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Boyd's Annotations in The Nabokovian
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I just received the latest Nabokovian (a little present for which I don't know whom to thank) and would like to make a few off-hand comments on Brian Boyd's Annotations to ADA (Part One, chapter 30). As always, I read them with interest and found a lot of things that are news to me, but there are even more things that can be added. I shall limit myself only to one or two that seem most important.
Let's start with Potyomkin. This name comes from potyomki, Russian for 'darkness,' and reminds one of the Russian saying chuzhaya dusha potyomki ("the heart of another is a dark forest"). Dusha being Russian for 'soul,' 'psyche,' this saying fits particularly well in the psychiatric context of this chapter. Anton Chekhov (who had a keen interest in psychiatry both as a doctor and as a writer and who was, in fact, an anti-Freudean before Freud), author of the story V potyomkakh ("In the Dark," 1886), quotes this saying in his letter of August 30, 1898, to Lidiya Avilov, a woman who loved him (see her memoire piece "A. P. Chekhov in my Life" in "Chekhov in the Reminiscences of his Contemporaries"). The name Avilov differs only in one letter from the surname of Baron Klim Avidov (anagram of Vladimir Nabokov), Marina's former lover who gave to her children the Flavita set (1.36). On the other hand, Avilov needs but a V to become Vavilov,* the name of the Russian biologist, "the father of genetics," who died of hunger in a Stalin prison. The name of Vavilov's main opponent, Trofim Lysenko, is echoed in the name of ADA's Judge Bald (lysyi is Russian for "bald") who protested against banning inbreeding** and incestuous cohabitation (1.21), and Trofim Fartukov, a coachman in Ardis the Second who has a blind child with Blanche, a French hand-maid at Ardis. (In his letter of June 12, 1891, to Lika Mizinov, a woman with whom he was in love, Chekhov mentions a drayman Trophim, who would enrich Lika's vocabulary with vulgar words; instead of signature, Chekhov drew a heart pierced with an arrow).
To be through with Potyomkins: Chekhov met one Potyomkin, a former criminal, during his stay in Sakhalin.
There was a leading "Satirikon" poet Pyotr Potyomkin (1886-1926), who emigrated after the Revolution. He appeared in sketches in the Brodyachaya sobaka ("stray dog") cabaret in St. Petersburg, usually playing a donkey that carried Virgin Mary (played by Olga Glebova-Sudeikina) during the Holy Family's escape from Egypt. Nabokov might have met Potyomkin in Berlin, if not in St. Petersburg.
There is a P. O. Tyomkin, Odessa, Tekhas (one of Quilty's mock addresses), in the Russian LOLITA.
Finally, Countess Potyomkin (born Princess Trubetskoy, sister of the Decembrist) was posazhyonnaya mat', the bridegroom's proxy mother, at Pushkin's wedding. Pushkin is the author of the following lines:
Kogda Potyomkinu v potyomkakh
Ya na Prechistenke naydu,
To pust' s Bulgarinym v potomkakh
Menya postavyat naryadu.
(If I find the Potyomkin woman in the darkness on the Prechistenskiy boulevard,*** let them place me beside Bulgarin**** in posterity).
You will meet all these characters, and scores of other real and fictional people, in my Russian charadoid article/book that concentrates mainly on Chekhov (if I ever manage to publish it).
"a poet... of the Black Belfry group...": paradoxically, I'm reminded of the Steel Udder (stal'noe vymya*****) group of writers in Ilf and Petrov's "The Golden Calf" (1931). No doubt, it is because the tango tune to which Van dances on his hands, Pod znoynym nebom Argentiny, was borrowed from that novel. On the other hand, in Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs" (1927), Bender and Vorob'yaninov visit the Columbus theater and watch the avant-garde stage version of Gogol's play Zhenit'ba ("The Marriage," 1835). The hero's valet Stepan gives some cues in it standing on his hands, the heroine is walking along a thin wire tensioned above the audience, etc. The director of this hilarious performance is a certain Nik. Sestrin (from sestra, Russian for 'sister'). It is interesting to compare Nik. Sestrin's production to the performance in ADA, based on the famous Russian romance, in which Marina plays the heroine and is seduced by Demon between the two scenes (1.2). For details of the comparison, see my note in English "The Naked Truth, or the Reader's Sentimental Education in ADA's Quelque Chose University" that will soon appear, I hope.
There is a shocking error towards the end of Boyd's Annotations - presumably, because they were completed in a hurry, like these notes.
Alexey Sklyarenko
*Note that Vavilov differs only in one letter from Vavilon (Russian name of Babylon). In all bold-tiped proper names (except Vavilon and Akva) the stress falls on the second syllable. Vavilon is accented on the last syllable and rhymes with Akvilon (Russian name of Aquilo, the ancient Roman personification of the north wind). An anagramatically minded reader remembers the French poet Villon, Gorky's friend Vilonov, Van's mother Aqua (in the Russian spelling, Akva). Perhaps the word invalid should be thrown in to make the anagram perfect.
**Note the Albino Riots mentioned in connection with the inbreeding (1.21). Albino = Albion. Doch' Al'biona ("Albion's Daughter") is a famous story by Chekhov (1883). Of course, one should also keep in mind the hero of Wells' "The Invisible Man" who was almost an albino.
***in Moscow
****Poets of Pushkin's circle used to call Bulgarin 'Figlyarin' (from figlyar as meaning 'clown,' 'wretched actor;' but figlyar can also mean 'circus acrobat') in their epigrams.
*****Note the epithet stal'noy (of steel) reminiscent of the Soviet ruler perilously close to vymya (udder).
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Let's start with Potyomkin. This name comes from potyomki, Russian for 'darkness,' and reminds one of the Russian saying chuzhaya dusha potyomki ("the heart of another is a dark forest"). Dusha being Russian for 'soul,' 'psyche,' this saying fits particularly well in the psychiatric context of this chapter. Anton Chekhov (who had a keen interest in psychiatry both as a doctor and as a writer and who was, in fact, an anti-Freudean before Freud), author of the story V potyomkakh ("In the Dark," 1886), quotes this saying in his letter of August 30, 1898, to Lidiya Avilov, a woman who loved him (see her memoire piece "A. P. Chekhov in my Life" in "Chekhov in the Reminiscences of his Contemporaries"). The name Avilov differs only in one letter from the surname of Baron Klim Avidov (anagram of Vladimir Nabokov), Marina's former lover who gave to her children the Flavita set (1.36). On the other hand, Avilov needs but a V to become Vavilov,* the name of the Russian biologist, "the father of genetics," who died of hunger in a Stalin prison. The name of Vavilov's main opponent, Trofim Lysenko, is echoed in the name of ADA's Judge Bald (lysyi is Russian for "bald") who protested against banning inbreeding** and incestuous cohabitation (1.21), and Trofim Fartukov, a coachman in Ardis the Second who has a blind child with Blanche, a French hand-maid at Ardis. (In his letter of June 12, 1891, to Lika Mizinov, a woman with whom he was in love, Chekhov mentions a drayman Trophim, who would enrich Lika's vocabulary with vulgar words; instead of signature, Chekhov drew a heart pierced with an arrow).
To be through with Potyomkins: Chekhov met one Potyomkin, a former criminal, during his stay in Sakhalin.
There was a leading "Satirikon" poet Pyotr Potyomkin (1886-1926), who emigrated after the Revolution. He appeared in sketches in the Brodyachaya sobaka ("stray dog") cabaret in St. Petersburg, usually playing a donkey that carried Virgin Mary (played by Olga Glebova-Sudeikina) during the Holy Family's escape from Egypt. Nabokov might have met Potyomkin in Berlin, if not in St. Petersburg.
There is a P. O. Tyomkin, Odessa, Tekhas (one of Quilty's mock addresses), in the Russian LOLITA.
Finally, Countess Potyomkin (born Princess Trubetskoy, sister of the Decembrist) was posazhyonnaya mat', the bridegroom's proxy mother, at Pushkin's wedding. Pushkin is the author of the following lines:
Kogda Potyomkinu v potyomkakh
Ya na Prechistenke naydu,
To pust' s Bulgarinym v potomkakh
Menya postavyat naryadu.
(If I find the Potyomkin woman in the darkness on the Prechistenskiy boulevard,*** let them place me beside Bulgarin**** in posterity).
You will meet all these characters, and scores of other real and fictional people, in my Russian charadoid article/book that concentrates mainly on Chekhov (if I ever manage to publish it).
"a poet... of the Black Belfry group...": paradoxically, I'm reminded of the Steel Udder (stal'noe vymya*****) group of writers in Ilf and Petrov's "The Golden Calf" (1931). No doubt, it is because the tango tune to which Van dances on his hands, Pod znoynym nebom Argentiny, was borrowed from that novel. On the other hand, in Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs" (1927), Bender and Vorob'yaninov visit the Columbus theater and watch the avant-garde stage version of Gogol's play Zhenit'ba ("The Marriage," 1835). The hero's valet Stepan gives some cues in it standing on his hands, the heroine is walking along a thin wire tensioned above the audience, etc. The director of this hilarious performance is a certain Nik. Sestrin (from sestra, Russian for 'sister'). It is interesting to compare Nik. Sestrin's production to the performance in ADA, based on the famous Russian romance, in which Marina plays the heroine and is seduced by Demon between the two scenes (1.2). For details of the comparison, see my note in English "The Naked Truth, or the Reader's Sentimental Education in ADA's Quelque Chose University" that will soon appear, I hope.
There is a shocking error towards the end of Boyd's Annotations - presumably, because they were completed in a hurry, like these notes.
Alexey Sklyarenko
*Note that Vavilov differs only in one letter from Vavilon (Russian name of Babylon). In all bold-tiped proper names (except Vavilon and Akva) the stress falls on the second syllable. Vavilon is accented on the last syllable and rhymes with Akvilon (Russian name of Aquilo, the ancient Roman personification of the north wind). An anagramatically minded reader remembers the French poet Villon, Gorky's friend Vilonov, Van's mother Aqua (in the Russian spelling, Akva). Perhaps the word invalid should be thrown in to make the anagram perfect.
**Note the Albino Riots mentioned in connection with the inbreeding (1.21). Albino = Albion. Doch' Al'biona ("Albion's Daughter") is a famous story by Chekhov (1883). Of course, one should also keep in mind the hero of Wells' "The Invisible Man" who was almost an albino.
***in Moscow
****Poets of Pushkin's circle used to call Bulgarin 'Figlyarin' (from figlyar as meaning 'clown,' 'wretched actor;' but figlyar can also mean 'circus acrobat') in their epigrams.
*****Note the epithet stal'noy (of steel) reminiscent of the Soviet ruler perilously close to vymya (udder).
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/