Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian-American novelist, poet, and literary critic. He is best known for his novel Lolita, which was controversial at the time of its publication. Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1899. He was educated at the Tenishev School and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1919, he left Russia for Berlin, and then moved to the United States in 1940. Nabokov wrote in both Russian and English, and his works are known for their intricate wordplay and clever use of language. He wrote several novels, short stories, and poems, and was also a respected lepidopterist. Nabokov died in 1977, leaving behind a legacy of literary brilliance.