Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), the eminent Russian-American writer and intellectual, is best known for his novels, though he was also the author of plays, poems, and short stories. In this important new work, Paul D. Morris offers a comprehensive reading of Nabokov's Russian and English poetry, until now a neglected facet of his oeuvre. Morris' unique and insightful study re-evaluates Nabokov's poetry and demonstrates that poetry was in fact central to his identity as an author and was the source of his distinctive authorial - lyric - voice.

After offering a critical overview of the multi-staged history of the reception of Nabokov's poetry and an extensive analysis of his poetic writing, Morris argues that Nabokov's poetry has largely been misinterpreted and its place in his oeuvre misunderstood. Through a detailed examination of the form and content of Nabokov's writings, Morris demonstrates that Nabokov's innovations in the realms of drama, the short story, and the novel were profoundly shaped by his lyric sensibility.

"'Morris has made a major contribution to the appreciation of Nabokov's oeuvre. Not only does he study both the poetry and its critical reception more thoroughly than any other previous researcher, but he has also opened paths for considering its links to Nabokov's other writings.'" - The Russian Review vol. 70:01:10

"‘Morris’s examination of Nabokov’s poetry and its reception is undoubtedly one of the fullest accounts of Nabokov’s poetic achievements produced so far. The book also lays the ground for future studies related to the inter-relationship between prose and poetry in the twentieth century.’" - Slavonic & East European Review vol 92:04:2014