Books Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
““Between the ages of ten and fifteen in St. Petersburg, I must have read more fiction and poetry—English, Russian and French—than in any other five-year period of my life. I relished especially the works of Wells, Poe, Browning, Keats, Flaubert, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Alexander Blok. On another level, my heroes were the Scarlet Pimpernel, Phileas Fogg, and Sherlock Holmes. In other words, I was a perfectly normal trilingual child in a family with a large library. At a later period, in Western Europe, between the ages of 20 and 40, my favorites were Housman, Rupert Brooke, Norman Douglas, Bergson, Joyce, Proust, and Pushkin. Of these top favorites, several—Poe, Jules Verne, Emmuska Orezy, Conan Doyle, and Rupert Brooke—have lost the glamour and thrill they held for me. The others remain intact and by now are probably beyond change as far as I am concerned.””
About This Quote
Nabokov reflects on his youthful voracious reading across languages and genres, noting how early literary heroes shaped his imagination, while later preferences evolved yet retained core influences.
In simple terms: He loved reading many languages as a child; later tastes changed but core loves stayed.
Key Takeaway
Explore diverse literature early; revisit lasting influences.
Themes
literature
multilingualism
personal growth
Mood
nostalgic
inspirational
Type
reflective
personal
When to use this quote
- educational curricula
- personal reading habits
- creative inspiration
Key Concepts
cognitive development
cultural exposure
literary canon
Questions to Reflect On
- How does early multilingual reading affect later creativity?
- Which authors still inspire you today?
A Different Perspective
Some may argue early specialization is better than broad reading.
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
