Published in 1974, LATH is the last Nabokov book published while he was living; he would die in 1977. It is his 8th English novel and his 17th novel including his Russian writing. It was published soon after Andrew Field’s biography of Nabokov, Nabokov: His Life in Part, which Nabokov did not like, claimed was inaccurate, and attempted (but failed) to legally restrict from being published. Our class has entertained in class discussions the view (of Johnson and Sweeney) that LATH is a response to this “event.” LATH was published after Nabokov’s ostensibly non-fictional autobiography, Speak Memory.

At the time of publishing, 1974, Nabokov was 75, married, and had a grown son. He was living a comfortable, semi-retired life in Montreaux after the success of Lolita ensured he would never have to worry about money, and allowed him to resume the privileged lifestyle he lead as a child and teenager. He was living with his beloved wife of decades, Vera. He had retired from professorship, and his only work was writing. He continued participating in his hobbies of butterfly hunting and chess.