Why people recommend it
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov is a celebrated autobiographical memoir that chronicles the author's privileged upbringing as part of the Russian aristocracy prior to the dramatic upheaval of the Russian Revolution. The book has drawn high praise and thoughtful commentary from prominent public figures and podcast hosts. Ross Douthat recommended the memoir on The Ezra Klein Show in response to a closing inquiry asking for book suggestions, highlighting its focus on the author's early boyhood in pre-revolutionary Russia. Lex Fridman also featured the book on the Lex Fridman Podcast by quoting a famous passage written by Vladimir Nabokov regarding existence as a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness, noting that this exact passage was utilized by Sheldon Solomon in his own work. Additionally, Greg Coles referenced the memoir on The Book Review while comparing another writer's exploration of a lost homeland to the unique stylistic and thematic qualities found in Nabokov's classic life writing. Together, these mentions highlight the book's exquisite prose style, its evocative nostalgia, and its profound philosophical reflections on memory and the passage of time.
Who recommended it
- Ross Douthat Recommended
- Greg Cowles Discussed
- Lex Fridman Recommended
Ross Douthat — 1 mention
“I have been reading uh, Speak Memory by Vladimir Nambacov, Nbachov, however you want to pronounce it, which is his sort of memoir uh, mostly of his boyhood as a Russian aristocrat before the Russian the Russian Revolution.”
Greg Cowles — 1 mention
“and and it his lost Homeland it it shares something with nabokov's speak memory in that regard”
Lex Fridman — 1 mention
“and now let me leave you with some words from vladimir nabokov that sheldon uses in his book warm at the core the cradle rocks above and abyss and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness”