Dec 26, 2009

Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited | Author Biography

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was born on April 23, 1899, in St. Petersburg, Russia. His father, Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov (1870–1922), and mother, Elena Ivanovna (Rukavishnikov) Nabokov (1876–1939), both wealthy members of the Russian aristocratic elite, took great care and pride in educating and promoting self-confidence in him and his siblings. Young Nabokov had two brothers and two sisters and an extended family to provide ample social interaction. There were also large numbers of servants at hand, a succession of governesses and tutors, family trips abroad, substantial...