Article

Name: The Topic of Russian-Speaking Scientific Diaspora Abroad in Vladimir Nabokov’s Oeuvre

Authors: Roman O. Reinhardt, Ekaterina V. Senina, Konstantin А. Nemudrov

MGIMO University, Moscow, Russian Federation

In the section Literary Life of the Plot

Abstract:

The article deals with the evolution of the topic of Russian-speaking scientific diaspora abroad in the oeuvre of Vladimir Nabokov. The emergence of this topic was largely natural and conditioned by Nabokov’s own biography, who, as is well known, was not only an outstanding writer but also a prominent entomologist. His fascination with butterflies was not just a hobby but a professional research activity, facilitated by his albeit unfinished degree in zoology from Cambridge University. During his emigration to the United States, he actively pursued research in this field alongside his literary work and achieved significant successes recognized by peer specialists. This experience, along with teaching Russian language and literature at renowned American colleges, is reflected in several of his novels and poems. Taking into account that scientific diasporas, being a comparatively new and specific topic in terms of study, have not yet been the object of analysis within the framework of literary studies, the authors analyze for the first time its transformation in Nabokov’s literary texts, the main ones of which, in chronological order, are: “University Poem” (1927), “Glory” (1932), “The Gift” (1938), “Paris Poem” (1943), “Lolita” (1955) and “Pnin” (1957). It is proved that the émigré scientists and university professors featured in the aforementioned works, some of whom, like the writer himself, had experience working not only in the humanities, but also partly in natural sciences, can be considered as representatives of the Russian-speaking scientific diaspora in the countries of Western Europe and the USA in the modern interpretation of this concept.

Keywords: Russian literature abroad, Vladimir Nabokov, scientific diaspora, emigration, brain drain, “University poem”, “Paris poem”

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