Nabokov's Butterflies

[monk222]

I found it and I named it, being versed

in taxonomic Latin; thus became

godfather to an insect and its first

describer — and I want no other fame.

-- Vladimir Nabokov

He expressed himself clearly and repeatedly on this point, that he felt more pride over his scientific work in lepidoptera than in his literary success as a novelist. Just this Tuesday, the hypothesis he made in 1945 on the evolution of the Polyommatus blues butterflies was proved correct.

One also gets this rather touching biographical note on the origin of his interest:

Nabokov inherited his passion for butterflies from his parents. When his father was imprisoned by the Russian authorities for his political activities, the 8-year-old Vladimir brought a butterfly to his cell as a gift. As a teenager, Nabokov went on butterfly-hunting expeditions and carefully described the specimens he caught, imitating the scientific journals he read in his spare time. Had it not been for the Russian Revolution, which forced his family into exile in 1919, Nabokov said that he might have become a full-time lepidopterist.

Of course, he will probably remain more known for his eloquent expression on the study and pursuit of nymphets, but that probably wouldn't conern him, not being a lowest-common denominator kind of guy, being content that "Lolita" at least made him independently wealthy.