Precisely which of Nabokov’s books I read first is lost in the mist of my past. This is somehow appropriate.

I can tell you with some certainty that it was not Lolita. I am nearly certain that it was The Real Life of Sebastian Knight.

I am fully certain that my inner world, particularly as a writer in a universe, began to make sense after I had devoured Nabokov’s books. Or rather, how that inner world might be represented on the page.

Nabokov is without a doubt my favorite of writers.

Selected Quotes

“I confess, I do not believe in time.”

“The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.”

“It is a short walk from the hallelujah to the hoot.”

“A work of art has no importance whatever to society. It is only important to the individual, and only the individual reader is important to me.”

“I don’t belong to any club or group. I don’t fish, cook, dance, endorse books, sign books, co-sign declarations, eat oysters, get drunk, go to church, go to analysts, or take part in demonstrations.”