Finding Nabokov: A Literary Companion (Paperback or Softback)

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) was one of the most fascinating literary figures of the 20th century. Known primarily as the author of Lolita, he was at first scorned as a pornographer but eventually hailed as the writer of a masterpiece. A Russian born into wealth and privilege, he was forced into exile by the Bolshevik Revolution. Married to a Jewish woman and living in poverty in Berlin, he fled first to Paris and then to America, always barely one step ahead of the Nazis. His 50-year career encompassed the creation of brilliant novels, teaching positions at Wellesley and Cornell, and work as a respected scientist in lepidoptery at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology.

This A-Z guide to Nabokov's life and achievements runs the gamut from Academe, that rarefied, collegiate realm of Nabokov's most biting satires, to Zoorland, a fictitious totalitarian country that bans the arts because they give talented people opportunities to rise above the masses.

Larry Gaffney taught composition and literature at Penn State University and Lock Haven University. He lives in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.