In what year did Nabokov's literary debut take place? Vladimir Nabokov - biography, information, personal life

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was born April 10 (22), 1899 in St. Petersburg in an aristocratic family of the famous Russian politician Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov.

The Nabokovs were a noble and wealthy noble family. Many of its representatives reached serious social heights, for example, the grandfather of the future writer Dmitry Nikolaevich Nabokov was the Minister of Justice, one of the authors of the judicial reform of 1864. In addition to Vladimir, the Nabokov family had four more children: sons Sergei and Kirill, daughters Olga and Elena. Three languages were used in everyday life of the Nabokov family: Russian, English, and French - thus, the future writer was fluent in three languages from early childhood. In his own words, he learned to read English before he could read Russian. The first years of Nabokov's life were spent in comfort and prosperity in the Nabokovs' house on Bolshaya Morskaya in St. Petersburg and in their country estate Batovo (near Gatchina).

He began his education at the Tenishevsky School in St. Petersburg, where Osip Mandelstam had studied shortly before. Nabokov's range of interests was unusually varied. He made a significant contribution to lepidopterology (a section of entomology focusing on Lepidoptera), taught Russian and world literature and published several courses of literary lectures, was seriously interested in chess: he was a fairly strong practical player and published a number of interesting chess problems. In their compilation, he felt something akin to literary creativity. Nabokov had good drawing skills, he was taught by the famous Dobuzhinsky. The boy was predicted the future of the artist. Nabokov did not become an artist, but his abilities and acquired skills were useful for his verbal painting, his unique ability to feel color, light, shape and convey these feelings in words.

Autumn 1916 Vladimir Nabokov received the Rozhdestveno estate and a million-dollar inheritance from Vasily Ivanovich Rukavishnikov, his maternal uncle. In 1916 Nabokov, while still a student at the Tenishevsky School, published in St. Petersburg under his own name the first poetry collection Poems (68 poems written by from August 1915 to May 1916).

Revolution 1917 forced the Nabokovs to move to the Crimea, and then, in 1919, emigrate from Russia. Some of the family jewels were taken away with them, and with this money the Nabokov family lived in Berlin, while Vladimir was educated in Cambridge, where he continues to write Russian poetry and translate L. Carroll's Alice in Wonderland into Russian.

In March 1922 Vladimir Nabokov's father, Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov, was killed. This happened at a lecture by P.N. Milyukov "America and the Restoration of Russia" in the building of the Berlin Philharmonic. V.D. Nabokov tried to neutralize the radical who shot Milyukov, but was shot dead by his partner.

Since 1922 Nabokov becomes part of the Russian diaspora in Berlin, earning a living by teaching English. Nabokov's stories are published in Berlin newspapers and publishing houses organized by Russian emigrants. In 1922 enters into an engagement with Svetlana Sievert; the engagement was broken off by the bride's family early 1923 because Nabokov could not find a permanent job. In 1925 Nabokov marries Vera Slonim and completes his first novel, Mashenka. Then before 1937 creates 8 novels in Russian, constantly complicating his author's style and experimenting more and more boldly with form. Nabokov's novels, which were not published in Soviet Russia, were successful with Western emigration, and are now considered masterpieces of Russian literature (especially Luzhin's Defense, The Gift, Invitation to Execution).

The coming of the Nazis to power in Germany in the late 1930s put an end to the Russian diaspora in Berlin. Nabokov's life with his Jewish wife in Germany became impossible, and the Nabokov family moved to Paris, and with the outbreak of World War II, emigrated to the United States. With the disappearance of the Russian diaspora in Europe, Nabokov finally lost his Russian-speaking reader, and the only way to continue his work was to switch to English. Nabokov wrote his first novel in English (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight) in Europe, shortly before leaving for the United States, since 1937 and until the end of his days, Nabokov did not write a single novel in Russian (except for the autobiography "Other Shores" and the author's translation of "Lolita" into Russian).

In America from 1940 to 1958 Nabokov earns his living by lecturing on Russian and world literature at American universities. His first English-language novels (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Bend Sinister, Pnin), despite their artistic merit, were not commercially successful. During this period, Nabokov closely converged with E. Wilson and other literary critics, continued to professionally engage in entomology. Traveling during his holidays in the United States, Nabokov is working on the novel Lolita, the theme of which (the story of an adult man who is passionately carried away by a twelve-year-old girl) was unthinkable for his time, as a result of which even the writer had little hope of publishing the novel. However, the novel was published (first in Europe, then in America) and quickly brought its author worldwide fame and financial well-being. It is interesting that initially the novel, as Nabokov himself described, was published by the odious Olympia publishing house, which, as he realized after publication, mainly produced “semi-pornographic” and similar novels.

Nabokov returns to Europe and since 1960 lives in Montreux, Switzerland, where he writes his last novels, the most famous of which are "Pale Fire" and "Ada".

Vladimir Nabokov died July 2, 1977 aged 78, buried in the cemetery in Clarens, near Montreux, Switzerland.

He liked to highlight the fact that he was born "on the same day as Shakespeare and a hundred years after Pushkin", while mentioning the symbolic names of the two cultures to which he himself belonged. In Russian literature, he was remembered as Vladimir Sirin, whose existence ended one hundred years after Pushkin's death, when the book "The Gift" was published in 1937. In America, he became famous as Vladimir Nabokov, an English-language writer who is completely different from Sirin.

All of Nabokov's books are similar to a complex writing technique, which is filled with a deep analysis of the mental state of the characters, combined with an unexpected plot. The most famous examples of Nabokov's creations include the novels, "Invitation to Execution",. The writer became famous in the world after the publication of the scandalous book "Lolita" in 1962. Read Nabokov's books online on our website.

Symbolism in Nabokov's life

Chess and butterflies had symbolic meaning in the writer's work. Nabokov loved to look for signs of fate, for extraordinary symmetry in his life. The two wings of a butterfly are as similar as the English and Russian halves of his work. It is as if the squares on a chessboard - eight vertically and eight horizontally - line up his English and Russian works in equal numbers. The dictates of fate did not allow him to complete the ninth novel in Russian and the ninth in English, so as not to break the symmetry.

Brief Biography of Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov was born on April 10 (22), 1899.
The Nabokov family was famous for its rich and noble pedigree. In addition to Vladimir, there were four more children in the family. All of them from childhood were taught to communicate in Russian, English and French, so the writer was fluent in each of them.
Nabokov was unusually talented and versatile. He was interested in science, was a teacher of world and Russian literature, was fond of chess, had good drawing abilities. He knew how to feel the shape, color and then convey it on paper, but not with paints, but with a pen.
The 1917 revolution forced the Nabokovs to leave Russia. At first they settled in Berlin, lived on the proceeds from the sale of jewelry, and Vladimir also managed to get an education in Cambridge at that time.
In 1927, Nabokov married and completed his first book, Mashenka. Later, until 1937, 7 more of his novels in Russian will be published.
Because of the coming of the Nazis to power, the Nabokovs move to the United States. In America, he made a living by lecturing on literature at universities. His first English-language novels (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Bend Sinister, Pnin) were soon published. The writer begins work on Lolita, which brought Nabokov status and money.
In 1960 he returned to Europe, where he wrote his last works.
The great writer died on July 2, 1977.

He used to say that this writer had 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 20-30s. Vladimir Vladimirovich's books are read to this day: critics meticulously discuss his novels, eminent directors make films, and writers seek out new grains in his amazing and multifaceted biography.

Childhood and youth

On April 10 (22), 1899, a great writer was born in the city on the Neva, who left a mark on 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 his grandmother's paternal ancestors can be traced back to the 14th century.

The father of the writer - the son of the Minister of Justice Dmitry Nikolayevich - 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 politician. Honor and dignity were the main components for Vladimir Dmitrievich.

In 1911, a man threw a white glove to the Russian playwright Mikhail Suvorin, who at that time was the editor-in-chief of the Novoye Vremya newspaper. The reason for the competition was the publication of the 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 to Russian law and common sense.

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

Vladimir Nabokov spent his childhood in a three-story house on Bolshaya Morskaya Street, which until the February Revolution was considered the main fashionable haven for aristocratic ladies and gentlemen. Also, a large family rested in their estate Vyra 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 genius of literature they spoke three languages fluently: Russian, French and English, and the last gifted boy mastered it perfectly.

But the Russian alphabet for little Lodi (Nabokov's childhood nickname) was initially difficult, because the child altered everything in the English manner. For example, instead of the word "breakfast" from Vladimir, one could hear "breakfast" ("breakfast" from English - breakfast). After home schooling, Nabokov entered the Tenishev School, which was graduated from the Silver Age poet, prose writer Nikolai Stanyukovich, publicist Oleg Volkov and other famous literary figures.

Vladimir came to the 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 fond of entomology, especially the future writer loved to collect butterflies. It is noteworthy that these winged insects were found in the works of Vladimir 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 efforts to the nines. He advised the student to forget about high art and direct his forces in a different direction. Fortunately, Lodi did not attach any importance to the words of his teacher, passing his instructions on deaf ears.

In 1917, when the first seeds of the October Revolution were "planted" in the Russian Empire, the Nabokov family was forced to flee to the Crimea. There, the beginning writer gained popularity: his works were published in the Yalta Voice newspaper, and were also used by theater troupes. At the beginning of his work, Nabokov preferred poetry: in 1918, Nabokov published the almanac "Two Ways", where the poetic works of Vladimir and his classmate Andrei Balashov were printed. Among other things, the writer gets acquainted with rhythmic theory, which he tries to embody in his writings.

The Bolshevik coup dealt a blow to many families, and the Nabokovs are no exception. Therefore, the writer, together with 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 teaches English, and also translates American literature.

Vladimir Nabokov's book "The Complete Collection of Stories"

In 1926, Nabokov's debut novel, Mashenka, was published. This book from cover to cover is saturated with philosophical thought and reasoning about the role of love on earth. It is worth noting that the plot of the work revolves around emigration, because the main character Ganin moves from Russia to an unfamiliar country. The protagonist learns that the wife of his friend Alferov - Masha - is going to visit her husband. Seeing a photo of a girl, Ganin sees his former love, with whom he broke up in his youth. Therefore, the already forgotten feeling of the protagonist again begins to fill his heart, 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. So in 1926, a student sends a copy of the first novel to his mentor with the caption: "Don't judge me too harshly, please." Ivan Alekseevich did not even bother to answer the novice novelist, making notes on one of the pages of the book: “Oh, how bad!”. The fact is that Bunin judged the 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 Sovremennye Zapiski, and Vladimir was recognized under the pseudonym Sirin.

In 1936, when he came to power, Nabokov's wife was fired because of the xenophobia that was progressing in the country. From Berlin, the road lay 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 with students, because the master was one of those few teachers who could make any listener absorb knowledge like a sponge.

Becoming 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 the state of mind of the main characters and "mixed" all the synesthesia sensations and memories with an unpredictable climax and denouement. Also, the master adored the play on words and a scrupulous description of even the most insignificant details.

In 1955, the Parisian publishing house "Olympia Press" published the novel by Vladimir Vladimirovich "Lolita" - the most famous philosophical work of the 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. Prior to this, the writer published a book with a similar theme - "Camera Obscura" (1932).

Vladimir Nabokov's book "Lolita"

Lolita is considered a worldwide bestseller, but at the beginning, for obvious reasons, the book was waiting for the same fate as Joyce's novel Ulysses. Publishing houses considered Nabokov's plot to be pornographic, and in some countries the work was tabooed. And this is not surprising, because the master described the passionate feelings of an adult man for the 12-year-old nymphet Dolores.

Shot from Stanley Kubrick's film based on Vladimir Nabokov's book "Lolita"

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, the director was Adrian Line.

Personal life

According to rumors, as a child, Nabokov was extremely amorous: when he was 15, he fell in love with a peasant daughter, Polya, and at the age of 16, he experienced feelings for a plump girl of small stature, Valentina Shulgina. According to the writer's memoirs, it was love at first sight. Young people secretly met and hid from the eyes of their parents. At the end of the gymnasium, Nabokov promised to marry Tamara (as the writer called his passion), but after moving to the Crimea, their connection was cut off. 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 parents of the beloved were against Vladimir, because they believed that the writer at that time did not have a permanent job.

In 1925, the writer marries a girl of Jewish origin - Vera Solonim, who became the keeper of his literary heritage. For example, after the death of her husband, she translated Nabokov's novel "Pale Fire" ("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 in the Nabokov family, who later became an American translator (including translating his father's works) and an opera singer.

Death

In the last years of his life, Vladimir lives in the picturesque city in the west of Switzerland - Motre - and is engaged in literary activities. Notable novels written by Nabokov during this period include Pale Fire (1961) and Hell (1969).

In the summer of 1977, Vladimir Nabokov died of a severe bronchial infection. The body of the genius of literature was cremated and buried in the Claran cemetery. The novelist's grave bears the inscription: "Vladimir Nabokov, writer."

Laura and Her Original is the writer's last and unfinished novel, published posthumously. The master left a will for the manuscript to 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, is available for correction, but as a condition, it is an incurable disease.”
"The three-syllable formula of human life: the irreversibility of the past, the insatiability of the present, and the unpredictability of the future."
"Professors of literature tend to come up with problems like, 'What was the author aiming for?' or even worse: “What does the book want to say?” But 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)
"Protection of Luzhin" (1930)
"Feat" (1932)
"Camera Obscura" (1932)
"Despair" (1934)
"Invitation to Execution" (1936)
"The Gift" (1938)
"The Real Life of Sebastian Knight" (1941)
"Under the sign of the illegitimate" (1947)
"Lolita" (Eng. Lolita) (1955)
"Pnin" (English Pnin) (1957)
"Pale Fire" (1962)
"Ada, or the Joys of Passion: A Family Chronicle" (1969)
Laura and Her Original (1975-1977, published posthumously in 2009)

Russian and American writer, poet, translator, literary critic and entomologist.

Pseudonyms: V. Sirin, Vasily Shishkov.

Nabokov's works are characterized by a complex literary technique, a deep analysis of the emotional state of the characters, combined with an unpredictable, sometimes almost thriller plot. Among the most famous examples of Nabokov's work are the novels Mashenka, Luzhin's Defense, Invitation to Execution, and The Gift. The writer gained fame among the general public after the publication of the scandalous novel Lolita, which was subsequently made into several screen adaptations.

Nabokov's range of interests was unusually varied. He made a significant contribution to lepidopterology (a section of entomology focusing on Lepidoptera), taught Russian and world literature and published several courses of literary lectures, translated Eugene Onegin and The Tale of Igor's Campaign into English, was seriously fond of chess: he was quite a strong practical player and published a number of interesting chess problems.

Nabokov about himself:
I am an American writer, born in Russia, educated in England, where I studied French literature before moving to Germany for fifteen years. …My head speaks English, my heart speaks Russian and my ear speaks French

Biography
Vladimir Nabokov was born into an aristocratic family of the famous Russian politician Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Three languages were used in everyday life of the Nabokov family: Russian, English, and French - thus, the future writer was fluent in three languages from early childhood. In his own words, he learned to read English before he could read Russian. The first years of Nabokov's life were spent in comfort and prosperity in the Nabokovs' house on Bolshaya Morskaya in St. Petersburg and in their country estate Batovo (near Gatchina).

He began his education at the Tenishevsky School in St. Petersburg, where Osip Mandelstam had studied shortly before. Literature and entomology become Nabokov's two main hobbies. Shortly before the revolution, Nabokov published a collection of his poems with his own money.

The 1917 revolution forced the Nabokovs to move to the Crimea, and then, in 1919, to emigrate from Russia. Some of the family jewels were taken away with them, and with this money the Nabokov family lived in Berlin, while Vladimir was educated in Cambridge, where he continues to write Russian poetry and translate L. Carroll's Alice in Wonderland into Russian.

Since 1922, Nabokov has been part of the Russian diaspora in Berlin, earning a living by teaching English. Nabokov's stories are published in Berlin newspapers and publishing houses organized by Russian emigrants. In 1927, Nabokov married Vera Slonim and completed his first novel, Mashenka. After that, until 1937, he created 8 novels in Russian, continuously complicating his author's style and experimenting more and more boldly with form. Nabokov's novels, which were not published in Soviet Russia, were successful with Western emigration, and are now considered masterpieces of Russian literature (especially Luzhin's Defense, The Gift, Invitation to Execution).

The coming of the Nazis to power in Germany in the late 1930s put an end to the Russian diaspora in Berlin. Nabokov's life with his Jewish wife in Germany became impossible, and the Nabokov family moved to Paris, and with the outbreak of World War II, emigrated to the United States. With the disappearance of the Russian diaspora in Europe, Nabokov finally lost his Russian-speaking reader, and the only way to continue his work was to switch to English. Nabokov wrote his first novel in English (“The Real Life of Sebastian Knight”) in Europe, shortly before leaving for the United States, from 1937 until the end of his days, Nabokov did not write a single novel in Russian (except for his autobiography “Other Shore" and the author's translation of "Lolita" into Russian).

In America, from 1940 to 1958, Nabokov made his living by lecturing on Russian and world literature at American universities. His first English-language novels (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Bend Sinister, Pnin), despite their artistic merit, were not commercially successful. During this period, Nabokov closely converged with E. Wilson and other literary critics, continued to professionally engage in entomology. Traveling during holidays in the United States, Nabokov is working on the novel Lolita, the theme of which (the story of a pedophile who is attracted to little girls) was unthinkable for his time, as a result of which the writer even had little hope of publishing the novel. However, the novel was published (first in Europe, then in America) and quickly brought its author worldwide fame and financial well-being.

Nabokov returned to Europe and since 1960 has lived in Montreux, Switzerland, where he writes his last novels, the most famous of which are Pale Fire and Ada.

Vladimir Nabokov was born in the northern capital of Russia, St. Petersburg. This event in the family of Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov and Elena Ivanovna Nabokova (Rukavishnikov) happened on April 22 (April 10), 1899.

The Nabokovs belonged to a wealthy old noble family. The father of the future writer was a lawyer, a member of the State Duma from the Cadet Party, and later worked in the Provisional Government. Vladimir's mother came from a wealthy family of gold miners.

All four children of the Nabokovs - the eldest Vladimir, Sergei, Olga and Elena - received an excellent education at home and were fluent in three languages (Russian, English and French). The writer himself said more than once that he was initially taught English, and only then his native.

The beginning of the creative path

Nabokov's literary biography is unique in its own way. He had to prove his talent twice: the first time in exile, winning his “place under the sun” of new Russian prose, and the second time in America, trying to imprint his name in the history of English literature.

In 1916, Nabokov's maternal uncle died. Young Vladimir, while still within the walls of the Tenishevsky School, suddenly became a rich heir. The estate of Rozhdestveno and a large amount of money were transferred to his disposal. In the same year, at his own expense, he published his first book, consisting entirely of poems of his own composition. As it turned out later, this was the first and only edition of the works of the Russian writer and poet in Russia.

In exile

Immediately after the October Revolution, the family decided to immediately move to the Crimea. In Yalta, Nabokov's poems appeared for the first time on the pages of the periodical press. However, already in the spring of 1919, the Nabokovs hastily left the peninsula and went to distant Germany.

Nabokov then entered the University of Cambridge in England. During his studies at the university, he continued to write poetry and began translating Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

In 1922, a terrible tragedy occurred in the Nabokov family: during an open lecture by Milyukov, Nabokov's father was killed. Vladimir hastily left college and moved to Berlin. Now he has become the sole breadwinner of a large family.

He took on any job: more than once composed chess games for newspapers, gave private English lessons, and published in periodicals in Berlin. In 1926, he completed his first novel, Mashenka. The first, but not the last. Studying a brief biography of Vladimir Nabokov, it should be remembered that immediately after the "debut" seven more major works followed. They were published under the pseudonym "Vladimir Sirin" and enjoyed unprecedented success.

America

In Germany, in 1933, the National Socialists, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power. An anti-Semitic company immediately unfolded, as a result of which Vera Slonim, Nabokov's wife, was expelled from work. The family was forced to leave Berlin and flee to America.

But even in the new place, the "fugitives" faced new problems: the conquest of America and the reputation of a serious writer. From that moment on, he "left the Russian syllable" and switched exclusively to English. The exceptions were the autobiographical work "Other Shores" and the scandalous novel "Lolita" translated from English into Russian. The latter, just, brought the author world fame and treasured material well-being.

In 1960, the famous writer moved to Switzerland. There he lived and worked until the end of his days.

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