8 Famous Artists Who Tried To Destroy Their Own Art

5. Vladamir Nabokov

Most famous for the controversial Lolita, Nabokov's final, incomplete novel The Original of Laura has been the subject of extensive debate. It was Nabokov's wish that his son Dmitri destroy the manuscript should it not be completed, which unfortunately it wasn't when Nabokov died in 1977. Dmitri wrestled with this request for an astonishing thirty years, deliberating whether or not to honour his father's wishes or contribute something to the literary world. Eventually Dmitri reached a decision, and the novel was published in 2009 to a largely negative reception. Many criticized Dmitri for cashing in against his father's wishes. The conundrum has since raised discussions of deathbed morality - would Dmitri have been criticized so harshly had the book been well-received?