Vladimir Nabokov

by Jane Grayson

A portrait of the celebrated Russian author's life includes coverage of his lifelong passion for butterflies and the forces that resulted in his exile and the loss of his family and social position. Reprint.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, History

146 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Daniel Chaikin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What a curious literary figure. Exceptionally cultured and well-read as an upperclass teenager in St Petersburg, marched through history, exiled by the Russian revolution, lost his father to assassination, fled from Hitler‘s Germany, and he responded by remaining aloof and focused on literature where, despite changing languages, he was outsized in his confidence. This is a nicely written short bio, full of great photos."

That was my Litsy review, 251 characters or less. And this book is a nicely written short biography, a life of contrast between one caught in the spokes of history and mostly emotionally aloof from any politics. He was an odd character, but he was human. His writing pines for things lost without any of the drama. He captures in detail his family's country house outside Russia, or his Russian girlfriend, left behind, in some of his writing. Actually, what really caught my attention here was how much of his life is reflected in the books I've already read. The main character in Glory is actually Nabokov, even when he plays goalie in Cambridge, or works as a tennis trainer in Berlin, or studies Russian, his own language.

A short book like this just gives you glimpses. So, while Grayson writes a lot about what went into his Russian novel, The Gift, and the efforts he put into Lolita (which he tried to publish anonymously), almost every other book he wrote gets just a mention, barely. So, she captures a bit of his childhood privilege and culture. His parents owned thousands of books in many languages and he read more as teenager than at any point later in his life. His father was actually a liberal politician. So, when they left as Russia became the USSR, they didn't even have a side in the Russian civil war of monarchists and communists. He father was assassinated by emigre monarchists (although he hadn't been their target). And Grayson captures a little of his relationship with his wife, Vera, a Russian emigre who was Jewish. And how Nabokov stayed in Berlin long after the mass of Russia emigres had abandoned its financial crash and fascism. With a Jewish wife and son, he stayed till 1937, having a least one prominent extra-marital affair. And Grayson captures a little of Nabokov's defeat in coming to the US, and of giving up the Russian he had refined so carefully. He was a terrific lecturer in the US, but hated his colleagues, especially in Cornell. As a refined Russian and English writer and Russian/English translator, he had become one of the the foremost English-Russian language experts in the world, and one of the most literary cultured American citizens. Grayson mentions how his writing changed from Russian, where it was careful and precise, to English where it attacked the language, playing with it, making up words. I haven't read anything he wrote in English yet, so that comment was tantalizing. Alas, once Lolita was successful (Grayson characterizes it as an attack on America), he bolted teaching and the US. Despite promising to return, he lived the rest of his with his wife in Switzerland. When complimented on his success, after Lolita, he told one person it should have happened 30 years ago.

A few of Grayson's expressions caught my attention. Explaining his early writing she says, "Nabokov's theme was loss. His medium was memory. His instrument was the Russian language." And she summarizes a speech he gave in Paris, while living in Berlin, “...Nabokov delivered his profession de foi, declaring that the artist‘s duty, no matter how great the temptation to speak out, is to remain aloof from tragic events of his time, ‘even if the clamour of the times, the cries of the murdered victims and the growling of the brute tyrant reach his ears‘.” That political aloofness is a really curious aspect of his life. Even late in his life, he would be criticized for how uninvolved he was in criticizing the Soviet Union's mistreatment of its intellectuals.

Anyway, I got a lot out of these 140 picture-filled pages. I'm ready to read more by him and I'm interested in reading more about him. Seriously thinking about the 2-volume biography by Brian Boyd.

-----------------------------------------------

32. Vladimir Nabokov (Overlook Illustrated Lives) by Jane Grayson
published: 2001
format: 140-page hardcover
acquired: May
read: June 1-8
time reading: 4 hr 0 min, 1.7 min/page
rating: 4
locations: St. Petersburg, Cambridge, Berlin, Paris, Wellesley College, Cornell, Montreux, Switzerland, etc.
about the author as of publication, was a Lecturer in Russian at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London.

[Sketchbook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little gem. In 146 pages, w a smart essay, photos and illustrations, and a chronology, author Jane Grayson reveals the life of this great writer. Others in the Overlook series are Beckett, Woolf, Fitzgerald, Proust and Kafka. The publishers prove that less can be more.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a volume in the Overlook Illustrated Lives series. Jane Grayson provides a chronologically organized biographical essay on the life of Vladimir Nabokov. The book is amplified with 127 illustrations which means there is an illustration for literally every page in the book. They range from early pictures in Russia to more contemporary photos that highlight the many facets of Nabokov's career. The chronology of his life and an excellent bibliography make this book a handy reference for readers who enjoy and appreciate the fine work of Vladimir Nabokov.

[August · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent, short book and reading it made me realize how much of his riddles and hints point toward his own experiences. Mr Boyd and Mr Field are next...

[Brooke Salaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely short and photo packed bio of Nabokov. I learned about his very affluent upbringing in early 20c. Russia and the dispersal of his family and loss of their wealth during the revolution. His supremely encouraging and devoted father who was very active in politics was tragically murdered at a political meeting after their departure. It did seem surprising given his upbringing and childhood experiences how apolitical Nabokov was. His art likely benefited from this freedom from hardened stances. His expertise in butterfly identification and drawing is lightly explored as well. His ability to travel between various worlds and not be truly beholden to any one through his multi-lingualism is discussed. Grayson argues for his greatest opportunities and productivity coming with his time in the U.S. and writing in English. Later he, with the help of his son Dmitri, translates these books into Russian. Well done overview that I found inspiring. I read Lolita many years ago but plan to read some of his other major works soon.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Grayson's brief, illustrated life of Nabokov conveys all of the basic information, and manages to investigate some of the controversies and feuds that cropped up after the publication of Lolita made him into something of a celebrity. As a quick introduction to the life of the great author, it gets the job done.

[Jared Busch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read - learned the bare essentials about Nabokov's life but almost nothing of his work. A good starting point though, I reckon.

[Calvin]

More of an essay than a biography, largely unsatisfying

[Shane L · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a primer and a pretty good one but just go for Brian Boyd's meisterwerks instead.