Originally published in 1951 as Conclusive Evidence, Vladimir Nabokov’s luminous autobiography recalls the influences of his aristocratic Russian upbringing — including various governesses, family members, childhood friends and the beginnings of his lifelong enchantment with butterflies — with tactile immediacy and wit. The memoir lacks a straightforward narrative; its chapters were originally printed individually in various journals, giving the work an episodic quality. But the impressionist approach deepens the sense of memories relived through prose that is gorgeous, rich and full.