Vladimir Nabokov, unknown pages of the life of the author of "Lolita"

Part One

The name of the author of the famous novel "Lolita" is known to many, he is revered and admired, but only a few know about another side of the life of the great Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov. At the beginning of his journey, he lost everything, but did not break and became who he is remembered as around the world.

Vladimir Nabokov was born on April 22, 1899, into the family of politician and nobleman Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov, who became one of the key figures in the events of 1917, and Elena Ivanovna Rukavishnikova, the daughter of a wealthy gold industrialist. From childhood, Volodya aspired to art and beauty, was well-educated, wrote poetry, and was fascinated by studying butterflies. He was the young heir to a large fortune from his uncle Vasily Rukavishnikov, and it seemed that his life would be carefree and calm, but everything changed abruptly.

In February 1917, a revolution occurred, and the future of Russia turned out to be completely different from what the writer's father, one of the leaders of the Cadet Party, Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov, had envisioned. The country was rapidly plunging into chaos, the Bolsheviks seized power, and former minister Nabokov, along with his family, fled to Crimea, where he later joined the Regional Government. His son dreamed of fighting on the front against the Bolsheviks alongside his cousin. However, soon the cousin was brought back dead; he died in an attack on a red machine gun, and Vladimir did not manage to reach the front. In April 1919, his parents left Crimea, captured by the Bolsheviks, and with them, the future great Russian writer left his homeland forever.

In exile, the family lived in Berlin, which became the center of Russian emigration, while Vladimir studied at Cambridge University, simultaneously developing his talents as a writer, poet, and translator. However, his familiar life changed forever when in 1922 his father was killed by the Black Hundreds during an assassination attempt on Milyukov. This was a heavy blow for 22-year-old Volodya. Along with his father, he lost much, but found the strength within himself to bring to life the Russia preserved in his memory through his pen.