Vladimir Nabokov

Nabokov, Vladimir (1899–1977), Russian-born U.S. novelist and critic. Born in St. Petersburg, he came to the United States in 1940 and taught at Cornell (1948–59). Noted for his originality and satiric wit, he published poetry, essays, short stories, and novels in Russian and in English. His first novel in English was The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1938); he became famous after the U.S. publication of Lolita (1958), the story of a middle-aged man's passion for a young girl. Other works include Pnin (1957), Pale Fire (1962), Ada (1969), and an English translation of Eugene Onegin (1964).