Vladimir Nabokov
Mon –Sat
Russian-American novelist, lepidopterist, professor (1899–1977)
140 books in the database
© Walter Mori (Mondadori Publishers) / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
About the author
Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian American writer, translator, and lepidopterist who worked across languages and literary worlds. He is best known for Lolita, and his career also includes novels such as Pale Fire, Pnin, and The Real Life of Sebastian Knight. The mix of Russian and American contexts is part of what makes his place in modern literature so distinctive.
His writing is often associated with tragicomic tones, self-aware storytelling, and a strong interest in how fiction is built. The genres linked to him here point to metafiction, confessional writing, detective elements, and erotic themes. In practice, that means his books often pay close attention to narration, memory, doubles, and the way a story can hide as much as it reveals.
If you want a clear starting point, Lolita is the obvious entry if you want the book most people know him for. For something that shows his formal play in a different way, try Pale Fire. If you want a more approachable novel first, Pnin works well, and The Defense or Laughter in the Dark are good choices for readers who want to move through his earlier fiction before turning to Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle or The Gift.
Books
