(Véra Nabokov, 1902–1991; art by Thomas Doyle)
"There is something quite wonderful about witnessing one human being selflessly bolster the creative achievement of another. For many people we've come to celebrate as geniuses, such human capital was precisely what made their achievements possible – a vital aid rather than a detractor of their greatness. The most frequently recurring roles of these silent supporters are of wife and mother, who doubled and tripled and quadrupled as assistant, caretaker, editor, publicist, and a great many more utilitarian and creative duties. As an example, Véra Nabokov dedicated her life to bolstering her husband, Vladimir Nabokov's genius, in which she believed resolutely and which she felt honored to nurture and protect. She was the first reader of all his work and his lifelong inspiration. The inscription on every single one of his novels reads, simply, "To Véra." So intense was their psychic bond that they even shared an uncommon neurological condition called synesthesia. When Nabokov's obituary stated that "their dedication to each other was total," it was a statement of simple fact."
~ Maria Popova
