Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle

Emily Collins (University of Bristol)

Ed. by Neil Cornwell, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 2.2.2.00: Post-1917 Writing and Culture in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, 1917-present.
Vol. editors: Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol), Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Andrei Rogatchevski (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1969

Places

Russia (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle

was written between 1966 and 1968, when Nabokov's literary reputation was at its height. In the aftermath of

Lolita

, Nabokov was in great demand. Publishers, translators, biographers, critics and journalists sought him out in Montreux, Switzerland, where he had moved in 1961, and

Ada

was completed while Nabokov was frenetically multitasking (with the help of his wife) in response to this welcome, though at times irritating, onslaught.

Published in 1969, Ada is Nabokov's longest and most ambitious novel. Reviewers initially responded with great enthusiasm, and the novel reached number four on the New York Times best-seller list, where it remained for weeks. Soon, however, the unanimous excitement gave way to hostility from a number of critics, including some

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2181 words

Citation: Collins, Emily. "Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 June 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6854, accessed 22 November 2024.]

Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle

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