Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Набоков) was a renowned Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia, he initially wrote his first nine novels in Russian while living in Berlin, where he met his wife, Véra Nabokov. Nabokov later achieved international acclaim after moving to the United States, where he began writing in English. He became an American citizen in 1945 and mainly resided on the East Coast before returning to Europe in 1961, settling in Montreux, Switzerland.

From 1948 to 1959, Nabokov served as a professor of Russian literature at Cornell University. His 1955 novel Lolita ranked fourth on Modern Library's list of the 100 best 20th-century novels in 2007 and is considered one of the greatest works of modern literature. Another of his acclaimed works, Pale Fire, published in 1962, ranked 53rd on the same list. His memoir, Speak, Memory, published in 1951, is considered among the greatest nonfiction works of the 20th century, placing eighth on Random House's ranking. Nabokov was a seven-time finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. He was also recognized as an expert lepidopterist and a composer of chess problems.