Subject
Ada, Plus Russian Translations (fwd)
Date
Body
I have a few questions for members of this forum.
I'm quite new to the works of VN, but quite grateful and very
impressed. One thing that puzzles me, however, is the comparatively
small amount of attention Ada seems to receive in the critical
literature. Yes I'm aware of (and have a copy of) Brian Boyd's book on
Ada, as well as his chapter in the biography, and I think his work is
wonderful. And I've read the piece on the Zembla web page. But the
consensus appears to be that the true masterpieces are Lolita, Pale
Fire, Speak Memory, and The Gift. In my completely non-professional
opinion (I'm a chemist), Ada belongs in this company. There is
something truly haunting about this work that stays with me long after
the reading. Yes, there is a great deal I don't understand in this
novel, but there's a great deal I don't understand about everything.
I'm not trying to make a strong statement, after all, we all simply like
what we like; I'm just interested to hear what subscribers have to say
at this junture about Ada.
In addition, I'm slowly making my way through what I've come to think
of as VN's canon: works by other authors that he loved. My question is
- which translations are the best versions of Anna Karenin, and Dead
Souls? I know that Guerney's translation of the latter was accepted by
VN, but wasn't it merely accepted? How does the new translation by
Pevear & Volokhonsky stack up?
With Thanks....
Fred Pfaff
fpfaff@erols.com
I'm quite new to the works of VN, but quite grateful and very
impressed. One thing that puzzles me, however, is the comparatively
small amount of attention Ada seems to receive in the critical
literature. Yes I'm aware of (and have a copy of) Brian Boyd's book on
Ada, as well as his chapter in the biography, and I think his work is
wonderful. And I've read the piece on the Zembla web page. But the
consensus appears to be that the true masterpieces are Lolita, Pale
Fire, Speak Memory, and The Gift. In my completely non-professional
opinion (I'm a chemist), Ada belongs in this company. There is
something truly haunting about this work that stays with me long after
the reading. Yes, there is a great deal I don't understand in this
novel, but there's a great deal I don't understand about everything.
I'm not trying to make a strong statement, after all, we all simply like
what we like; I'm just interested to hear what subscribers have to say
at this junture about Ada.
In addition, I'm slowly making my way through what I've come to think
of as VN's canon: works by other authors that he loved. My question is
- which translations are the best versions of Anna Karenin, and Dead
Souls? I know that Guerney's translation of the latter was accepted by
VN, but wasn't it merely accepted? How does the new translation by
Pevear & Volokhonsky stack up?
With Thanks....
Fred Pfaff
fpfaff@erols.com