Deconstructing the Soviet Ideology of the “New Man”: Exile and Memory in Vladimir Nabokov’s Works As a Russian exile, Nabokov was wholly opposed to the Soviet ideology of the “new man.” The theme of memory, essential to his Russian and American novels, may be interpreted as his personal answer and poetical antidote to that modern utopia. This text explores the rich implications of this theme in his two American masterpieces, Lolita (1955) and Speak, Memory (1966). It shows that the accuracy and poetry of Nabokovian memories are not only aesthetic, but also encompass ethical and political meanings.