laughter of the Tenishevites. And his cousin Zinaida Nikolaevna Gippius, who also has an ulcer, at one of the meetings Literary Fund categorically declared to the father of the young poet: “ Please tell your son that he will never be a writer." However, she tended to make mistakes: for example, in 1920, the poetess still believed that the Bolsheviks would be overthrown and a return to Russia would be possible.

By the way, Nabokov himself had a low opinion of his youthful literary experiments and never republished them subsequently. Nevertheless, the beginning of creativity was laid back then, in 1916.

Years of revolution and departure

After the October events, the Nabokovs (with the exception of the father of the family) moved to Crimea. Vladimir Dmitrievich, cadet in his own way political beliefs, hoped to the last that the catastrophe could be prevented, but, alas, he soon left St. Petersburg to join his relatives. The same house, " three-story, pink granite mansion with a flowery strip of mosaic above the upper windows", in 1918 he was nationalized for non-payment of city taxes (4 thousand 467 rubles, according to historical documents). A certain Danish agency settled in it, as Vladimir Vladimirovich himself wrote, and its further fate eluded former owner. But it was this house that became an integral part of Nabokov’s novels and stories: the writer generously shared his favorite interiors with his heroes (with Luzhin, Sebastian Knight and many others). The estate in Rozhdestveno was even more unlucky than the mansion on Bolshaya Morskaya: it contained a dormitory for a veterinary college, a Nazi headquarters, and a rural school. And if stained glass windows, wooden panels and stairs remained from the St. Petersburg house, then in Nabokov’s summer home practically nothing was preserved in its original form. However, Nabokov himself did not yearn for material things and in his usual manner wrote: “ My long-standing differences with the Soviet dictatorship have nothing to do with property issues. I despise the Russian bison who hates the communists because they allegedly stole his money and tithes. My homesickness is just a kind of hypertrophy of longing for a lost childhood." But what awaited the family in Crimea? " You, wild and fragrant land, like a rose given to me by God, sparkle in the temple of memory!“- Vladimir will write about these places already in exile. Firstly, it was in Crimea that he met the poet and landscape artist Maximilian Voloshin and studied the metric theories of the symbolist Andrei Bely. Secondly, there Nabokov learned what literary success: his texts were actively published in local newspapers and aroused approval among the public, who in blissful escapism took refuge from bloody battles with the help of theater and writing. And thirdly, it was in Crimea that he finally parted ways with Russia (in its visible and material embodiment). Through Turkey, Greece and France, the Nabokov family went to England, and already in 1919 Vladimir became a student at Cambridge. At first he chose entomology as a specialization, but then preferred literature to it.

Emigration and family tragedy

During his studies, Nabokov read a lot of Russian literature. classic literature and continuously wrote poetry in Russian. Almost everyone was dedicated to the lost Russia and filled with bitterness: “ I'm in captivity, I'm in captivity, I'm in captivity!"Here is the paradox: Nabokov, raised in traditions from childhood English culture, felt hopelessly alone and alien in real Great Britain, and called his situation nothing more than “exile.”

However, Nabokov nevertheless recreated his island of Russia - he founded the Slavic Society at Cambridge University. At the same time, during his studies, the writer translated Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” into Russian, changing and reworking the text in his own way (for example, “his” main character became Anya).

In February 1922, after Vladimir passed his final exams at Cambridge with honors, the Nabokov family moved to Berlin. Alas, happiness and a calm life did not await them in the new place - at the end of March a tragedy occurred: Black Hundred terrorists shot the writer’s father at a lecture by cadet leader Pavel Miliukov. " I remember this night journey as something that happened outside of life and as something painfully slow, like those mathematical puzzles that torment us in the half-sleep of feverish delirium.<...>The only real thing in the whole world was the grief that surrounded me, suffocating me, squeezing my heart. Father is not in the world“- this is how Nabokov recalled that terrible day in his diaries.

Heart stories and hatred of Berlin

The sudden death of his father, longing for Russia, general instability - all this weighed on Vladimir. He repeatedly called Berlin “foreign and hateful” (and endowed this feeling with his hero, Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, from the novel “The Gift”).

In Germany, Nabokov was engaged in tutoring: he taught English. By the way, his late father’s comrades sincerely tried to help Vladimir and got him a job at a bank, but it only lasted for exactly three days. That, frankly speaking, not the happiest period also included Nabokov’s engagement to Svetlana Sievert, the daughter of a mining railway engineer. In November 1922, he published two collections of poetry - “The Bunch” and “The Mountain Path”, some of the poems were dedicated to his beloved, and everything would have been fine, but the prospect of having a poor son-in-law did not really appeal to her parents. A few months later the engagement was officially called off, and the would-be groom immediately wrote a poignant poem by Finis: “ No need for tears! Oh, who torments us like this? No need to remember, no need to do anything...." Fortunately, Svetlana married a promising chemical engineer, Nikolai Andro-de-Langeron, and 24-year-old Vladimir soon met his future wife, muse and advisor, St. Petersburg resident Vera Evseevna Slonim, who reconciled the writer with Berlin reality (they got married only two years later) . It is not surprising that it was Nabokov’s beloved who inspired him to write his first Russian-language novel, Mashenka, which was published in 1926.

Fruitful period

The theme of loneliness in a foreign land and love encounters found a strong response in emigrant circles. Yesterday's debutant Sirin (this was the pseudonym of Vladimir Nabokov) was willingly invited to publish in reputable magazines, and he worked hard and fruitfully, composing more and more new works. Already in 1927, he began writing the chess novel “Luzhin’s Defense”, in 1929 he published the book “King, Lama, Jack” (for the first time only with foreign, not Russian heroes!), and a year later - the story “The Spy” and a collection of stories and poems, “The Return of Chorba.” No, no, no churning out “hot cakes” with a focus on bestsellers: with each subsequent text, Nabokov combined different literary techniques, polished and complicated his style, making the images visible and prominent, and the twists of the plot unpredictable and non-trivial. " He is more modern than many foreign writers. These are the ones who have an “ironic attitude towards life.” Here's who will soon be a candidate for Nobel Prize ”, wrote Bunin’s wife, Vera Nikolaevna, in 1931. And this despite the fact that Ivan Alekseevich himself had an ambivalent attitude towards his fellow writer - he either admired him or enviously condemned him.

In 1932, the writer’s fourth Russian-language novel, “Feat,” was published. tragic story Russian emigrant Martyn Edelweiss, who decided to illegally cross the border and enter Russia through Latvia. The Swiss blood flowing in his veins did not help in any way to “fit in” to European reality and did not weaken the desire to return - of course, absolutely insane and not promising anything good. " Martin seemed to have disappeared into thin air“That’s all the author tells us at the end of the novel.

In the same year, the novel “Camera Obscura” was published - a tribute to the writer’s passion for the art of cinema. (By the way, Nabokov was not only an avid cinephile, but also worked for some time as an extra in the crowd.) “ The cinematographic novel is essentially very serious. It touches on a theme that has become fatal for all of us - the theme of the terrible danger hanging over our entire culture, distorted and blinded by forces, among which cinematography, of course, is far from the strongest, but perhaps the most characteristic and expressive“,” Vladislav Khodasevich wrote about the novel. It is also noteworthy that in this work, for the first time, the line of vicious love of an adult man, art critic Kretschmar, for 16-year-old Magda - the future shoots of "Lolita" - was outlined.

And what happened next? Firstly, in 1934, a significant event happened: a son, Dmitry, was born into the family of Vladimir and Vera, who later became the main translator English works father. Secondly. Nabokov continued to work hard: from 1934 to 1938, he released three more Russian-language novels: the intellectual-criminal “Despair”, the encrypted dystopia “Invitation to Execution” and “The Gift”, which simultaneously combined both poetry and prose. After that, the author wrote only in English (not counting, of course, his own translations).

Life in America

In 1936, life in hated Berlin becomes more and more dangerous: Hitler appoints General Bikupsky as head of the “Russian National Administration”, and his deputy, Taboritsky, the murderer of Nabokov’s father. (In his English novel“Memory, speak!” the writer calls him “a dark scoundrel, whom Hitler appointed to manage the affairs of Russian emigrants during the Second World War.”) Fearing for his family, Nabokov took them to Paris, but life there looked more than difficult: the Second World War began World War, and the city froze in anticipation of bombing. " Last year, Khodasevich died on a sagging mattress, on torn sheets, without money for a doctor or medicine. This year I come to Nabokov: he lies the same", wrote Nina Berberova. Fortunately, the love and devotion of his wife, as well as his creativity, saved the writer: in 1937 he created his first English-language novel, “The True Life of Sebastian Knight,” and at the end of 1939 he wrote the story “The Wizard,” another literary “prequel.” "Lolita".

In 1940, the Nabokovs with great difficulty(on the last flight of the Champlain liner!) escaped to America, which became not just a temporary refuge for them, but a home for 19 years.

For the writer, this period was more than happy: Vladimir Vladimirovich continuously lectured on Russian and world literature, was engaged in translations, did not abandon his entomological research and, by his own admission, “ went bald, gained weight, acquired wonderful hair fake teeth ». « I love this country... Along with dips into wild vulgarity, there are peaks where you can have wonderful picnics with “understanding” friends"- Nabokov writes to his sister in 194S. A little more than 20 years later, in an interview, the writer admits to journalists: “ America is the only country where I feel intellectually and emotionally at home».

In the 1950s, Nabokov continued to write English-language novels, and although not all enjoyed commercial success, this in no way weakened creative potential author. However, real triumph awaited him in 1955, when the French publishing house Olympia Press published Lolita - without exaggeration, his most scandalous work and, according to numerous ratings, one of the most important texts of the 20th century. It was this novel that was included in the hundred best books, released in the USSR in 1989 - and this after many years of bans!

Lolita era

In 1948, Nabokov began work on Lolita, the story of the criminal love of an adult man for the charming nymphet Dolores. What masterly myths did not accompany the creation and publication of this text! It was even rumored that Nabokov himself wanted to burn his explosive novel or planned to publish the manuscript anonymously, fearing too violent a negative reaction. By the way, some researchers believe that Humbert Humbert had real prototype: a certain Victor X... a polyglot and a native of a Russian noble family, who shared his specific inclinations with the psychologist Havelock Ellis (Nabokov received the text of the conversations from the American literary critic and writer Edmond Wilson).

However, even if the outline of the plot was drawn from this unusual “confession”, then everything else is a figment of the author’s imagination and language game. European censors greeted the novel with hostility: the Sunday Express publishing house completely withdrew the circulation of Lolita, and it was eventually banned in England, France and other countries. " It is difficult for me to imagine a regime, whether liberal or totalitarian, in my prim homeland, under which the censor would allow Lolita“,” Nabokov himself admitted. And yet the book was published with an unprecedented scandal.

« Lolita" brought Nabokov money, but it distorts the true face of the writer, interesting in many respects", writes Zinaida Shakhovskaya.

By the way, the author was not completely satisfied with the publication of his text, he was especially embarrassed by the reputation of the Olympia Press publishing house (with their craving for the savory, provocative and avant-garde: it was there that Beckett’s “Molloy” was first published, and a little later - the scandalous “Naked Burroughs' breakfast). But, be that as it may, Shakhovskaya was telling the truth: it was “Lolita” that brought the writer enormous commercial success, thanks to which he left teaching and moved to Montreux, a Swiss town located on the shores of Lake Geneva.

On your last other shore

The Nabokovs never acquired own home, although they could afford to furnish their home in any interior decoration. They settled in the luxurious Montreux Palace Hotel, enjoying the regularity and mildness of the local climate. Walking with his wife along the lake, playing Scrabble, reading, chess problems and, of course, catching butterflies on the fragrant slopes - this was the typical daily routine of the writer.

In November 1968, the English-language version of his prose debut, Mashenka, will be released, in the preface to which Nabokov unexpectedly writes: “ Due to the extraordinary distance and the fact that nostalgia remains our crazy companion all our lives, whose heartbreaking extravagant actions we have already learned to endure in public, I do not feel any discomfort in admitting the sentimental nature of my attachment to my first book" It was in Montreux that Nabokov wrote "Hell" - a scandalous work, in a sense a continuation of "Lolita", as well as the little-known novels "Translucent Objects" and "Look at the Harlequins!"

In March 1977, a few months before his death, the writer agreed to host the poetess Bella Akhmadulina, who later recalled in her characteristic emotional manner: “ He asked: “Do you really find my Russian good?” Me: “It doesn’t get any better.” He: “I thought these were frozen strawberries”<...>Nabokov knew that his books were not published in the Soviet Union, but he asked with some hope: “Can I borrow something of mine from the library (he emphasized the “o”)?” I threw up my hands».

On July 2, Nabokov died on his last other shore, in a Swiss hospital. His son Dmitry recalled that his father’s eyes were filled with tears that day. “Some butterflies have already begun to take flight,” Nabokov said quietly.

The writer’s earthly existence ended almost 39 years ago, and his return to his homeland, to the Russian reader, continues to this day. Hundreds of bluebirds still fly out of Nabokov’s books, rustling their pages, leaving a nostalgic trace in the soul.

• Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was born on April 22 (10), 1899 in St. Petersburg.
• Nabokov's father, Vladimir Dmitrievich, was an aristocrat, a member of the first Russian Duma from the Cadet Party, for which he was once arrested and spent several months in prison. Before the revolution, he was the manager of the affairs of the Provisional Government.
• Nabokov's mother, Elena Rukavishnikova, also came from a noble family.
• High origin affected the development of the future writer. His family was one of the richest in Russia, and nothing prevented Vladimir Nabokov from “learning to read English before reading Russian,” getting involved in chess, sports and entomology, that is, receiving an excellent education at home.
• 1911 - Vladimir Nabokov enters the St. Petersburg Tenishev Commercial School.
• 1914 - Nabokov writes his first poem.
• 1916 - Nabokov’s first book “Rhymes” is published in St. Petersburg (with the money of his parents).
• 1917 - after the revolution, the Nabokovs move to Yalta.
• March 1919 - The Nabokovs leave Russia. From Sevastopol they go first to Constantinople, then to London.
• 1919 - 1922 - Vladimir Nabokov studies in Cambridge, at Trinity College. Specializes in Romance and Slavic languages ​​and literature.
• August 1920 - the writer’s parents move to Berlin, where his father occupies the post of editor of the Russian newspaper Rul. It is in this newspaper that his son Vladimir’s poems, translations and prose are published.
• March 1922 - Nabokov receives a doctorate in French and Russian literature from Cambridge University. Comes to Berlin to visit his family. Soon, here, at the Slovo publishing house, the second collection of his poems, “The Nail,” will be published.
• At first in Germany, the aspiring writer had to earn a living by compiling chess games for German newspapers, taking tennis and swimming lessons, and occasionally even starring in minor roles in films.
• 1923 – a collection of poems “Mountain Path” was published. In the same year, Nabokov met his future wife Vera Slonim at one of the emigrant balls.
• 1924 - Vladimir Nabokov completes work on his first independent play, “The Tragedy of Mister Morn” (until now there were only translations). The work is published in Rule.
• April 25, 1925 - Nabokov marries Vera Slonim.
• The same year, the first novel “Mashenka” and the play “The Man from the USSR” were written. Nabokov works under the pseudonym V. Sirin.
• 1929 - the Nabokov family travels first to Paris, then to the Pyrenees. At the same time, Nabokov began working on the book “The Defense of Luzhin.” The novel is published first chapter by chapter in Rul, then published as a separate book by the Slovo publishing house.
• Beginning of the 1930s - Vladimir Nabokov’s novels “The Spy,” “Feat,” “Camera Obscura,” and “Despair” are published in the magazine “Modern Notes” (Paris).
• May 10, 1934 - birth of son Dmitry.
• 1936 - the novel “Invitation to Execution” was written and published.
• 1937 - The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, carry out their policies in Germany. Fearing for his family, Nabokov takes his family to Paris. Here in the almanac " Last news“The writer’s next novel, “The Gift,” is published.
• 1938 - two plays were completed, one of which was begun in Russia. These are "The Event" and "The Invention of the Waltz". Both are published in Russian Notes.
• 1940 - the writer and his family move to the USA. Vladimir Nabokov begins working at the Museum national history in NYC.
• 1941 – publication of the first novel on English language"The Real Life of Sebastian Knight".
• 1942 - Nabokov begins working as a researcher at the Museum of Zoology in Harvard University. At the same time, he teaches Russian literature at Wellesley College three times a week.
• 1944 - articles about Gogol were written; in the same year, a book in English, “Three Russian Poets,” was published, which included translations of Pushkin, Lermontov and Tyutchev made by Nabokov.
• 1945 - The Nabokovs receive American citizenship.
• 1948 - the writer becomes a professor of Russian and European literature at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York).
• 1954 – the novel “Other Shores” is published.
• 1955 - “Lolita” was written. Four American publishing houses refuse to publish the work, and the novel is published in Paris by Olympia Press. It is this book that for the first time brings its author financial independence and world fame. The secret of success lies in the scandalous nature of the novel, which was declared “pornographic” by the censors.
• 1956 - a collection of stories “Spring in Fialta” is published (New York).
• 1958 - “Lolita” was published in the USA.
• 1960 - The Nabokovs move from the USA to Europe, to Switzerland. Check into the Montreux Palace Hotel. Nabokov almost never had his own house, only in Russia. In exile, he used rented apartments, hotels, and government housing.
• The same year, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” translated by Vladimir Nabokov, was published in the United States.
• 1962 - Stanley Kubrick makes the film Lolita.
• 1964 - “Eugene Onegin” was translated and published with extensive commentary by the writer.
• 1960 – 1970s – Nabokov writes and translates mainly short stories(stories), which are published in collections of 13–14 each.
• July 2, 1977 - Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov dies in Lausanne (Switzerland). Buried in Clarence.
• 1986 - in the USSR, the novel “The Defense of Luzhin” was published for the first time in the magazines “64” and “Moscow”.

Vladimir Nabokov - outstanding writer. In addition, he was a poet, literary critic, entomologist, translator and teacher. Vladimir Nabokov is the only Russian author who created works in foreign language(English), as well as in your native language. Nabokov's biography is described in detail in this article.

His style is very rich, varied, unique and bright. The most famous works Nabokov's novel "Lolita", which has already been filmed several times, as well as "The Defense of Luzhin", "Mashenka", "The Gift", "Invitation to Execution". All these works are interesting in their own way.

Nabokov's range of interests

It should be said that the range of interests of this writer was very wide. Vladimir Nabokov made a great contribution to lepidopterology (this compound word called the branch of entomology that studies Lepidoptera). Nabokov discovered twenty species of butterflies. The biography, briefly outlined, does not imply a detailed acquaintance with this hobby of his, because Vladimir Vladimirovich interests us, first of all, as a writer. However, it must be said that Vladimir Nabokov is the author of eighteen scientific articles. It contains 4324 copies. He donated it to the Zoological Museum belonging to the University of Lausanne.

In addition, the biography of such a writer as Vladimir Nabokov is noted for teaching domestic and world literature. He is responsible for the translations into English of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” and “Eugene Onegin”. This writer was also fond of chess, in which he was quite strong player. He published several interesting chess problems.

Origin of Nabokov

Nabokov's biography begins on April 10, 1899 - that's when he was born. He came from an aristocratic family. The father of the future writer was Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov, a famous politician. The family spoke three languages: their native Russian, as well as French and English. Thus, Vladimir Vladimirovich with youth was fluent in these languages. According to him in my own words, Nabokov learned to read English before he learned Russian.

Childhood, training at the Tenishevsky School

The future writer's early childhood was spent in prosperity and comfort in his parents' house, located in St. Petersburg, on Bolshaya Morskaya. The family also visited a country estate located near Gatchina (its photo is presented above).

Vladimir Nabokov began his studies at the St. Petersburg Tenishevsky School. Osip Mandelstam was educated in this educational institution shortly before him. Entomology and literature became the main hobbies of Vladimir Vladimirovich. At his own expense, shortly before the revolution, he published a collection of his own poems.

Emigration, studying in Cambridge

After the revolution of 1917, the Nabokov family moved to Crimea, and a little later, in 1919, the Nabokovs decided to emigrate. They managed to take some jewelry with them, and the family lived on this money in Berlin. At this time, Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov continued his studies at Cambridge. His biography during these years is marked by the fact that he continued to write poetry in Russian, and also translated L. Carroll’s work “Alice in Wonderland” into his own language. native language.

Death of Nabokov's father

In March 1922, a tragedy occurred in the Nabokov family. The head of the family, Vladimir Dmitrievich, was killed. This tragic event happened during the lecture “America and the Restoration of Russia” by P. N. Miliukov, held in the writer’s father tried to stop the radical who shot Miliukov, but was killed by his partner.

Marriage, first stories and first novel

Since 1922, Vladimir Nabokov became a member of the Russian diaspora living in Berlin. He earned his living by teaching English. Nabokov's stories began to appear in Berlin publishing houses and newspapers organized by emigrants from the USSR. An important event What happened in the writer’s personal life was in 1925 - he got married. His chosen one was Vera Slonim. Vladimir Vladimirovich met this woman at a costume ball. One of the most important reasons his development as a writer is his happy family life. Nabokov's first novel, entitled Mashenka, appeared shortly after its author's marriage.

Works in Russian

Until 1937, Vladimir Nabokov wrote eight more novels in Russian. His author's style became more and more complex, the writer made more and more daring experiments with form. IN Soviet Russia Nabokov's novels were not published, but they were a success among Western emigration. In our time, these works are considered masterpieces and classics of Russian literature, especially novels such as "The Gift", "The Defense of Luzhin" and "Invitation to Execution".

Emigration to the USA, novels in English

At the end of the 1930s, the policies pursued by the Nazi authorities in Germany led to the disappearance of the Russian diaspora in Berlin. From then on, Nabokov’s life with his Jewish wife in this country became impossible, so he moved to Paris. Later, when World War II began, the writer emigrated to the United States. After the Russian diaspora ceased to exist in Europe, Vladimir Vladimirovich finally lost Russian-speaking readers. For Nabokov, the only way out was to start writing in English. He wrote the first novel created in this language in Europe, before leaving the USA. It's called The True Life of Sebastian Knight. And from 1937 until the end of his life, Vladimir Vladimirovich did not write another novel in Russian. He just translated "Lolita" into his native language, and also wrote an autobiography in it ("Other Shores").

In the period from 1940 to 1958, Vladimir Nabokov, while in America, earned his living by lecturing at American universities. These lectures are devoted to domestic and world literature.

Interesting facts about Nabokov the teacher

The writer Nabokov was distinguished by significant originality. His biography is also marked by many interesting facts. But as a teacher, Nabokov is no less interesting. It is known that he was distinguished by an unusual manner of lecturing. Vladimir Nabokov asked students to always sit in the same places. He strictly forbade them to engage in extraneous matters during the lecture. Vladimir Vladimirovich did not allow me to take the exam. This could only be done by presenting a doctor's certificate. Nabokov prepared most carefully for all his lectures. He studied the biography and work of this or that author in great detail. The writer carefully thought through what he would talk about. However, the students had the feeling that the teacher was improvising a lot. Vladimir Vladimirovich had his own opinion about everything, and it could differ radically from the generally accepted one. In particular, this applies to his view of the works of Sholokhov, Chekhov, Dostoevsky and others. All his life Nabokov had an aversion to everything philistine, vulgar and banal.

First English-language novels, Lolita

Nabokov's first English-language novels were "The True Life...", already mentioned above, as well as "Under the Sign of the Illegitimate." These works, despite all their artistic merits, were not commercial success.

During these years, Vladimir Vladimirovich became close friends with some other literary scholars. He continues to practice entomology professionally. Traveling around the USA during the holidays, its author, V. Nabokov, is working on the creation of the novel “Lolita”. The biography and work of this writer are of interest to many precisely because he is the creator of this work. Its theme is the story of an adult man who became infatuated with a 12-year-old girl. For its time, this topic was unthinkable, which is why the writer had practically no hope even that the novel would be published, not to mention its recognition. Nevertheless, success was not long in coming. First, "Lolita" was published in Europe, and after some time - in America. This novel immediately brought financial prosperity to the writer and world fame. It is curious that the work, which Nabokov himself noted, originally appeared in Olympia, a very odious publishing house. This publishing house, as the author of “Lolita” realized after its text was published, mainly specialized in “semi-pornographic” novels and works close to them.

Return to Europe, latest works

Nabokov's biography is further marked by his return to Europe. The writer has lived in the city since 1960. His latest novels appear here, among which the most famous are Ada and Pale Fire. Nabokov's biography ends in 1977. It was then that the writer died, having lived to be 78 years old. "Laura and her original" - last novel Nabokov, which remained unfinished. It was published in November 2009 in English. In the same year, the publishing house "Azbuka" published a Russian translation of this work.

He said that this writer has a noble heart and a strong will. The works of the master of the pen attracted the attention of critics of various orientations; he was often accused of pornography, a break with the Russian literary diaspora, excessive snobbery and even creative theft.

But it is worth saying that Nabokov’s stories were among the most read and reviewed in the literature of the Russian diaspora in the 20s and 30s. Vladimir Vladimirovich’s books are read to this day: critics meticulously discuss his novels, famous directors produce films, and writers look for new grains in his amazing and multifaceted biography.

Childhood and youth

Born April 10 (22), 1899 in the city on the Neva great writer, who left a mark in the history of both Russian and American literature. The future novelist, along with his brothers and sisters, was brought up in a privileged noble family and did not know what poverty was. Vladimir Nabokov has a rich pedigree: the writer used to say that the ancestors of his paternal grandmother can be traced back to the 14th century.

The writer's father - the son of the Minister of Justice Dmitry Nikolaevich - was called Vladimir. In 1887 he graduated from school with a gold medal. Vladimir Sr. personified courage, integrity and honesty. He worked as a lawyer, was the founder of the Cadet Party, and was also known as a journalist and political figure. Honor and dignity were the main components for Vladimir Dmitrievich.

In 1911, a man threw down a white glove to the Russian playwright Mikhail Suvorin, who at that time was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Novoye Vremya”. The reason for the competition was the publication of journalist Nikolai Snessarev, where the provocateur spoke impartially about the Nabokov family, calling this gentleman “a man who married money.” However, the fight never took place. It is noteworthy that before this incident, the writer’s father spoke unflatteringly about the duel and believed that the cruel tradition was contrary Russian legislation And common sense.

The writer’s mother, Elena Ivanovna, came from a noble family: she was the daughter of landowner and millionaire Ivan Vasilyevich Rukavishnikov, co-owner of the Lena gold mines.

Vladimir Nabokov's childhood passed in three-story house on Bolshaya Morskaya Street, which before the February Revolution was considered the main fashionable haven for aristocratic ladies and gentlemen. Also big family rested on her Vyra estate near Gatchina or traveled abroad - to Italy or Sweden.

Vladimir and Elena tried to give their offspring a decent education: the children read classical literature, and Benois and Dobuzhinsky came to teach them how to draw. Also, young Nabokov did not neglect sports: the boy loved tennis, football, cycling and playing chess. It is known that in the house of the future literary genius they spoke three languages ​​fluently: Russian, French and English, and the gifted boy mastered the latter to perfection.

And here is the Russian alphabet for little Lodi ( childhood nickname Nabokov) was initially difficult because the child rearranged everything in the English manner. For example, instead of the word “have breakfast” from Vladimir one could hear “breakfast” (“breakfast” in English - breakfast). After homeschooling Nabokov entered the Tenishev School, from which the poet once graduated Silver Age, prose writer Nikolai Stanyukovich, publicist Oleg Volkov and other famous literary figures.

Vladimir came to school by car, accompanied by a driver in livery. By the way, the Nabokov family had three cars, which at that time was considered an unprecedented luxury. During his studies, the young man zealously pored over literature and was interested in entomology, especially future writer loved collecting butterflies. It is noteworthy that these winged insects appeared in Vladimir’s works more than 570 times.

Literature

The creative biography of the master of the pen begins in 1916. Then the young writer publishes a poetry collection “Poems,” which includes 68 works. It is noteworthy that his teacher of Russian literature, Vladimir Gippius, criticized Nabokov’s first creative attempts to smithereens. He advised the student to forget about high art and direct his energies in a different direction. Fortunately, Lodi did not attach importance to the words of his teacher, letting his instructions fall on deaf ears.

In 1917, when Russian Empire the first seeds were “planted” October revolution, the Nabokov family was forced to flee to Crimea. There, the aspiring writer gained popularity: his works were published in the newspaper “Yalta Voice” and were also used by theater troupes. At the beginning of his work, Nabokov gave preference to poetry: in 1918, Nabokov published the almanac “Two Paths”, in which he published poetic works Vladimir and his classmate Andrei Balashov. Among other things, the writer gets acquainted with rhythmic theory, which he tries to implement in his works.

The Bolshevik coup dealt a blow to many families, and the Nabokovs were no exception. Therefore, the writer and his parents moved to Berlin, the largest center of Russian emigration of those years. While the family lives in the capital of Germany, Vladimir receives higher education at Cambridge University, later teaching English and also translating American literature.

In 1926, Nabokov's debut novel, Mashenka, was published. This book is soaked from cover to cover philosophical thought and discussions about the role of love on earth. It is worth noting that the plot of the work revolves around emigration, because main character Ganin moves from Russia to an unfamiliar country. The protagonist learns that the wife of his friend Alferov, Mashenka, is going to visit her husband. Seeing the girl’s photo, Ganin sees his ex-love, with whom he broke up when he was young. Therefore, the already forgotten feeling of the protagonist begins to fill his heart again, and Mashenka lives in memories, remaining behind the scenes in reality.

In general, Nabokov’s first book is the apogee of Bunin’s influence: Vladimir Vladimirovich tried to follow the beaten path of this writer. Therefore, in 1926, the student sent a copy of the first novel to his mentor with the signature: “Don’t judge me too harshly, I beg you.” Ivan Alekseevich did not even bother to answer the aspiring novelist, making notes on one of the pages of the book: “Oh, how bad!” The fact is that Bunin judged a writer’s talent by his elegance in literature, putting the author’s reasoning in the background.

Also in Berlin, Nabokov wrote the novels “The Gift” (1935–1937), “Invitation to Execution” (1935–1936), “Despair” (1934), etc. Most of the manuscripts were published in the journal “Modern Notes”, and Vladimir was recognized under the pseudonym “Sirin”.

In 1936, when Nabokov came to power, Nabokov’s wife was fired due to the xenophobia that was progressing in the country. From Berlin the road led to France, and from there the writer left for America, where from 1940 to 1958 he worked as a teacher at American universities. Vladimir Nabokov's lectures on literature were popular among students, because the master was one of those few teachers who could make any listener absorb knowledge like a sponge.

Having become a writer, Sirin invented his own style: his works were characterized by a bright and unique handwriting, which was later borrowed by some authors, for example, Sokolov or Bitov. Nabokov, like , meticulously analyzed state of mind the main characters and “mixed” all the synesthetic sensations and memories with an unpredictable climax and denouement. The master also loved puns and meticulous descriptions of even the most insignificant details.

In 1955, the Parisian publishing house Olympia Press published Vladimir Vladimirovich’s novel “Lolita” - the most famous philosophical work writer with a touch of frustration and eroticism. In the 1960s, Nabokov translated the work into Russian. By the way, “Lolita” is not the only work based on the love of an adult for a teenager. Before this, the writer published a book with a similar theme - “Camera Obscura” (1932).

“Lolita” is considered a world bestseller, but at first, for obvious reasons, the book suffered the same fate as Joyce’s novel “Ulysses.” Publishers considered Nabokov's plot pornographic, and in some countries a taboo was imposed on the work. And this is not surprising, because the master described the passionate feelings of an adult man for the 12-year-old nymphet Dolores.

However, Sirin himself was frightened by such thoughts, so at one time he wanted, like, to burn his manuscript, which was written thanks to the influence of the English sexologist Havelock Ellis. It was because of this eccentric novel that they did not dare to give Sirin the well-deserved Nobel Prize in Literature. Also, the story of a frivolous girl and her adult admirer was filmed twice: in 1962 (the script was written by Sirin himself), and in 1997, directed by Adrian Lyne.

Personal life

According to rumors, Nabokov was extremely amorous as a child: when he was 15, he fell in love with the peasant daughter Polya, and at the age of 16 he developed feelings for a plump, short girl, Valentina Shulgina. According to the writer's recollections, it was love at first sight. Young people met in secret and hid from the eyes of their parents. After graduating from the gymnasium, Nabokov promised to marry Tamara (as the writer called his passion), but after moving to Crimea their connection was severed. Shulgina became the prototype of Mashenka in the novel of the same name.

In 1922, Nabokov met with Svetlana Sievert, but their union was not successful: the beloved’s parents were against Vladimir, because they believed that the writer did not have permanent job.

In 1925, the writer married a girl of Jewish origin, Vera Solonim, who became the guardian of his literary heritage. For example, after the death of her husband, she translated Nabokov’s novel “Pale Fire”. This beautiful black-eyed woman not only shared the master’s love for creativity, but also engaged with him in his favorite pastime - catching butterflies. On May 10, 1934, a son, Dmitry, was born into the Nabokov family, who in the future became an American translator (including translating his father’s works) and an opera singer.

Death

In the last years of his life, Vladimir lived in a picturesque city in western Switzerland - Motres - and was engaged in literary activities. Notable novels written by Nabokov during this period include Pale Fire (1961) and Adu (1969).

In the summer of 1977, Vladimir Nabokov died of a severe bronchial infection. The body of the literary genius was cremated and buried in the Clarens cemetery. On the novelist’s grave it is written: “Vladimir Nabokov, writer.”

“Laura and Her Original” is the last and unfinished novel of the writer, published posthumously. The master left a will that the manuscript be destroyed, but the writer’s widow disobeyed her husband’s last wish and, shortly before her death, asked Dmitry to fulfill his father’s will. But in 2008, Dmitry Vladimirovich decided that the writer’s unfinished novel should be published.

Quotes

• “Loneliness, as a situation, can be corrected, but as a condition, it is an incurable disease.”
• "Three syllable formula human life: the irrevocability of the past, the insatiability of the present and the unpredictability of the future.”
• "Literature professors tend to come up with problems like, 'What was the author's intent?' or even worse: “What does the book want to say?” I belong to those writers who, having conceived a book, have no other goal than to get rid of it.”
• “Life is a big surprise. Perhaps death will be an even bigger surprise.”

Bibliography

• "Mashenka" (1926)
• "King, Queen, Jack" (1928)
• "Defense of Luzhin" (1930)
• "Feat" (1932)
• Camera Obscura (1932)
• "Despair" (1934)
• "Invitation to Execution" (1936)
• "The Gift" (1938)
• "The True Life of Sebastian Knight" (1941)
• "Under the Sign of the Illegitimate" (1947)
• "Lolita" (eng. Lolita) (1955)
• "Pnin" (eng. Pnin) (1957)
• "Pale Fire" (1962)
• "Ada, or the Joy of Passion: A Family Chronicle" (1969)
• "Laura and Her Original" (1975-1977, published posthumously in 2009)

Vladimir Nabokov was born on April 22, 1899 in St. Petersburg in a family that belonged to the highest circle of the capital's aristocracy. The Nabokov family dates back to the Russified Tatar prince Nabok Murza. The writer's grandfather Dmitry Nabokov, a kind of Karenin of L. N. Tolstoy, was the Minister of Justice in 1878 -1885. Father V.D. Nabokov is one of the leaders of the People's Freedom party, constitutional democrats (they were then called “cadets”), a friend of the leading liberal ministers of the Provisional Government P.N. Milyukov and A.I. Shingarev. On the side of his mother E.I. Rukavishnikova, the future writer belonged to the richest merchant family of the Rukavishnikovs, Siberian gold miners.
The most happy Days spent their childhood and youth in the Rozhdestvenskaya estate near St. Petersburg. All his life, Nabokov's father collected a unique library. Encyclopedic educated person, he instilled in children a love of reading. WITH early childhood Vladimir spoke three languages ​​fluently. “At three years old I spoke English better than Russian. I started studying French at the age of six,” the writer recalled.
The son passed on another passion of his father - hunting butterflies with the aim of creating scientific collections. All later life, wherever he lived, Vladimir Nabokov, along with literature, was engaged in entomology, i.e. studying butterflies; he is responsible for the discovery of one of its rare species.
At the age of eleven, Vladimir was enrolled in 2nd grade Tenishevsky School. Studying was easy for him. In addition, he was a great athlete. But those around him - both students and teachers - often accused Vladimir of individualism and unwillingness to participate in the life of the team. Eighteen-year-old Vladimir graduated from the school in the winter of 1917, passing his final exams a month before the official deadline.
At the time of the revolution, the Nabokov family moved to Crimea, where the father was a member of the white Crimean government. From there, young Nabokov, who retained some material values, family heirlooms, ended up in London, at Cambridge University, where he studied French literature and entomology.
In 1922, my father was killed in Berlin. But Nabokov the writer was immediately supported by his father’s comrades, former cadets, Socialist Revolutionaries (and “brothers” in the mighty Masonic lodge) like the publisher of the Berlin newspaper "Rul" V.I. Gessen. Friends of the father, and then publishers close to P. N. Milyukov, to the Slonim family, timber traders (Nabokov’s wife Vera Slonim was from their family) made the creative debut of Nabokov, a poet and prose writer, very noticeable and significant. Thanks to these same connections, Nabokov (like M.A. Aldanov), in fact, filled the pages of Sovremennye Zapiski, the leading emigration magazine.
In 1923, he published two books of poetry - “The Bunch” and “The Mountain Path”. In 1926 the novel “Mashenka” appeared, in 1929 - “The Defense of Luzhin”, in 1936 - “Invitation to Execution”, in 1938 - “The Gift”. He published these and other works - “Camera Obscura” (1933), “Despair” (1934), many stories - under the pseudonym “V. Sirin." In the mythology of the Middle Ages, Sirin is a bird of paradise-maiden with a female head and breast. She enchants people with heavenly singing and serves as a symbol of a homeless, persecuted soul.
In 1940, Nabokov left Nazi Germany and settled in France: his wife Vera Sloim under Hitler was threatened with displacement to Jewish ghetto or to a concentration camp. In 1940, the writer emigrated to the USA and for many years worked as a teacher in American colleges and universities. He writes most of his new works in English, including the popular novel Lolita (1955), which sold millions of copies, a bestseller about erotic vanity, the complexes of an elderly hero with empty soul, associated with attachment to a 12-year-old very vulgar heroine.
Nabokov lived the last years of his life in Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva, in a hotel in the town of Montreux. In English, Nabokov wrote two well-known American novels, Pale Fire and Ada, or the Passion.
The writer died of lung disease in 1977. On his grave near Montreux there is an inscription in French: “Vladimir Nabokov. Writer. 1899 - 1977".