Special Sub-Topic: Life of Vladimir Nabokov Click Here To Play: Life of Vladimir Nabokov

Nabokov wrote an autobiography that is considered one of his greatest artistic works. What is the title of this famous book?

Speak, Memory. This was originally titled 'Conclusive Evidence' but later changed. 'The Texture of Time' is the fictitious work by Van Veen from 'Ada, or Ardor.' 'In Search of Lost Time' is, of course, the epic by Marcel Proust. 'Pnin' is a novel by Nabokov about a Professor of Russian at a small college.

With what sensory peculiarity was Nabokov blessed (or cursed, depending on one's point of view)?

Synesthesia. 'Synesthesia' is the experiencing of a phenomenon with more than one sense. For instance, Nabokov claimed that the sounds made by letters evoked certain colours, textures and tastes in his mind.

In what Russian city was Nabokov born?

St. Petersburg. If you said Stalingrad, shame on you! Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg - NOT 'Leningrad,' as he was quick to point out in 'Speak, Memory.'

After the entire Nabokov clan was exiled from Russia in 1919, Nabokov emigrated and attended this renowned university:

Cambridge. While attending Cambridge, Nabokov romanced many women, and became popular with the men as a solid soccer goalkeeper.

Before 1940, Nabokov actually wrote under what pseudonym?

V. Sirin. He talks about the work of Sirin in 'Speak, Memory,' and curiously never mentions that Sirin is him - it seems to the reader as if Sirin is another person entirely.

What was Nabokov's first English novel, published in 1941?

'The Real Life of Sebastian Knight'. This was the work that gained Nabokov his first mainstream recognition, outside of Russian emigre and French intellectual circles.

What hobby was a passion for Nabokov throughout his life?

Butterfly collecting. Nabokov inherited this passion from his father, and actually became an authority on Lepidopterology, the study of butterflies and moths. In his autobiography, Nabokov gives examples of a few butterflies named after him.

Nabokov's father was murdered in Berlin. In what year did this event occur?

1922. Vladimir Nabokov Sr. was murdered while foiling an assassination attempt on emigre politician Pavel Miliukov by a Russian fascist.

This only son of Vladimir Nabokov was born in 1934. What is his first name?

Dmitri. Dmitri was instrumental in translating his father's works, from both English into Russian and Russian into English, during the last year's of Nabokov's life.

In what country did Nabokov spend his last years?

Switzerland. Nabokov moved to Montreux in 1961 to escape the intrusions of his growing celebrity status in the U.S. It was in Montreux that he wrote 'Ada, or Ardor' (1969) and 'Pale Fire' (1962), two of his personal favourites.

Name one game at which Nabokov was an avid and skilled player?

Chess & Tennis & Soccer & Football. Chess is the most obvious answer - a well-known Nabokov obsession - but you could have said tennis as well, as his family played it quite a bit. The young Nabokov was also a decent goalkeeper in football ('soccer' in North America), during his Cambridge days.

About whom was Nabokov speaking in the following statement: 'I think he's crude, I think he's medieval, and I don't want an elderly gentleman from Vienna with an umbrella inflicting his dreams upon me.'

Sigmund Freud. Freud, of course. Nabokov ridicules, dismisses and parodies Freudianism throughout his writing.

At which of the following American universities did Nabokov once teach?

Cornell. Lucky students! Nabokov also taught for a brief time at Stanford and Wellesley College.

In 'Lolita,' the young Humbert plays with a girl named Annabel at a sea-side resort, his first 'nymphet' experience. Who is the real-life girl from Nabokov's own youth from which Annabel could have been modelled?

Colette. Nabokov's experience adolescent infatuation with young Colette while on vacation is nearly identical to Humbert's first, immature romance. This is one of countless instances where Nabokov's life is reflected in his writing.

When Nabokov died in 1977, he left an unfinished novel. What was the title of this work-in-progress?

'The Original of Laura'. According to Dmitri Nabokov, his father ordered the half-finished manuscript to be incinerated (as Shade did with parts of 'Pale Fire'), but he didn't have the heart, and it still exists today.

Nabokov was prolific - he wrote 10 novels in Russian and 10 in English. The one he will always be remembered for, however, is 'Lolita.' Which French publisher was the first to print 'Lolita,' in 1955?

Olympia Press. Nabokov shopped 'Lolita' around to a few publishers, but only Olympia of Paris would touch its controversial subject matter. Putnam of the U.S. miraculously resolved its previous moral quandary after 'Lolita' became a literary sensation, deciding to publish it in the U.S. in 1958.

We have all heard of Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film version of 'Lolita.' However, who directed the remake of 'Lolita' that came out in 1997?

Adrian Lyne. Lyne's 1997 version, starring Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain, proved that 'Lolita' is still too controversial for many, after all this time. This version was much truer to the frank eroticism of Nabokov's original work, which may have been the reason for the controversy. Dominique Swain was also, in my opinion, a much better Lolita than Sue Lyon had been.

To whom did Nabokov dedicate all of his books?

His wife Vera. Nabokov married Vera Slonim in 1925. She was a fellow Russian emigre in Berlin, of Jewish background.

What are the names of Nabokov's mother and father?

Vladimir and Elena. Nabokov was extremely close to his parents, but especially to his mother, Elena Ivanova. She apparently shared his synesthesia, and was like her son Vladimir in personality.

Perhaps the only dark spot in Vladimir Nabokov's life was the story of his younger brother, who met a tragic end. What was this ill-fated brother's name?

Sergei. Sergei Nabokov was a homosexual. He was arrested in 1941 by the Gestapo in {Paris;} ironically, he was arrested not for being gay, but for his outspoken opposition to the Nazis. He died in Neuengamme concentration camp in 1945.