Two Russians and I Debate the Meaning of Fictional Literature

Scene: My workplace, The Strand, the self-proclaimed world's largest used bookstore, 18 miles of books and 36 varieties of pungency.

Two Russians approach me: a 50-ish woman (#1) and a 20-ish man (#2).

RUSSIAN #1: Do you have Speak, Memory, the autobiography by Nabokov?

JOE E: If we do, it'll be in the Literary Non-Fiction section.

RUSSIAN #1: No, no, it is a fictional book.

JOE E: His autobiography is fictional?

RUSSIAN #1: Yes, it is fictional autobiography.

JOE E: I'm pretty sure his autobiography is non-fiction.

RUSSIAN #2: Nabokov is fiction writer.

JOE E: I know he wrote fiction-

RUSSIAN #1: He is great Russian fiction writer.

JOE E: Yes but his autobiography is non-fiction. Or at least that's where we keep it.

The Russians think it over for another moment.

RUSSIAN #1: No, it is fictional autobiography.

RUSSIAN #2: Yes, it is fiction.