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That, for instance, Mann’s asinine Death in Venice or Pasternak’s melodramatic and vilely written Zhivago or Faulkner’s corncobby chronicles can be considered “masterpieces,” or at least what journalists call “great books,” is to me an absurd delusion, as when a hypnotized person makes love to a chair.

— Vladimir Nabokov Strong Opinions (1973)

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More quotes by Vladimir Nabokov

I think like a genius, I write like a distinguished author, I speak like a child.

Strong Opinions (1973)

What is this jest in majesty? This ass in passion? How do God and Devil combine to form a live dog?

In due time history will have denounced everybody.

Pale Fire (1962)

Whenever in my dreams, I see the dead, they always appear silent, bothered, strangely depressed, quite unlike their dear bright selves.

Speak, Memory (1951)

The distinct feature of everything extant is its monotony.

All Vladimir Nabokov quotes →

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Vladimir Nabokov (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.