Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0001954, Wed, 2 Apr 1997 09:08:56 -0800

Subject
Re: VN short stories (fwd)
Date
Body
At 10:45 AM 3/31/97 -0800, you wrote:
>Could anyone recommend particularly fine Nabokov short stories? I
> purchased the recently published collection and loved "Spring in Fialta."
>I'd like to read all of them (time permitting) but would prefer to start
>with a list of what others with refined tastes consider to be the very
>best. Thanks in advance.
>
>Michael Sherry
>
I would like to add "A Guide to Berlin" to the list of other fine Nabokov
short stories recommended. Considering its self-reflexivity and its concern
with memory and artistic perception and creation, I think it is a fine place
to start for any Nabokovian interested in the short stories.

As Appel's former student, I recall this story as one of his very favorites,
one which he used as a starting point for studying the novels. He makes
some commentary on the story in his _The Art of Celebration_, Knopf, 1993.