Vladimir Nabokov

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Welcome to The Nabokovian!

Welcome to the official site of the International Vladimir Nabokov Society (IVNS). You can access most of the site as you wish, but to add to or edit material wiki-style, as we would love you to do, you will have to register.

To subscribe to the announcement list, Nabokv-L, please send an email to this site's general editor, Stephen Blackwell, at his UTK email address.

Please send suggestions, inform us of glitches, or take a stab at editing yourself (if you are a registered user of the site).  

Current Society Highlights

The first ever conference jointly organized by the IVNS and the French VNS, "Vladimir Nabokov, or Education without Borders", took place at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, from October 31 - November 2, 2024. The program is here. In addition to a raft of excellent papers, there was a Cornell exhibit on VN's butterfly science, a pop-up exhibit of manuscripts and inscribed books with butterflies for Véra, and visits to several former Nabokov residences. Attendees registered at the Pale Fire Lounge, and the campus was supremely welcoming. The organizers pulled off an amazing feat despite several setbacks along the way. A more thorough report on the conference is likely to follow, and at least a few photos.

Notes and Brief Commentaries #87 (NabNotes) has been released. Enjoy! The next deadline for NabNotes submissions is February 15; find full instructions via the "NabNotes" link on the menu line.  Old issues of The Nabokovian are now all open access, thanks to Dana Dragnoiu's generous efforts.  Explore the site, register and contribute news or corrections if you wish, and join the society to view members-only content.

Welcome to the official site of the International Vladimir Nabokov Society (IVNS).

Latest Discovery

Trans-oceanic Butterflies

Those who have been interested in Nabokov's (accurate) "Nail of Nome" theory of butterfly dispersal from Eurasia to the New World (his case regarding the Blues), might be interested in new evidence, in different group, for a theory he rejected: butterflies crossing the ocean.

The scientific article (by a team co-led by Naomi Pierce of the MCZ) is here; it is open access. The NYT story about the discover is here.

Previous discovery (sunrises and poplars): here

Please send in nuggets of research you are willing to share before finalizing them in peer-reviewed publications, or highlight neglected discoveries of others.

Classics from The Nabokovian

The latest "Classic" is Dr. J.D. Quin's "Nabokov's Cardiology" from 1991.

On retrospective study of Nabokov's novels a high prevalence of cardiac pathology has been noted. A representative series of four patients are described with clinical information derived from the texts. Current management of the medical conditions detailed is discussed along with an explanation for the high frequency of their occurrence.

Case One

Read more...

Previous "Classic"

First Sightings (Lepidoptera)

A silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) greeting the editor, Aug. 6, 2024, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.

skipper close-up

Upcoming Conferences, Calls for Papers

Conference calls