What Do I Read Next?
Martin Amis’s Experience: A Memoir (2000) is rich with Nabokov-inspired literary references and personal stories. As the son of the acclaimed writer Kingsley Amis, Martin Amis enjoys a celebrity status akin to a rock star in England. Similar to Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited, Amis’s memoir features a captivating index, photographs, and intricate wordplay.
Brian Boyd’s biographical works, Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian Years (1990) and Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years (1991), are thoroughly researched companion volumes that together provide a comprehensive account of Nabokov’s life and career.
Dorothy Day’s The Long Loneliness: An Autobiography (1952) offers an intriguing contrast to Nabokov’s autobiography (both the 1951 and 1966 versions). Although Day had a profound appreciation for literature and aesthetic experiences, she remained devoted to a socially active and religious lifestyle.
Wallace Fowlie’s collection of four related memoirs published by Duke University Press provides an interesting comparison to Nabokov. While Nabokov was mainly a writer who taught, Fowlie was a renowned professor who also authored books. The memoirs, in sequence, are: Journal of Rehearsals: A Memoir (1977), Aubade: A Teacher’s Notebook (1983), Sites: A Third Memoir (1986), and Memory: A Fourth Memoir (1990).
If you’re interested in exploring Vladimir Nabokov’s novels, consider reading Lolita (1955), particularly The Annotated Lolita edited by Alfred Appel Jr. (1991), or Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle (1969), which delves into a love story reminiscent of Nabokov’s own with Tamara.
Marcel Proust’s monumental work, In Search of Lost Time, also known as Remembrance of Things Past, is a masterpiece that justifies the time invested in reading it. While various editions exist, The Modern Library’s 1992 revised translation by D. J. Enright is highly recommended.
Stacy Schiff’s Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) (2000) offers significant insights into the Nabokovs' marriage and their collaborative endeavors.
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