Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0004902, Fri, 17 Mar 2000 13:51:12 -0800

Subject
Re: Query: Spanish translation of _The Gift_ (fwd)
Date
Body
Of course!!!! "Don" could fit well. It means gift and talent at the same
time. But...there are problems:
Problem#1=the "gift" side of the meaning is pretty obscure. Today,
almost nobody uses "don" as "gift". We use "regalo", though in the past,
four centuries ago, it was common. Now, I can only remember an
application in this sense: "Los Dones de la Providencia", wich means
"The gifts of the Providence".
Problem#2="El Don", would suggest something different to the writers.
Maybe a book on the Mafia. Or maybe a reference to the Russian river
(very plausible).

Well, I agree that La Dadiva is an awful title for a wonderful book. But
I can not imagine a solution.