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Fwd: Re: Mc Fate's ODD Thought for today
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Dear Vladimir,
Escape lead to exile I believe. Excuse the elipsis.
And I do think that "he would have become who he is now" - -
or at any rate, what he is now.
I am in complete agreement with you as to the source of talent. The talent
would have been there of course. The question Don raised is, in the absence
of exile, what would have stimulated it to manifest itself?
As things turned out, the biography is fairly clear on that score: money.
Yes, I know this is an over-simplification. He might have stuck to poetry, I
guess, but I do think Don was on the right track - - no exile, no novels.
Carolyn
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2005 19:18:26 -0800
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Mc Fate's ODD Thought for today
>
> Dear Carolyn,
>
> I believe it is not a big deal if you still in
> confusion regarding Old Style and New Style (actual
> event took place in the night of 25th and 26th, but
> celebrated on the 7th of November - New Style). You
> are making much bigger blunder using the term "exile"
> - instead of escape. So many people risked their lives
> while leaving the country.
>
> As for your speculation on Nabokov's "kar'era", who
> knows he might be a very decent cook. But why not to
> think that he would have become who he is now? (with
> one tragedy less - writing in English). Too simple?
> I think it is pretty obvious that social catastrophes
> are not the sourse for talents.
>
> Cheers, Vladimir
----- End forwarded message -----
Escape lead to exile I believe. Excuse the elipsis.
And I do think that "he would have become who he is now" - -
or at any rate, what he is now.
I am in complete agreement with you as to the source of talent. The talent
would have been there of course. The question Don raised is, in the absence
of exile, what would have stimulated it to manifest itself?
As things turned out, the biography is fairly clear on that score: money.
Yes, I know this is an over-simplification. He might have stuck to poetry, I
guess, but I do think Don was on the right track - - no exile, no novels.
Carolyn
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2005 19:18:26 -0800
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Mc Fate's ODD Thought for today
>
> Dear Carolyn,
>
> I believe it is not a big deal if you still in
> confusion regarding Old Style and New Style (actual
> event took place in the night of 25th and 26th, but
> celebrated on the 7th of November - New Style). You
> are making much bigger blunder using the term "exile"
> - instead of escape. So many people risked their lives
> while leaving the country.
>
> As for your speculation on Nabokov's "kar'era", who
> knows he might be a very decent cook. But why not to
> think that he would have become who he is now? (with
> one tragedy less - writing in English). Too simple?
> I think it is pretty obvious that social catastrophes
> are not the sourse for talents.
>
> Cheers, Vladimir
----- End forwarded message -----