A Birthday Gift

As St. Petersburg and Russia prepare to mark the 100th birthday of the writer Vladimir Nabokov, on April 24, justice has finally been served. For the first time, Nabokov’s birthday will be celebrated in the beloved house of his childhood at 47 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, in the center of St. Petersburg. Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg in 1899; his family was forced to flee Russia in 1919.

Since the state-financed museum to the writer’s memory at the family summer residence in the village of Rozhdestveno burned to the ground in 1995, the world’s only Nabokov museum is now located on the first floor of the gorgeous art nouveau building on Bolshaya Morskaya. The upper floors of the building, however, are still occupied by the liberal daily newspaper, Nevskoye Vremya.

Nabokov spent most of his life in emigration, in Germany, France, the US and Switzerland. Only the house on Bolshaya Morskaya did he consider his true home, and it is lovingly described in his autobiography, Speak, Memory. While living there, Nabokov wrote and published his first collection of poetry in 1916.

The museum, opened last year, is privately funded by the Nabokov Foundation and from other private donations. While there is little in the way of genuine Nabokov family furniture, on display is a rich collection of photos and documents relating to the writer’s life and work.

Also, one can see original Nabokov samizdat, carefully copied and woven together for reading during the Soviet-era when his works were banned.

Of particular delight are the few luxurious rooms where the original ornate interior, dressed in various styles from the baroque, to Italian and French Renaissance, to art nouveau, has been preserved.

Those interested in attending the birthday celebration may contact the Nabokov Foundation at (812) 315-4713, fax: (812) 312-6594, or by e-mail at <[email protected]>.

– John Varoli