The famous author of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov seldom
mentioned the brother he left behind in Europe.
Paul Russell has very cleverly reconstructed this gay brother’s life
from the few known facts. It is a
beautiful journey from the decline of St Petersburg in the early 20th
Century as the time of the Tsars is brought to a close through to the end of
Hitler’s Germany and Sergey himself.
Sergey lives and loves an amazing
life. His father was immensely
intelligent and he idolised his gay uncle who ignored him, while focussing his
attentions on the elder Vladimir. Sergey
becomes friends with many famous people of the era such as Cocteau and Alice
Toklas. This is the story of an emigrant
community and an overlooked brother. It
captures a changing world over a period of just a few decades.
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