Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov's most famous novel, has sparked controversy since its publication in the 1950s. Literary controversy recently erupted over Nabokov once more when his son Dmitri finally decided to publish his father's final, incomplete work, The Original of Laura. The 75 year-old executor of Nabokov's estate had two choices - to obey is father's wishes and burn the manuscript, or to sate the curiosity of Nabokov scholars everywhere and make the work available to the public. The Original of Laura, written on index cards, reveals an aging Nabokov, and fans and critics alike are already attempting to read between the lines of these notes to recreate the author's original thought processes and intent.
To speak about Nabokov in relation to Russian culture is a little tricky considering Nabokov is not a strictly Russian author. Nabokov is a literary figure that straddles two literary worlds - the Russian and the English. Though his first works were published in Russian, he gained greatest recognition for his works published in English. The latter includes Lolita. If he has been claimed as an American author, no wonder; he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1945, and during most of the Soviet years, the Russians didn't want want him. His works were not even available in Russia until 1988.
Despite his family's exile from Russia after the 1917 Revolution, Nabokov carried his Russian heritage with him. He is known for his remarks and criticism about great Russian authors, like Dostoevsky, and his founding of the Russian department at Wellesley College. Nabokov also translated Russian masterpieces, like Pushkin's Eugene Onegin and Lermentov's A Hero of Our Time into English. Existing snippets from interviews with Nabokov reveal how nuances of Russian language influenced how he expressed himself in English (difference between "genius" and "talent").
Today, Nabokov's home country doesn't dismiss him out of hand, but it doesn't exactly embrace him, either; interest in his works waxes and wanes. The Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg is housed in the former Nabokov family residence, though the museum isn't state-sponsored like many Russian author museums. It maintains a collection of some of the author's personal effects and even displays a part of his butterfly collection, paying respect to Nabokov's dedication to entomology.
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Butterfly photo credit: iStockphoto/Sazonoff
