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Vladimir Nabokov

Also, I've been reading some of the first Nabokov's. Finished Mary, and am currently reading King, Queen, Knave. Not so layered, but the wonderful prose and descriptive powers are well in evidence.
He captures Berlin of the 20's beautifully.
 
pontalba said:
. . . as it might take a bit of time, but so far it is quite instructive.

Vladimir Nabokov's apprenticeship in Andre Gide's "Science of Illumination": From The Counterfeiters to The Gift
 by Lenoid Livak

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3612/is_200207/ai_n9119404/pg_1
Click to expand...
Pontalba,
"Bit of time" and "quite instructive."
You can say both of those things again! :D
I dipped into the middle someplace and, though I don't know a thing about Gide, I found commentary that will certainly help clarify the obscurity of The Gift.
Great find! :)
A lot to chew on,
Peder
 
*Knocks door*

So... is it safe for non-initiates to come in here now? Or should we start a new Nabokov thread for those (like me) who like a bit of Vlad but feel intimidated by the 52 pages of posts here?
 
Shade said:
*Knocks door*

So... is it safe for non-initiates to come in here now? Or should we start a new Nabokov thread for those (like me) who like a bit of Vlad but feel intimidated by the 52 pages of posts here?
Click to expand...
Shade,
There was already a new thread started for people who were intimidated by the size of these Nabokov threads. I am absolutely certain that you especially will be very graciously received in either place.
As for here: Welcome, and please post as you wish, what you wish, where you wish.
Peder
 
I'm all ears. Eyes. Fingers. Whatever. :) I accidentally overdosed on Diana Gabaldon and have had more Nabokov recommended to me as a specific.
 
pontalba said:
Also, I've been reading some of the first Nabokov's. Finished Mary, and am currently reading King, Queen, Knave. Not so layered, but the wonderful prose and descriptive powers are well in evidence.
He captures Berlin of the 20's beautifully.
Click to expand...

Okay. I've got Speak, Memory right here in my hot little hands.
 
All right guys, Everything in my TBR list can wait awhile. I am interested in trying out some Nobokov. I will probably start with Lolita unless one of you could suggest a better story to begin my journey with.

Thanks in advance!

Justin
 
Justin91 said:
All right guys, Everything in my TBR list can wait awhile. I am interested in trying out some Nobokov. I will probably start with Lolita unless one of you could suggest a better story to begin my journey with.

Thanks in advance!

Justin
Click to expand...

They have sucked another one in;) :D
 
Well, it's time to get back into Nabokov again. I'd have to say that Lolita spoiled me reading wise. I got into a good tear of Dostoyevsky and Steinbeck works after that. Since then, the reading has dropped off quite considerably as other works just can't hold a candle to old V.N. and the quality of work has steadily gone down the further and further away I departed from our good friend V.N. Just went on amazon and purchased The Eye and The Defense. Hopefully I'll get out of this reading rut and I'm very excited to receive these books. Nabokov had some interesting things to say about The Defense, I hope to get the film version too.
 
SFG75 said:
Well, it's time to get back into Nabokov again. I'd have to say that Lolita spoiled me reading wise. I got into a good tear of Dostoyevsky and Steinbeck works after that. Since then, the reading has dropped off quite considerably as other works just can't hold a candle to old V.N. and the quality of work has steadily gone down the further and further away I departed from our good friend V.N. Just went on amazon and purchased The Eye and The Defense. Hopefully I'll get out of this reading rut and I'm very excited to receive these books. Nabokov had some interesting things to say about The Defense, I hope to get the film version too.
Click to expand...

There is a film version of The Defense?
 
Indeed there is and by all accounts it is woeful albeit i cannot vouch for these opinions having not seen it. There is also a a tv movie of a Cornell lecture which is meant to be very good but again i have not seen it.

I apologise for my complete absence from any Nabokov discussion, 56k connection is not fun for discussions it leads to frustration. The reason for my post is to ask if anyone knows of a site or has a text file with all of Nabokovs work (novels,poetry,play etc) that was written/translated and published in english.
 
Peder said:
Pontalba,
Great find!
I noticed especially that they used an unfriendly quote from his unfriendly biographer, Andrew Field, who suggested that VN's interest in butterflies, instead of being genuine, was just an elaborate image-oriented pose. No wonder they weren't friends anymore!
Peder
Click to expand...

I would like to respond to this by sharing something with all of you which, though quite obscure, and perhaps known to few other, is quite germane.

At St. John's in Annapolis, we were all require to study anicient Greek for two years. We were all familiar with a book by a scholar named Denniston, on "The Greek Particles".

In ancient Greek, a particle is a one or two word phrase which adds some subtle flavor to the sentence. I am rather rusty in my ancient Greek, but, to quote the slave boy in Plato's dialogue, "The Meno", "Alla ma ton Dion O Sokrates, egoge ouk oida." This is where the slave boy finally can no longer answer Socrate's questions, and exclaims, "By Zeus, Socrates, I just dont know." Ego in that sentence means "I", but the "-ge" stuck on the end is a particle which adds the nuancie, "I, (for my part at any rate)"

Anyway, Denniston spent his entire life combing every extant ancient Greek text for such subtleties. The INTRODUCTION to Denniston's tome on the particles is rather inspiring. Denniston likes his lifelong endeavor to someone who spends countless hours combing fields for some unusual flower or plant. Suddenly, after weeks or months of endeavors, there it is , before them, that knew and hitherto unknown entity. And, how great is the joy and reward.

No! No one would consecrate such a portion of their lives as a mere pretense and gesture, as a facade. No! Nabakov's passion for butterflies was no different than Denniston's passion for particles.

There are some human endeavors which bear the indelible and unrefutable mark of sincerety, if only for the intensity of sacrifice that they denote.

And, by the way, Nabokov's labors in entomology differs little from the etymological labors of his semiotics.
 
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