Vladimir Nabokov

Born: 1899-04-22

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1899-1977) was a Russian-born multilingual novelist, poet, translator, critic and entomologist considered the foremost of the post-1917 émigré authors. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian while living in Berlin. He achieved international acclaim and prominence after moving to the United States, where he began writing in English. Nabokov was a professor of Russian literature at Cornell University from 1948 to 1959, before returning to Europe in 1961, where he settled in Montreux, Switzerland. Beginning with King, Queen, Knave (1928), his writing began to feature intricate stylistic devices. His novels are principally concerned with the problem of art itself, presented in various disguises, as in Invitation to a Beheading (1938). Parody is frequent in The Gift (1937–38) and later works. His novels written in English include the notorious best seller Lolita (1955), which brought him wealth and international fame; Pale Fire (1962); and Ada (1969). His episodic novel about an émigré professor of Russian in the United States, Pnin (1957), is to some extent based on his experiences as a literature professor. His critical works include a monumental translation of and commentary on Aleksandr Pushkin’s Evgeny Onegin.


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Chess Fever

as (uncredited)
Released: 1925-12-21

A young Soviet woman struggles to cope in a society obsessed with chess.

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Lolita : méprise sur un fantasme

as Self - Writer (archive footage)
Released: 2021-09-29

A fresh new look at Lolita, the famous and controversial novel published in 1955 by Russian...

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L'affaire Matzneff

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2020-01-05

About the Gabriel Matzneff affair and pedophilia in French culture and society from the 1950s to...

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Apostrophes

as Self
First aired: 1975-01-10

Apostrophes was a live, weekly, literary, prime-time, talk show on French television created and...

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