ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Vladimir Nabokov (Russian, 1899 - 1977) was an important Russian novelist, poet and short story writer. Nabokov's first nine novels were in Russian. He then rose to international prominence as a writer of English prose. He also made serious contributions as a lepidopterist and chess composer. Nabokov's Lolita (1955) is frequently cited as among his most important novels and is his most widely known, exhibiting the love of intricate word play that characterized all his works. Lolita was ranked at No. 4 in the list of the Modern Library 100 Best Novels. Pale Fire (1962) was ranked at No. 53 on the same list. His memoir, Speak, Memory, was listed No. 8 on the Modern Library nonfiction list. Among his other important works include Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited (1966, Revised), Ada or Ardor (1969), and King, Queen, Knave (1968).