Nabokovian

American  

[nab-uh-koh-vee-uhn] / ˌnæb əˈkoʊ vi ən /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling the literary style of Vladimir Nabokov.

   a sly, Nabokovian sense of the absurd.

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Etymology

Origin of Nabokovian

First recorded in 1955–60; Nabokov + -ian

Example Sentences

Occasionally, too, sentences attain a fleeting, Nabokovian beauty: “We rounded a bend in the road and a cloud of pale blue butterflies appeared before us, blown in perhaps from another part of the world.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2021

His books, most written in the first person, are lapidary, intricate, Nabokovian.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2020

Despite its slender, friendly appearance, the new Player's Edition of the Rules of Golf is a work of Nabokovian artistry and cleverness.

From Golf Digest • Dec. 17, 2018

It is a Nabokovian gag from the director, and a talisman as well.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018

Weinman has more success underscoring how “Any speculation that ‘Lolita’ could be inspired by a real-life case went against the single-minded Nabokovian belief that art supersedes influence, and so influence must be brushed off.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2018