In Search of Vladimir Nabokov in St. Petersburg, Russia

by Maria Kozyreva

I arrived in Saint Petersburg in the middle of September. I must admit that in autumn it is rather rainy there. However, when I bought tickets, I was sure that the weather would be great. I trusted my intuition and it didn't fail me.

I looked up at the Triumphal Arc, one of the main symbols of the city, as if asking a blessing from it and opened my map. I was searching for Morskaya street, 47 where famed Russian author Vladimir Nabokov spent the first 18 years of his life. I was a bit surprised that Morskaya quay was situated not in the city center, but on Vasilievsky I...