A Revolver to Carry at Night

A captivating, nuanced portrait of the life of Vera Nabokov, who dedicated herself to advancing her husband's writing career, playing a vital role in the creation of his greatest works.

Vera Nabokov (1902-1991) was in many ways the epitome of the wife of a great man. Keenly aware of her husband's extraordinary talent, she decided to make his success her ultimate goal, throughout fifty-two years of marriage until his death in 1977. The first reader of his texts, Vera worked as typist and editor.

She organized their lives in exile, as they travelled to Berlin, Paris, Switzerland, and, most importantly, the US, where she convinced Vladimir to focus on writing novels in English. She not only controlled the family's finances and contract negotiations, but also attempted to control his friendships—particularly with women—going so far as to audit his classes.

In this rich, sweeping novel, A Revolver to Carry at Night, Monika Zgustova immerses us in the daily life of this remarkable couple, offering insights into their complex personal and professional relationships, as well as the real people behind characters such as Lolita. Vera considered herself an independent woman, but was she really, when her husband took up so much space? And without Vera, could Nabokov have become one of the twentieth century's greatest writers?