For me, reading Vladimir Nabokov is a little like falling in love. I find his straightforward, unshowy language, humor, facile mind, and brilliant stories pretty much irresistible. Turns out his life is as irresistible a story as his novels. “Speak, Memory,” by the way, does not provide an analysis of those novels, or of his short stories, plays, interviews, biographies, criticism, translations, letters, or poetry. It’s just the story of a life.
Vladimir Nabokov was…