LATH is a fictional autobiography, “really” written by Vladimir Nabokov, but narrated by Vadim Vadimovich, the person whose biography the book claims to be.

Vadim resembles Vladimir in various ways. Vadim’s Turbulent love life, including four wives, resembles rumours about Nabokov’s sexual activities after he published the sexually taboo (although not particularly sexually explicit) Lolita, which dealt with incestuous pedophilia. Vadim and Vladimir are both born in pre-revolutionary Russia, then move to Berlin, Paris, and the United States in that order. Whereas Vadim’s first wife was killed, Vladimir’s father was killed. Vladim Teaches at Quirn University in the United States while writing English novels, and Vladimir taught at Cornell University in the United States while also writing English novels. Vladim calls his fourth wife “you” in his autobiography, and Vladimir address Vera as “you” in his (Speak, Memory). Vladim’s wife, Iris’, name is almost “Sirin” (Nabokov’s Russian émigré author pen name) backwards. Vladim’s novel, Kingdom by the Sea, resembles Nabokov’s Lolita. While Vladim’s novels are strongly autobiographical, Vladimir’s books are similar but not identical to his life. Vladim and Vladimir are both European man who date, marry, and have sex with women.

Vladim has moments where he wonders if he is a double of some other character. This makes sense because he resembles protagonists from Vladimir’s other novels in many ways. Vladim’s motel-hopping, cross-country road trip with teenage daughter Isabel (or “Bel”) resembles Humbert Humbert’s trip with his nymphet stepdaughter Lolita in the novel named after her. Furthermore, Bel’s name is the ending of the name of Humbert’s first love, Annabel. Vladim has mental/emotional distress much of the time, and so do many Nabokovian protagonists. Vladimir is an unreliable narrator like other Nabokovian protagonists.