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1bookinmybag
I'd like some Nabokov recommendations other than Lolita, Laughter in the Dark, and The Real Life of Sebastian Knight. Thanks.
2anna_in_pdx
I just read Speak, Memory and loved it. My first Nabokov, and I will be reading more of him.
3CliffBurns
PALE FIRE is considered one of his finest and, lessee, I also have LOOK AT THE HARLEQUINS and a collection of tales, A RUSSIAN BEAUTY AND OTHER STORIES.
But, really, even the man's laundry list was daunting. I dread a thread devoted to his work because I could contribute little more than: "Nabokov...um...he's definitely...ah...unique..."
Followed by inaudible mumbling.
But, really, even the man's laundry list was daunting. I dread a thread devoted to his work because I could contribute little more than: "Nabokov...um...he's definitely...ah...unique..."
Followed by inaudible mumbling.
5CliffBurns
Great title for your long-awaited memoir, Gene...
6kswolff
There's an early version of Lolita called The Enchanter.
The Gift also looks good.
I've read some of his short stories, which are also quite nice. I also need to read more of him.
His essays on literature look promising. He's rather opinionated on things.
The Gift also looks good.
I've read some of his short stories, which are also quite nice. I also need to read more of him.
His essays on literature look promising. He's rather opinionated on things.
7anna_in_pdx
I would never read an essay on literature that wasn't at least rather, and preferably very, opinionated on things.
9krolik
I sound like a broken record about this book, but I'll say it again: a vote for Pnin. It's funny, wise and kind.
(Note: for some reason the touchstone isn't working...)
(Note: for some reason the touchstone isn't working...)
10KromesTomes
A second vote for Pale Fire ... it was a fantastic book, but you should be fully aware of its unique structure before you give it a try ... I know some people hate that metafiction kind of stuff.
11kswolff
From what I've heard, Ada, or Ardor sounds really promising. Alternate history erotica.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/02/lifetimes/nab-r-ada-appel.html
Pale Fire sounds fantastic.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/02/lifetimes/nab-r-ada-appel.html
Pale Fire sounds fantastic.
12CurrerBell
There's an interesting volume published just a couple of months ago, Verses and Versions, consisting of parallel texts of short Russian originals and Nabokov translations.
I bought it in the thought that I was going to try a Russian language course at my local community college starting this month, but then I changed my mind about the course. (A single introductory semester with no follow-up, which should just about qualify me to order borscht in a Russian restaurant, and I'm really not at a point right now where I want to spring for a couple years of Russian at a university's Slavic languages program.)
I bought it in the thought that I was going to try a Russian language course at my local community college starting this month, but then I changed my mind about the course. (A single introductory semester with no follow-up, which should just about qualify me to order borscht in a Russian restaurant, and I'm really not at a point right now where I want to spring for a couple years of Russian at a university's Slavic languages program.)
13CliffBurns
They might have taught you some really vile Russian cuss words--wouldn't that have been worth the price of admission?
14CurrerBell
As a follow-up to my last post, I'm trying to think of major English-language writers who were also major translators.
The number one who comes to my mind is Dryden, for his Aeneid. (I've never read his Georgics.) As to Pope, though, I don't at all like his Iliad.
As to Chaucer, I don't see The Romance of the Rose or his Boethius as all that significant, and I don't consider Troilus and Criseyde a "translation."
It looks like Nabokov could rank second behind Dryden (or, depending on your point of view, even first overall).
The number one who comes to my mind is Dryden, for his Aeneid. (I've never read his Georgics.) As to Pope, though, I don't at all like his Iliad.
As to Chaucer, I don't see The Romance of the Rose or his Boethius as all that significant, and I don't consider Troilus and Criseyde a "translation."
It looks like Nabokov could rank second behind Dryden (or, depending on your point of view, even first overall).
15kswolff
The poet Robert Hass has translated Czeslaw Milosz.
Burgess translated Cyrano and knew a mess of languages.
And Beckett translated himself.
Burgess translated Cyrano and knew a mess of languages.
And Beckett translated himself.
16bobmcconnaughey
and Milosz has translated anna swir (w/ Hass)
17semckibbin
Edmund Wilson didnt think Nabokov was much of a translator of Pushkin. He and Pope both took 10 years to translate their respective works (Evgeny Onegin, Iliad). Nabokov's notes to EO are so detailed and are especially fun to read when he is dogging other translations of EO; Pope's notes are super but he steals a lot from previous commentators like Eustathius.
My suggestions are Pnin, Pale Fire and Speak, Memory. Strong Opinions which is a collection of interviews and letters is also great fun as Nabokov took relish in the height of his arc when he was pissing on authors he didnt like (Dostoyevski, Faulkner, Thomas Mann, Freud---actually it's a pretty long list).
My suggestions are Pnin, Pale Fire and Speak, Memory. Strong Opinions which is a collection of interviews and letters is also great fun as Nabokov took relish in the height of his arc when he was pissing on authors he didnt like (Dostoyevski, Faulkner, Thomas Mann, Freud---actually it's a pretty long list).
19CliffBurns
Like quantum physics set to poetry.
20kswolff
We thrive on difficulty! Huzzah and kudos for challenging reads. Tough reads are like ab-crunches for the brain.
21semckibbin
Nothing difficult about Pale Fire, although it is uncommon to have an index be an important part of a novel. And another thing, if Kinbote tells you to refer to a note you should follow his advice and jump over to the note rather than read the novel sequentially. One of those books that flowers as you re-read it.
22bobmcconnaughey
I never thought of Nabokov as being "difficult" though i've never read his treatise on butterflies. We had his books around the house growing up and were encouraged to read him by our parents. I'd probably find i was dead wrong if i tried rereading, but i've killed off a lot of brain cells over the years.
23kswolff
Nabokov reminds me of Greene in some ways, since some books can be read as "entertainments" and others are more experimental.
I think book difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. Take Crying of Lot 49: it's not that hard and not that long, but the reading experience can be enriched with a good guidebook or annotations. Gravity's Rainbow, on the other hand, is one epic WTF?
The annotations and such in Pale Fire also seem like a parody of academic literature. Ada is also the same way, with a snarky, half-serious appendix in the back. I recall TS Eliot did the same thing for The Waste-land.
With appendices and annotations, the reader assumes the person who made them was objective, relatively unbiased, and sane. The SF novel Fitzpatrick's War has footnotes that comment on the novel, albeit footnotes written by a biased bigoted egotist working on a methodical character assassination. And of course Infinite Jest, with its 100+ pages of footnotes.
I think book difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. Take Crying of Lot 49: it's not that hard and not that long, but the reading experience can be enriched with a good guidebook or annotations. Gravity's Rainbow, on the other hand, is one epic WTF?
The annotations and such in Pale Fire also seem like a parody of academic literature. Ada is also the same way, with a snarky, half-serious appendix in the back. I recall TS Eliot did the same thing for The Waste-land.
With appendices and annotations, the reader assumes the person who made them was objective, relatively unbiased, and sane. The SF novel Fitzpatrick's War has footnotes that comment on the novel, albeit footnotes written by a biased bigoted egotist working on a methodical character assassination. And of course Infinite Jest, with its 100+ pages of footnotes.
24geneg
Just started Bend Sinister yesterday, hope to finish tomorrow or Monday. It's short, so it's no problem. I'm not impressed, so far. It seems like a lot of pomo trickery in the structure and the telling. However, when he settles in and gets his serious on, he can lay down a sentence or two. This is my first shot at Nabokov.
25kswolff
I've read Lolita 2 - 3 times, the final time with the much-needed annotations. I've also read a few of his short stories. Maybe after Greene and Warhammer 40K, I'll read The Gift or Ada. Or some Henry James.
26bobmcconnaughey
the Greene/Nabokov comparison is apt, i think.
27semckibbin
geneg: "I'm not impressed, so far."
VN: "...it is only the author's private satisfaction that counts."
Discuss.
VN: "...it is only the author's private satisfaction that counts."
Discuss.
28CliffBurns
You can get away with that sentiment when you're Vlad or Jimmy Joyce. I think most authors would prefer the money and fame...
29kswolff
Add zombies, sparkly Mormon vampires, and uncomplicated "action guys" (for the non-sentient testicular Clancy readership).
I admire writers with linguistic and formal daring. I'm currently reading Nazi Literature in the Americas and it's full of failed poets and crazy dreamers -- except that said poets and dreamers are right-wing extremists and Nazi sympathizers.
Reading "Nazi Literature" and Pound's Pisan Cantos back to back is a strange experience.
I admire writers with linguistic and formal daring. I'm currently reading Nazi Literature in the Americas and it's full of failed poets and crazy dreamers -- except that said poets and dreamers are right-wing extremists and Nazi sympathizers.
Reading "Nazi Literature" and Pound's Pisan Cantos back to back is a strange experience.
30semckibbin
CliffBurns, I think Nabokov also said something like, "I write for myself; I publish for money."
31CliffBurns
Hey, we all gotta make a living. But I would suggest Vlad-y was likely being a trifle disingenuous or playful. I think with the exception of LOLITA, he probably didn't make huge bucks from many of his literary offerings, nor do I think was that a driving focus in the creation of his art. He always seemed to have to supplement his income with teaching jobs and academic posts.
And LOLITA was one of those books (like SATANIC VERSES or TROPIC OF CANCER) that many people bought because of the hoopla and few managed to make it through. Thought they were getting a dirty book and ended up with a smart one.
Imagine their disappointment...
And LOLITA was one of those books (like SATANIC VERSES or TROPIC OF CANCER) that many people bought because of the hoopla and few managed to make it through. Thought they were getting a dirty book and ended up with a smart one.
Imagine their disappointment...
32Sutpen
re 31
On the other hand, he likely wouldn't have netted the academic posts either if he hadn't published all those books.
On the other hand, he likely wouldn't have netted the academic posts either if he hadn't published all those books.
33CliffBurns
Books more for academic folk than the general readership, I would propose...
34kswolff
On that note, I'm waiting for Camille Paglia to write some BDSM-centric lesbian vampire erotica. Can't be any worse than her eyeball-scorching columns on Salon.com
She's a worthwhile academic, but her columns are like listening to your crazy art-teacher aunt on a brandy-and-pot bender at Thanksgiving. Pirandello wrote Six Characters in Search of an Author, her columns are "Six Pages in Search of a Point."
She's a worthwhile academic, but her columns are like listening to your crazy art-teacher aunt on a brandy-and-pot bender at Thanksgiving. Pirandello wrote Six Characters in Search of an Author, her columns are "Six Pages in Search of a Point."
35Sutpen
re 33
No argument there. I was just being blithely contrary. Because without the books there would be no university posts, in which case there would be no money. You see where I'm going.
re 34
Yes. On all counts.
No argument there. I was just being blithely contrary. Because without the books there would be no university posts, in which case there would be no money. You see where I'm going.
re 34
Yes. On all counts.
36CliffBurns
Don't agree with Karl, it only encourages him...
37Mr.Durick
Nabokov got his job at Cornell before he became famous. Lolita made him famous and paid for the rest of his life. He moved into a hotel in Switzerland to write and otherwise spend the rest of his life.
As he published books they were reviewed attentively in the middle and high brow press.
Robert
As he published books they were reviewed attentively in the middle and high brow press.
Robert
38bookinmybag
From an interview w/ Nabokov in NY Times - 1966
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/02/lifetimes/nab-v-freud.html
"What is your greatest pleasure in writing?
There is the first satisfaction of arranging it on a bit of paper; after many, many false tries, false moves, finally you have the sentence that you recognize as the one you are looking for, the one you have lost somewhere, sometime... It seems perfect to you . . . It doesn't mean that perhaps five years hence it won't look to you horrible . . . The next pleasure is of reading it to your wife. She and I are my best audience, you see. I should say my main audience. After that, when the thing is published, I do imagine a number of people whom I like, whom I admire, with whom I feel close kinship. It is nice to think that those people are reading that, perhaps at this very instant. But that's about all. I don't care about the general public."
39CliffBurns
Yup, that sounds like ol' Vlad, all right...
40Makifat
Referring all the way back to post #1, I would definitely recommend The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov. Besides being more accessible than some of the novels (which aren't really that difficult anyway), they run the gamut of his career from Young Emigre to Grand Master. So many of the stories are little gems in and of themselves.
It would be hard to name a favorite, but "Signs and Symbols" never fails to bring a tear to my jaded eye.
It would be hard to name a favorite, but "Signs and Symbols" never fails to bring a tear to my jaded eye.
41semckibbin
So geneg. You finished Bend Sinister, right? What's the verdict? It's very tightly structured dont u think?
43kswolff
Once I get back around to Nabokov, I might try The Gift. I do want to read more of his short stories, since they are tightly constructed little gems.
44Sutpen
Here's a short short story called The Word that I've always liked since I saw it in the New Yorker a few years ago. I think it was written early in his career, in Russian, and then translated much later by his son.
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/12/26/051226fi_fiction2?currentPage=all
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/12/26/051226fi_fiction2?currentPage=all
45bookinmybag
Mary Gaitskill reads and discusses "Signs and Symbols" in this New Yorker podcast.
I thought the discussion afterwards was pretty interesting:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/06/09/080609on_audio_gaitskill
I've always liked Nabokov's use of color in his writing. Does anyone know of an essay/critique of this?
I thought the discussion afterwards was pretty interesting:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/06/09/080609on_audio_gaitskill
I've always liked Nabokov's use of color in his writing. Does anyone know of an essay/critique of this?
46kswolff
It should be noted that Goethe wrote some scientific works on "color theory."
http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/ch.html
http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/ch.html
48Makifat
45
I believe there has been a lot of discussion about Nabokov's being a synesthete, one aspect of which is experiencing sound as color.
I'm trying to think of the name of the Rimbaud poem in which vowels are described in reference to color.
I believe there has been a lot of discussion about Nabokov's being a synesthete, one aspect of which is experiencing sound as color.
I'm trying to think of the name of the Rimbaud poem in which vowels are described in reference to color.
49anna_in_pdx
48: It's called Voyelles and it's in Les Fleurs du Mal.
50Makifat
Les Fleurs du Mal is by Baudelaire. Voyelles, by Rimbaud, was written in 1871:
A black, E white, I red, U green, O blue: vowels,
One day I will tell you latent birth:
A, black hairy corset of shining flies
Which buzz around cruel stench
A black, E white, I red, U green, O blue: vowels,
One day I will tell you latent birth:
A, black hairy corset of shining flies
Which buzz around cruel stench
51anna_in_pdx
Whoops. Senile at 40, hélas.
53Porius
Here in my Bawdy-laire:
"Well a 'rath' is a sort of green pig: but 'mome' I'm not certain about. I think it's short for 'from home'--meaning that they'd lost their way, you know."
"Well a 'rath' is a sort of green pig: but 'mome' I'm not certain about. I think it's short for 'from home'--meaning that they'd lost their way, you know."
54CliffBurns
Rimbaud and Baudelaire...
(Sigh)
I'm definitely hanging out with the right crowd.
(Sigh)
I'm definitely hanging out with the right crowd.
55bobmcconnaughey
and "outgrabing" ?
56bobmcconnaughey
i dunno Cliff...jim morrison, creator of some of the most tedious lyrics ever, claimed to be a Baudelairista and Rimbaudino so you cant always judge an artist by his fanboys. On the other hand little bobby dylan hearted Rimbaud so wtf.
57kswolff
I prefer listening to "The End" while watching Hueys and exploding napalm superimposed over Martin Sheen's face. That's just me though.
58anna_in_pdx
56: When I was in Paris studying, 3 of us went to the Père Lachaise cemetery and although we didn't even look for Morrison's grave, we did find Baudelaire's. (As I remember. Though based on my other contributions to this thread, maybe it was Rimbaud.) :)
59Makifat
On "Ghetto Defendant" by The Clash, Allen Ginsberg intones, interspersed with Joe Strummer's lyrics:
Jean Arthur Rimbaud
1873
Paris commune
Died in Marseille
Buried in Charleville
Ginsberg is at least as reliable as Wikipedia, therefore, we shall assume it was Baudelaire's grave you stumbled upon. You might also have been able to find it by the spinning sound emanating from it when Morrison was planted nearby.
Jean Arthur Rimbaud
1873
Paris commune
Died in Marseille
Buried in Charleville
Ginsberg is at least as reliable as Wikipedia, therefore, we shall assume it was Baudelaire's grave you stumbled upon. You might also have been able to find it by the spinning sound emanating from it when Morrison was planted nearby.
60bobmcconnaughey
umm i don't think i've ever expressed any positive opinion in re "Apocalypse now." I saw it once, when it came out in a theater, and have never had any urge to repeat. Maybe i was under the influence sometime? Though that didn't help w/ 2001 way back when.
61Porius
"And what does 'outgrabe' mean?
"Well, 'outgrabing' is something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle: however, you'll hear it done maybe--down in the wood yonder--and, when you've heard it once, you'll be QUITE content. Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you?
"Well, 'outgrabing' is something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle: however, you'll hear it done maybe--down in the wood yonder--and, when you've heard it once, you'll be QUITE content. Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you?
62damfino83
Well An Invitation To A Beheading is by far my favorite, and the book that actually got me into Nabakov in the first place. I also think The Defense is a terrific one to go with, there's a whole lot of power packed into the slender volume. Then again, I'm also a gigantic fan of Ada.
63CliffBurns
I liked INVITATION TO A BEHEADING too...definitely much more accessible than most of Nabby's stuff.
I'm a HUGE "Apocalypse Now" fan so I won't say nuthin' about that flick--except that the "Redux" version is quite appalling.
Morrison's poetry was execrable--the Doors are a band I'll play when I'm feeling a bit nostalgic but they're very rarely on my turntable and haven't been for about a decade. I guess I'm growing up (finally)...
I'm a HUGE "Apocalypse Now" fan so I won't say nuthin' about that flick--except that the "Redux" version is quite appalling.
Morrison's poetry was execrable--the Doors are a band I'll play when I'm feeling a bit nostalgic but they're very rarely on my turntable and haven't been for about a decade. I guess I'm growing up (finally)...
64CarterK 
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Pale Fire
His best. It's not so difficult, be patient....
I do something of Nabokov thing myself:
After having published a few interesting short stories, Mr. Kaplan gives us this novel, and I'm impressed. It uses yet another take on Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius character as a springboard -- with Moorcock's permission -- and vaults into new territory. The book is delightfully inventive and full of wit, and I found myself laughing aloud several times during the reading. I was also impressed with the depiction in parts of the book of New York City; it's clear that Mr. Kaplan has a familiarity with and a feel for the texture of the milieu he describes so tellingly.
It is my suspicion that Mr. Kaplan subscribes to the novelistic notions of Vladimir Nabokov, that regarded the novel not so much as Stendhal's "mirror in the roadway" but instead as an elaborate game. The sense of fun (and funhouse) in the book are unmistakable. Quite a pleasant ride in a fictional rollercoaster. I hope to see more from this writer. This one was definitely worth the time."
--L Sterns Newburg
http://www.amazon.com/Tally-Ho-Cornelius-Carter-Kaplan/dp/0615242200/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235617614&sr=1-2
His best. It's not so difficult, be patient....
I do something of Nabokov thing myself:
After having published a few interesting short stories, Mr. Kaplan gives us this novel, and I'm impressed. It uses yet another take on Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius character as a springboard -- with Moorcock's permission -- and vaults into new territory. The book is delightfully inventive and full of wit, and I found myself laughing aloud several times during the reading. I was also impressed with the depiction in parts of the book of New York City; it's clear that Mr. Kaplan has a familiarity with and a feel for the texture of the milieu he describes so tellingly.
It is my suspicion that Mr. Kaplan subscribes to the novelistic notions of Vladimir Nabokov, that regarded the novel not so much as Stendhal's "mirror in the roadway" but instead as an elaborate game. The sense of fun (and funhouse) in the book are unmistakable. Quite a pleasant ride in a fictional rollercoaster. I hope to see more from this writer. This one was definitely worth the time."
--L Sterns Newburg
http://www.amazon.com/Tally-Ho-Cornelius-Carter-Kaplan/dp/0615242200/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235617614&sr=1-2
65kswolff
Using this discussion to shill for your own book is declasse and rather lame. It also undermines your own artistic integrity. I can see the Ghost of Nabokov shaking his head in disappointment.
67bobmcconnaughey
no need for a flashback..it's still going strong.
69couleur
New member here. If bookinmybag is still taking Nabokov recommendations, did you give Ada a try? It took over my life for a solid two weeks and I've held a fascination for choses French and Russian ever since. Bio details about VN make reading him that much more fascinating. He loved to write while taking a bath/soak. He loved and collected butterflies (they and their colorations often make cameo appearances in his writing), and, interestingly, confesses to have no interest in music. Saul Bellow really loved VN.
70CliffBurns
Anyone looking to shill their book on LibraryThing should confine themselves to:
http://www.librarything.com/groups/writersbragandragbag
http://www.librarything.com/groups/writersbragandragbag
71geneg
#67, Bob, If it ever becomes a thread worth following, please let us know so I can un-"x" it.
72bobmcconnaughey
if there were a way of just reading StormRavens and DWWilkins sometimes excellent brief essays on American legal/political history and avoiding Cyops' incoherent ramblings, there IS a lot of good info there.
73carolinelamb
i'm reading my first nabokov novel right now....'Lolita'. it's, um, interesting.
74semckibbin
Glad to hear it. Half the people to whom I recommend the novel dont finish it. Enjoy.
75kswolff
Lolita and Naked Lunch -- 50s literary Americana at its best, chest-bursting cannibal centipedes included ;)
