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His first nine novels were in Russian, but he achieved international prominence after he began writing English prose. </p> <p> Also known as <a href="/profession/2/">Poet</a>, <a href="/profession/85/">Translator</a>, <a href="/profession/560/">Entomologist</a> </p> </div> <span class="more" id="auhtor_info_more" more="more" less="Less">more</span> <ul class="author__about__options"><li><a href="http://www.vladimir-nabokov.org/" class="i-link" target="_blank" itemprop="url" title="Vladimir Nabokov official website"></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Nabokov" class="i-wiki" target="_blank" itemprop="url" title="Wikipedia article about Vladimir Nabokov"></a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vladimirnabokovauthor/" class="i-fb" target="_blank" itemprop="url" title="Vladimir Nabokov Facebook page"></a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/nabokovquotes" class="i-tw" target="_blank" itemprop="url" title="Vladimir Nabokov Twitter account"></a></li></ul> </div> </section> <div class="switch"> <ul class="switch-view" role="menu"> <li id="switch_cards" role="menuitem" class="active"><i class="i-cards" title="view_as_cards"></i></li> <li id="switch_list" role="menuitem"><i class="i-list" title="view_as_list"></i></li> </ul> </div> <ul class="quotes--cards"> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/26311e/">Toska - noun /ˈtō-skə/ - Russian word roughly translated as sadness, melancholia, lugubriousness. "No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="26311e"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="26311e" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/26311e/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Toska%20-%20noun%20%2F%CB%88t%C5%8D-sk%C9%99%2F%20-%20Russian%20word%20roughly%20translated%20as%20sadness%2C%20melancholia%2C%20lugubriousness.%20%22No%20single%20word%20in%20English%20renders%20all%20the%20shades%20of%20toska.%20At%20its%20deepest%20and%20most%20painful%2C%20it%20is%20a%20sensation%20of%20great%20spiritual%20anguish%2C%20often%20without%20any%20specific%20cause.%20At%20less%20morbid%20levels%20it%20is%20a%20dull%20ache%20of%20the%20soul%2C%20a%20longing%20with%20nothing%20to%20long%20for%2C%20a%20sick%20pining%2C%20a%20vague%20restlessness%2C%20mental%20throes%2C%20yearning.%20In%20particular%20cases%20it%20may%20be%20the%20desire%20for%20somebody%20of%20something%20specific%2C%20nostalgia%2C%20love-sickness.%20At%20the%20lowest%20level%20it%20grades%20into%20ennui%2C%20boredom.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F26311e%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/268/">Long</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/1665/">Sadness</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/141/">Longing</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/26318e/">My private tragedy, which cannot, and indeed should not, be anybody's concern, is that I had to abandon my natural idiom, my untrammeled, rich, and infinitely docile Russian tongue for a second-rate brand of English, devoid of any of those apparatuses–the baffling mirror, the black velvet backdrop, the implied associations and traditions–which the native illusionist, frac-tails flying, can magically use to transcend the heritage in his own way.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="26318e"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="26318e" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/26318e/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=My%20private%20tragedy%2C%20which%20cannot%2C%20and%20indeed%20should%20not%2C%20be%20anybody%27s%20concern%2C%20is%20that%20I%20had%20to%20abandon%20my%20natural%20idiom%2C%20my%20untrammeled%2C%20rich%2C%20and%20infinitely%20docile%20Russian%20tongue%20for%20a%20second-rate%20brand%20of%20English%2C%20devoid%20of%20any%20of%20those%20apparatuses%E2%80%93the%20baffling%20mirror%2C%20the%20black%20velvet%20backdrop%2C%20the%20implied%20associations%20and%20traditions%E2%80%93which%20the%20native%20illusionist%2C%20frac-tails%20flying%2C%20can%20magically%20use%20to%20transcend%20the%20heritage%20in%20his%20own%20way.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F26318e%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/211/">Black</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/579/">Rich</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/1892/">Flying</a></li> </ul>  </li> </ul><div class="banner--main">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-1'> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { var slot; var slotName = 'div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-1'; if (screen.width > 1000) { slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[728, 90]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } else { document.getElementById(slotName).classList.add("banner--mobile"); slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[336, 280]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } googletag.display(slotName); googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]); }); </script> </div> </div> <ul class="quotes--cards"> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/36311c/">Beauty plus pity-that is the closest we can get to a definition of art. Where there is beauty there is pity for the simple reason that beauty must die: beauty always dies, the manner dies with the matter, the world dies with the individual.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="36311c"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="36311c" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/36311c/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Beauty%20plus%20pity-that%20is%20the%20closest%20we%20can%20get%20to%20a%20definition%20of%20art.%20Where%20there%20is%20beauty%20there%20is%20pity%20for%20the%20simple%20reason%20that%20beauty%20must%20die:%20beauty%20always%20dies%2C%20the%20manner%20dies%20with%20the%20matter%2C%20the%20world%20dies%20with%20the%20individual.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F36311c%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/115/">World</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/423/">Art</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/32/">Simple</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/26316c/">Most of the dandelions had changed from suns to moons.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="26316c"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="26316c" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/26316c/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Most%20of%20the%20dandelions%20had%20changed%20from%20suns%20to%20moons.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F26316c%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/526/">Sun</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/657/">Moon</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/1491/">Changed</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/063075/">The tiny madman in his padded cell.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="063075"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="063075" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/063075/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=The%20tiny%20madman%20in%20his%20padded%20cell.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F063075%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/832/">Baby</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/755/">Cells</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/12883/">Madmen</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/2631cd/">Derivative writers seem versatile because they imitate many others, past and present. Artistic originality has only itself to copy.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="2631cd"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="2631cd" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/2631cd/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Derivative%20writers%20seem%20versatile%20because%20they%20imitate%20many%20others%2C%20past%20and%20present.%20Artistic%20originality%20has%20only%20itself%20to%20copy.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F2631cd%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/455/">Past</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/5943/">Artistic</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/5384/">Originality</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/2631f9/">I shall be dumped where the weed decays, And the rest is rust and stardust</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="2631f9"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="2631f9" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/2631f9/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=I%20shall%20be%20dumped%20where%20the%20weed%20decays%2C%20And%20the%20rest%20is%20rust%20and%20stardust&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F2631f9%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/6411/">Weed</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/5012/">Decay</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/8436/">Stardust</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062fb2/">Man exists only insofar as he is separated from his surroundings. The cranium is a space-traveler's helmet. Stay inside or you perish.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062fb2"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062fb2" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062fb2/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Man%20exists%20only%20insofar%20as%20he%20is%20separated%20from%20his%20surroundings.%20The%20cranium%20is%20a%20space-traveler%27s%20helmet.%20Stay%20inside%20or%20you%20perish.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062fb2%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/124/">Men</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/2559/">Mankind</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/17258/">Traveler</a></li> </ul>  </li> </ul> <div class="banner--main">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-2'> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { var slot; var slotName = 'div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-2'; if (screen.width > 1000) { slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[728, 90]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } else { document.getElementById(slotName).classList.add("banner--mobile"); slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[336, 280]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } googletag.display(slotName); googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]); }); </script> </div> </div> <ul class="quotes--cards"> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062faa/">All the information I have about myself is from forged documents.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062faa"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062faa" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062faa/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=All%20the%20information%20I%20have%20about%20myself%20is%20from%20forged%20documents.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062faa%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/418/">Information</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/5840/">Documents</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/23734/">Forged</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/26317e/">A thousand years ago five minutes were Equal to forty ounces of fine sand. Outstare the stars. Infinite foretime and Infinite aftertime: above your head They close like giant wings, and you are dead.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="26317e"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="26317e" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/26317e/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=A%20thousand%20years%20ago%20five%20minutes%20were%20Equal%20to%20forty%20ounces%20of%20fine%20sand.%20Outstare%20the%20stars.%20Infinite%20foretime%20and%20Infinite%20aftertime:%20above%20your%20head%20They%20close%20like%20giant%20wings%2C%20and%20you%20are%20dead.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F26317e%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/1680/">Equal</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/5868/">Infinite</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/3383/">Sand</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/163782/">If he was silent I could be silent too. Indeed, I could very well do with a little rest in this subdued, frightened-to-death rocking chair, before I drove to wherever the beast's lair was - and then pulled the pistol's foreskin back, and then enjoyed the orgasm of the crushed trigger.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="163782"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="163782" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/163782/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=If%20he%20was%20silent%20I%20could%20be%20silent%20too.%20Indeed%2C%20I%20could%20very%20well%20do%20with%20a%20little%20rest%20in%20this%20subdued%2C%20frightened-to-death%20rocking%20chair%2C%20before%20I%20drove%20to%20wherever%20the%20beast%27s%20lair%20was%20-%20and%20then%20pulled%20the%20pistol%27s%20foreskin%20back%2C%20and%20then%20enjoyed%20the%20orgasm%20of%20the%20crushed%20trigger.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F163782%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/2799/">Silent</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/4171/">Beast</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/9458/">Chairs</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/3630a3/">And presently I was driving through the drizzle of the dying day, with the windshield wipers in full action but unable to cope with my tears.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="3630a3"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="3630a3" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/3630a3/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=And%20presently%20I%20was%20driving%20through%20the%20drizzle%20of%20the%20dying%20day%2C%20with%20the%20windshield%20wipers%20in%20full%20action%20but%20unable%20to%20cope%20with%20my%20tears.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F3630a3%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/935/">Action</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/1372/">Dying</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/2629/">Tears</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/363052/">A certain man once lost a diamond cuff-link in the wide blue sea, and twenty years later, on the exact day, a Friday apparently, he was eating a large fish - but there was no diamond inside. That’s what I like about coincidence.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="363052"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="363052" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/363052/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=A%20certain%20man%20once%20lost%20a%20diamond%20cuff-link%20in%20the%20wide%20blue%20sea%2C%20and%20twenty%20years%20later%2C%20on%20the%20exact%20day%2C%20a%20Friday%20apparently%2C%20he%20was%20eating%20a%20large%20fish%20-%20but%20there%20was%20no%20diamond%20inside.%20That%E2%80%99s%20what%20I%20like%20about%20coincidence.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F363052%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/124/">Men</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/2192/">Eating</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/695/">Friday</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062f3d/">I loved you. I was a pentapod monster, but I loved you. I was despicable and brutal, and turpid, and everything, mais je t’aimais, je t’aimais!</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062f3d"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062f3d" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062f3d/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=I%20loved%20you.%20I%20was%20a%20pentapod%20monster%2C%20but%20I%20loved%20you.%20I%20was%20despicable%20and%20brutal%2C%20and%20turpid%2C%20and%20everything%2C%20mais%20je%20t%E2%80%99aimais%2C%20je%20t%E2%80%99aimais%21&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062f3d%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/4082/">Monsters</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/4775/">Brutal</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/20928/">Despicable</a></li> </ul>  </li> </ul> <div class="banner--main">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-3'> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { var slot; var slotName = 'div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-3'; if (screen.width > 1000) { slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[728, 90]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } else { document.getElementById(slotName).classList.add("banner--mobile"); slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[336, 280]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } googletag.display(slotName); googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]); }); </script> </div> </div> <ul class="quotes--cards"> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062fea/">The term "bend sinister" means a heraldic bar or band drawn from the left side (and popularly, but incorrectly, supposed to denote bastardy). This choice of title was an attempt to suggest an outline broken by refraction, a distortion in the mirror of being, a wrong turn taken by life, a sinistral and sinister world. The title's drawback is that a solemn reader looking for "general ideas" or "human interest" (which is much the same thing) in a novel may be led to look for them in this one.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062fea"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062fea" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062fea/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=The%20term%20%22bend%20sinister%22%20means%20a%20heraldic%20bar%20or%20band%20drawn%20from%20the%20left%20side%20%28and%20popularly%2C%20but%20incorrectly%2C%20supposed%20to%20denote%20bastardy%29.%20This%20choice%20of%20title%20was%20an%20attempt%20to%20suggest%20an%20outline%20broken%20by%20refraction%2C%20a%20distortion%20in%20the%20mirror%20of%20being%2C%20a%20wrong%20turn%20taken%20by%20life%2C%20a%20sinistral%20and%20sinister%20world.%20The%20title%27s%20drawback%20is%20that%20a%20solemn%20reader%20looking%20for%20%22general%20ideas%22%20or%20%22human%20interest%22%20%28which%20is%20much%20the%20same%20thing%29%20in%20a%20novel%20may%20be%20led%20to%20look%20for%20them%20in%20this%20one.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062fea%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/135/">Mean</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/3257/">Taken</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/661/">Choices</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/3630e7/">The days of my youth, as I look back on them, seem to fly away from me in a flurry of pale repetitive scraps like those morning snow storms of used tissue paper that a train passenger sees whirling in the wake of the observation car.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="3630e7"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="3630e7" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/3630e7/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=The%20days%20of%20my%20youth%2C%20as%20I%20look%20back%20on%20them%2C%20seem%20to%20fly%20away%20from%20me%20in%20a%20flurry%20of%20pale%20repetitive%20scraps%20like%20those%20morning%20snow%20storms%20of%20used%20tissue%20paper%20that%20a%20train%20passenger%20sees%20whirling%20in%20the%20wake%20of%20the%20observation%20car.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F3630e7%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/449/">Morning</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/544/">Car</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/1250/">Storm</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/363070/">As far as I can recall, the initial shiver of inspiration [for Lolita] was somehow prompted by a newspaper story about an ape in the Jardin des Plantes, who, after months of coaxing by a scientist, produced the first drawing ever charcoaled by an animal: this sketch showed the bars of the poor creature's cage.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); 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$('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="363073"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="363073" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/363073/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=...for%20the%20human%20brain%20can%20become%20the%20best%20torture%20house%20of%20all%20those%20it%20has%20invented%2C%20established%20and%20used%20in%20a%20millions%20of%20years%2C%20in%20millions%20of%20lands%2C%20on%20millions%20of%20howling%20creatures.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F363073%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/1345/">Brain</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/2640/">Creatures</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/2617/">Torture</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/26313b/">Only one letter divides the comic from the cosmic.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="26313b"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="26313b" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/26313b/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Only%20one%20letter%20divides%20the%20comic%20from%20the%20cosmic.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F26313b%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/194/">Letters</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/4297/">Comic</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/3158/">Cosmic</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062f50/">... my mind lay limp in an empty world.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062f50"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062f50" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062f50/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=...%20my%20mind%20lay%20limp%20in%20an%20empty%20world.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062f50%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/115/">World</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/128/">Mind</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/2022/">Depression</a></li> </ul>  </li> </ul> <div class="banner--main">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-4'> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { var slot; var slotName = 'div-gpt-ad-1539479904694-4'; if (screen.width > 1000) { slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[728, 90]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } else { document.getElementById(slotName).classList.add("banner--mobile"); slot = googletag.defineSlot('/150025860/citatis-top', [[336, 280]], slotName).addService(googletag.pubads()); } googletag.display(slotName); googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]); }); </script> </div> </div> <ul class="quotes--cards"> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062f86/">A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062f86"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062f86" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062f86/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=A%20writer%20should%20have%20the%20precision%20of%20a%20poet%20and%20the%20imagination%20of%20a%20scientist.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062f86%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/270/">Writing</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/742/">Imagination</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/1699/">Poet</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062f35/">The writer's job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); 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He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster. This is the whole of the story and we might have left it at that had there not been profit and pleasure in the telling; and although there is plenty of space on a gravestone to contain, bound in moss, the abridged version of a man's life, detail is always welcome.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="2631a2"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="2631a2" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/2631a2/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Once%20upon%20a%20time%20there%20lived%20in%20Berlin%2C%20Germany%2C%20a%20man%20called%20Albinus.%20He%20was%20rich%2C%20respectable%2C%20happy%3B%20one%20day%20he%20abandoned%20his%20wife%20for%20the%20sake%20of%20a%20youthful%20mistress%3B%20he%20loved%3B%20was%20not%20loved%3B%20and%20his%20life%20ended%20in%20disaster.%20This%20is%20the%20whole%20of%20the%20story%20and%20we%20might%20have%20left%20it%20at%20that%20had%20there%20not%20been%20profit%20and%20pleasure%20in%20the%20telling%3B%20and%20although%20there%20is%20plenty%20of%20space%20on%20a%20gravestone%20to%20contain%2C%20bound%20in%20moss%2C%20the%20abridged%20version%20of%20a%20man%27s%20life%2C%20detail%20is%20always%20welcome.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F2631a2%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/124/">Men</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/881/">Wife</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/221/">Pleasure</a></li> </ul>  </li> <li class="quotes-item" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Quotation"> <blockquote itemprop="text"> <a href="/a22943/062f57/">Poetry involves the mysteries of the irrational perceived through rational words.</a> </blockquote> <cite itemprop="spokenByCharacter" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <a href="/a22943/"> <figure class="character-image"> <img itemprop="image" src="//cdn.citatis.com/img/a/1f/22943.v2.jpg" alt="Vladimir Nabokov"> </figure> <span class="cite-src" itemprop="name">Vladimir Nabokov</span> </a> </cite> <ul class="quotes-item__options"> <li> <button class="i-favorite popup-toggle" onclick="event.stopImmediatePropagation(); $('#popup_auth').modal('show');" title="Add to Favorites" qid="062f57"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__share" data-id="062f57" itemtype="quote"> <li> <button class="i-fb" data-url="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://citatis.com/a22943/062f57/" title="Share to Facebook"></button> </li> <li> <button class="i-tw" data-url="https://twitter.com/share?text=Poetry%20involves%20the%20mysteries%20of%20the%20irrational%20perceived%20through%20rational%20words.&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitatis.com%2Fa22943%2F062f57%2F" title="Share to Twitter"></button> </li> </ul> <ul class="quotes-item__tags"> <li><a href="/topic/885/">Reason</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/3159/">Mystery</a></li> <li><a href="/topic/6039/">Rational</a></li> </ul>  </li> </ul> <dl class="pagination" role="menubar"> <dd><span class="active">1</span></dd><dd><a href="/a22943/?p=1" class="ajax" rel="next">2</a></dd><dd><a href="/a22943/?p=2" class="ajax">3</a></dd><dd><a href="/a22943/?p=3" class="ajax">4</a></dd><dd><a href="/a22943/?p=4" class="ajax">5</a></dd><dd><span>...</span></dd><dd><a href="/a22943/?p=15" class="ajax">16</a></dd><nobr><dd><span class="disabled">previous</span></dd><dd><a href="/a22943/?p=1" class="ajax" rel="next">next</a></dd></nobr> </dl> </main> <aside> <div class="banner--aside"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1539482008349-0'> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1539482008349-0'); }); </script> </div></div><section class="tags--authors"> <h3>RELEVANT AUTHORS</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/a35/">W. 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