Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0015123, Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:00:42 -0400

Subject
NEWS: Estonia's president on VN
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Date
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[EDNOTE. Grigori Utgof, author of this delightful post, is currently
teaching an
undergraduate course entitled “Vladimir Nabokov’s Poetics: A Very Brief
Introduction” at Tallinn University. -- SES]

TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES ON VN

When recently interviewed by BBC, Estonia’s President Toomas Hendrik
Ilves said it is likely he knows Nabokov better than anyone in this
country, since he read all Nabokov’s books and even reread some of them:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/talking_point/newsid_6532000/6532973.stm

I regret this statement somehow downplays the achievements of the
leading VN student in Estonia, Dr. Marina Grishakova, who recently
published the first Estonian monograph on VN (see: Grishakova, Marina.
The Models of Space, Time and Vision in V. Nabokov’s Fiction: Narrative
Strategies and Cultural Frames. Tartu: Tartu University Press, 2006).
However Mr. President’s attitude towards journalists who attack him by
means of provocative questions –

I would have been much happier if one of your colleagues came to me one
day and asked me to talk about certain aspects of Nabokov’s writings of
different periods with him. It’s better to answer these questions than
those I am usually asked [translated from what reads as a translation
into Russian. – G.U.] (Ibid.).

– would have gladdened VN himself.

Grigori Utgof

Tallinna Ülikool
Slaavi filoloogia osakond
Narva mnt. 29-326
10120 Tallinn
Eesti (Estonia)

E-post: utgof@tlu.ee
Skype: epistulae_morales

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