This is the last Russian novel by Vladimir Nabokov that can rightfully be called the pinnacle of his Russian-language period and one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century Russian literature. Telling the story of the creative formation of a young emigrant writer, Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, this deeply autobiographical book touches on Nabokov’s most important themes: the fate of Russian literature, the riddle of true genius, the idea of personal immortality attainable through memories, love, and art.