Years later, I read Lolita. There was a part of me that almost put it down. I read it because I wondered what all the fuss was about. From the first page, it might be the best written book I have ever read.
His short story 'Beneficence' may be may favorite piece of writing ever. He had a knack for capturing a simple occurrence, making it moving and immersive, and wrapping up his story with a poignant conclusion that I have found in very few other authors' works.
nabakov would agree with you
my opinion is Pale Fire is the only thing even slightly worth considering reading from him
i'll refrain from recommending anything in his stead due to the fear of my disliking nabakov might sully your reception of anything i recommend; instead i'll say i empathise with your experience reading in an academic setting and encourage you to keep reading and seeking what all the fuss is about in regard other authors.. you may keep finding more and more that you enjoy reading
i very much disliked lolita
i'm unable to speak to story construction because i only vaguely recall the structure but i can speak to my distaste for the prose
i have a lot of respect for multilinguals and the fact that nabokov wrote lolita in english is commendable but it reads to me like posturing
i felt it was humorless yet aggressively attempting to be funny
i feel people who like it inexplicably excuse its shortcomings as intentional or representative of the narrator, and i always felt if that was the penultimate interpretation i'd rather find meaning and enrichment in work that engaged with me as a reader instead of trying to troll me while hoping i grant its assumed brilliance credence
i felt it self serving while being acutely self aware; further promoting said service
which is also why in my opinion the only thing even slightly worth reading by nabokov is pale fire
i feel it explicitly exhibits my interpretation of nabokov as an author
someone obsessed with one's own literary importance based on one's own criteria of what makes good literature