From http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/diary_1.htm.....
Open Chess Diary entries 1-20, 1999, by Tim Krabbé, Amsterdam

9. 1 July: Starflight.

Nabokov yet again—what can I do against chance, and this being his centennial year.
    A friend who visited the 'Nabokov under glass' exhibition in the New York Public Library (5th Ave. & 42nd St.; opened till August 21) brought me its little program book. It has the facsimile of a page from a 1919 notebook, with a diagram drawn by the 20- or 19-year old Vladimir of a chess problem—one that has never been published before.
    It is not a great problem (coming from an anonymous it would hardly be published today), but for a beginner, in 1919, it is really good. The solution of this two-mover is not difficult (but that is not the point of a good problem) and in a way, even obvious.

Mate in 2  V. Nabokov, 1919

The black king has three white flight squares, without mates being provided for these flights, which suggests giving him a fourth. 1.Bg2 therefore presents itself, especially when you notice that it prepares mates for all the flights, and for the king remaining on its original square.
1.Bg2
    Kxc6 2.Nfe5 mate
    Ke6 2.Nd4 mate
    Kc4 2.Nd2 mate
    Ke4 2.Nd4 mate
    fxg3 2.Ng5 mate
The five variations together are the theme; 'starflight'. (With orthogonal squares it is called plus- or cross-flight.) Starflight is one of the oldest themes in problem history; the first one was constructed in 1852. It has later been used for very ingenious and complicated problems, where for instance White has mates ready for the entire star, but no key with which he can keep these mates. There is a key however which still allows the star, which is now met by new mating moves - which are sometimes related to the original ones in some amazing way.
    Nabokov's problem, in its simple prettiness and purity, suggests he has just invented starflight himself.