struggles with a stammer, which makes communication challenging. During World War II, he remains in Europe, and after speaking out against the Nazis, he is imprisoned in a concentration camp, where he dies just months before Germany’s surrender.

Véra Evseevna (Slonim) Nabokov

Véra is more of a muse and a background presence than an active character, yet her presence is strongly felt. In chapter fifteen, Nabokov addresses her directly, referring to her as ‘‘my dear’’ as if writing a letter to her, following a 1940 passport photo of her and their son Dmitri. Stacy Schiff, her Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, describes her in Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) as ‘‘everywhere present and yet nowhere.’’ From 1925 onwards, she provides stability and companionship for Nabokov, first in Berlin, then in France, and finally in the United States.

Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov

Nabokov’s father, a wise and empathetic man, remains steadfastly liberal and reformist until his life is tragically cut short by assassins in Berlin in 1922. Aristocratic and dedicated to both his family and Russia, Vladimir Dmitrievich works to diminish the czar’s autocratic power but is unable to prevent the Bolsheviks from ousting him and other moderates after the czar’s overthrow. Well-respected by the peasants around his St. Petersburg estates, he supports local initiatives such as schools and ensures a liberal education for each of his children. In chapter nine of Speak, Memory, Nabokov offers a heartfelt tribute to his father.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov

Nabokov stands as the central figure in his memoir, while also acting as the primary observer of the various individuals he recalls. He delves into the first four decades of his life through multiple perspectives, using a blend of anecdotes, artistic reflections, observations, and thematic sequences that intentionally do not always follow a chronological order. Through these anecdotes, Nabokov paints a picture of both himself and others. The initial twelve chapters largely focus on life, people, and events from the early 1900s through World War I (1914–1918). In these sections, Nabokov reflects on his family, their estates, and a dynamic group of servants, governesses, tutors, acquaintances, and connections. He vividly recaptures, reimagines, and reinvents the world of his upbringing—a unique and privileged realm of liberal aristocracy that existed in and around St. Petersburg until the fall of czarist Russia. Within this environment, Nabokov's creativity, talent, and passion for detailed and intricate aesthetics flourish, guiding him through the challenging years ahead. Much of the memoir focuses on exploring Nabokov's childhood, as he finds the act of recalling those times akin to "the next best thing to probing one’s eternity." His childhood appears far more joyful and nearly carefree compared to the difficult years of exile that followed.

When the Bolsheviks seize power and Russia plunges into a brutal civil war, the Nabokov family leaves their homeland permanently. As Nabokov reminisces about family and place, the celebration of his earlier life becomes more evident. No later location matches the happiness of his affluent Russian childhood. Neither England, where Nabokov attends college, nor Berlin, where his father is murdered, nor Paris, where the Russian émigré community keeps its distance from the French, can offer the comfort and tranquility that Russia provided to the young Nabokov. Despite this, Nabokov painfully matures, develops as a writer, navigates the upheavals of revolution and the rise of fascism, and starts a family that allows him to embark on a new phase of growth across the Atlantic. He leaves readers with an optimistic image of his son, symbolizing a new generation amid historical turmoil.

Boris Okolokulak

Boris Okolokulak, known as Max, is a Polish medical student who tutors Nabokov from 1908 to 1910. He makes a lasting impression on Nabokov due to his skill with pistols, his habit of bicycling off to meet a married woman living twelve miles from the Nabokovs’ Vyra estate, and his courtship of the Irish governess of Colette, Nabokov’s early love in Biarritz. Max eventually leaves for a hospital position in St. Petersburg and is succeeded by Lenski.

Polenka

Polenka is a peasant girl and the daughter of the Nabokovs’ head coachman. She is about the same age as young Vladimir Nabokov, and they share a striking visual connection, or an “ocular relationship.” The memory of her presence is a hauntingly beautiful one for Nabokov. Their unusual bond also highlights class distinctions, as Nabokov feels a mix of curiosity, fear, and self-consciousness simply through the gaze and demeanor of this charming peasant girl.

Captain Mayne Reid

The illustrated works of Irish-born Mayne Reid (1818–1883), who was a friend of Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), had a significant early influence on Nabokov, both literarily and visually. In Speak, Memory, Nabokov vividly reminisces about the “unabridged original” English-language plots and the physical details of Reid's American Western adventures from his early childhood. Reid's stories instilled in young Nabokov a longing for danger, romantic escapades, and the allure of America.

Valentina Lyussa Shulgin

During World War I, at the age of fifteen, Valentina (Lyussa) Shulgin, referred to as Tamara, meets sixteen-year-old Nabokov. Tamara is staying with her mother at a village dachka (summer cottage) when they meet on August 9, 1915, after Nabokov notices her with her friends and hears others mention her name. Chapter twelve largely focuses on the “reckless romance” that unfolds between him and this “adorable girl.” Their relationship evolves from late-night encounters in the woods to more intense and complicated meetings at art museums and movie theaters in St. Petersburg. Nabokov becomes so captivated by Tamara that he writes and publishes a small poetry book celebrating their ill-fated love. They separate in 1917, with her seeking employment and him continuing his writing and education. Although she is a real person, Tamara also symbolizes the many young women Nabokov loved after Colette and before Véra (Slonim) Nabokov.

Tamara

See Valentina (Lyussa) Shulgin

Filip Zelenski

Known as Lenski, Filip Zelenski is one of Nabokov’s tutors. The eccentric Lenski leaves a lasting impression on Nabokov from 1910 to 1914, most notably with a magic lantern show. Lenski accompanies Nabokov and his brother Sergey on two trips to Germany. He also has a strong dislike for Mademoiselle, the Nabokovs’ French governess, eventually driving her away.

Vasiliy Martinovich Zhernosekov

A village schoolmaster near the Nabokov estates in the early 1900s, Zhernosekov captivates young Vladimir with his extracurricular teaching methods. Nabokov describes him as a “fiery revolutionary,” noting, “he would gesture passionately during our country walks and speak about humanity, freedom, the evils of war, and the sad (yet intriguing, I thought) necessity of overthrowing tyrants.” Later, in 1915, Vladimir, his brother Sergey, and their father are invited to Zhernosekov’s “lodgings” for a meal, which leaves a lasting impression on Nabokov. Zhernosekov also makes a significant contribution by teaching young Vladimir and Sergey how to spell in Russian, a notable achievement since they learned English first.