Subject
Finnegan's or Finnegans in Pale Fire? (fwd)
From
Date
Body
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 1:25 AM -0700
From: menes@CHELLO.AT
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Finnegan's or Finnegans in Pale Fire?
------------------ Dear Nabokovians,
after about twenty years, I reread Pale Fire (German translation). In this
translation - by the mention of the novel - "Finnegans Wake" is printed
with an apostrophe = Finnegan's. The (1968) German translation of Pale Fire
was then sold with a book(let)"Marginalien" containing some gimmicks, as
the original version of the poem, notes from the translator and an
afterword from a certain Mr. Andrew Field (he has since not very good cards
among Nobokovians and by the master himself). In this afterword Field
mentioned that the poor literary skills of Dr. Kinbote are dedectable by
the false writing of Finnegans Wake. With an apostrophe! Now, to my
suspense, I found, that in both of the 2 english/american editions I owe
(Pelican Classics and the Nobokov-Edition in "The Library of America")
Finnegans Wake is written in the correct spelling. (no apostrophe)!
I was, with Field, amused (not very, but?) by Kinbote's false writing. Now
it seems it was only a printing error with no intentions! Sad! Here is my
question: is Finnegans Wake in the manuscript, typoscript or in the first
printing written with an apostrophe?
Jeff Edmunds told me the other day: To complicate matters further, in my
own copy of Pale Fire (Putnam, First Perigree printing, 1980), the title
appears as "Finnigan's Wake," with a second "i" instead of an "e" and with
the superfluous apostrophe.
Now, whats the truth?
Excuse my crude English.
Sincerely yours
Richard A. Zahnhausen
Weyringergasse 9/11
1040 Wien
Austria
richzahn@chello.at
---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 1:25 AM -0700
From: menes@CHELLO.AT
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Finnegan's or Finnegans in Pale Fire?
------------------ Dear Nabokovians,
after about twenty years, I reread Pale Fire (German translation). In this
translation - by the mention of the novel - "Finnegans Wake" is printed
with an apostrophe = Finnegan's. The (1968) German translation of Pale Fire
was then sold with a book(let)"Marginalien" containing some gimmicks, as
the original version of the poem, notes from the translator and an
afterword from a certain Mr. Andrew Field (he has since not very good cards
among Nobokovians and by the master himself). In this afterword Field
mentioned that the poor literary skills of Dr. Kinbote are dedectable by
the false writing of Finnegans Wake. With an apostrophe! Now, to my
suspense, I found, that in both of the 2 english/american editions I owe
(Pelican Classics and the Nobokov-Edition in "The Library of America")
Finnegans Wake is written in the correct spelling. (no apostrophe)!
I was, with Field, amused (not very, but?) by Kinbote's false writing. Now
it seems it was only a printing error with no intentions! Sad! Here is my
question: is Finnegans Wake in the manuscript, typoscript or in the first
printing written with an apostrophe?
Jeff Edmunds told me the other day: To complicate matters further, in my
own copy of Pale Fire (Putnam, First Perigree printing, 1980), the title
appears as "Finnigan's Wake," with a second "i" instead of an "e" and with
the superfluous apostrophe.
Now, whats the truth?
Excuse my crude English.
Sincerely yours
Richard A. Zahnhausen
Weyringergasse 9/11
1040 Wien
Austria
richzahn@chello.at
---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L