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Fw: Short story by Vladimir Voinovich
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EDNOTE. George Shimanovich comments on Voinovich's Nabokovish "Etyud."
----- Original Message -----
From: George Shimanovich
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:44 PM
Subject: Re: Short story by Vladimir Voinovich
Not convincing. There is too much of a Soviet man's abundant moralism explaining away "Loilita" and too little of keen-witted Voinovitch who was at his convincing best criticizing the Solzhenitsin of his later years. The hidden irony is that when it comes to Nabokov Voinovitch became ... Solzhenitsin.
Some changes, I feel, are needed to make the story convincing:
1) it should decipher Nabokov waking up (fell asleep on butterfly hunt ??) as Soviet disident author
2) who imagines himself as Nabokov in a dream (dream in a dream)
3) then wakes up (now one dream remains)
4) to jot down the unusual story
5) at which point real Nabokov wakes up (from stylistic indigestion)
Of course the complexity of such marvel requires the (real) Maven - Nabokov's that is.
Sincerely,
George Shimanovich
-------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: D. Barton Johnson
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:22 PM
Subject: Fw: Short story by Vladimir Voinovich
EDNOTE. Russian journalist and Nabokovian Aleksandr Svirilin sends in a short-short story by Vladimir Voinovich, best known for his (serio-)novels about Ivan Chonkin, a sort of Russian Soldier SHvejk. Voinovich was among the writers forced to emigrate under Brezhnev. The story (which I had not seen before) was written during the time of his decision to leave (circa 1980). In a dream state he blends himself with his namesake Vladimir (Nabokov). The story, really a trifle, is interesting to Nabokovians for two reasons: 1) its use of VN and a few lines weakly imitating his style; 2) its negative attitude toward LOLITA; and 3) its picture of the ambiguity that many Russians felt about expatriation.
----- Original Message -----
From: Aleksandr Svirilin
To: D. Barton Johnson
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 11:26 PM
Subject: Short story by Voinovich
In short story Etyud by famous Russian writer Vladimir Voinovich hero imaging what he is Vladimir Nabokov. See attachment.
http://www.voinovich.ru/text03.htm
Best, Aleksandr
----- Original Message -----
From: George Shimanovich
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:44 PM
Subject: Re: Short story by Vladimir Voinovich
Not convincing. There is too much of a Soviet man's abundant moralism explaining away "Loilita" and too little of keen-witted Voinovitch who was at his convincing best criticizing the Solzhenitsin of his later years. The hidden irony is that when it comes to Nabokov Voinovitch became ... Solzhenitsin.
Some changes, I feel, are needed to make the story convincing:
1) it should decipher Nabokov waking up (fell asleep on butterfly hunt ??) as Soviet disident author
2) who imagines himself as Nabokov in a dream (dream in a dream)
3) then wakes up (now one dream remains)
4) to jot down the unusual story
5) at which point real Nabokov wakes up (from stylistic indigestion)
Of course the complexity of such marvel requires the (real) Maven - Nabokov's that is.
Sincerely,
George Shimanovich
-------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: D. Barton Johnson
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:22 PM
Subject: Fw: Short story by Vladimir Voinovich
EDNOTE. Russian journalist and Nabokovian Aleksandr Svirilin sends in a short-short story by Vladimir Voinovich, best known for his (serio-)novels about Ivan Chonkin, a sort of Russian Soldier SHvejk. Voinovich was among the writers forced to emigrate under Brezhnev. The story (which I had not seen before) was written during the time of his decision to leave (circa 1980). In a dream state he blends himself with his namesake Vladimir (Nabokov). The story, really a trifle, is interesting to Nabokovians for two reasons: 1) its use of VN and a few lines weakly imitating his style; 2) its negative attitude toward LOLITA; and 3) its picture of the ambiguity that many Russians felt about expatriation.
----- Original Message -----
From: Aleksandr Svirilin
To: D. Barton Johnson
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 11:26 PM
Subject: Short story by Voinovich
In short story Etyud by famous Russian writer Vladimir Voinovich hero imaging what he is Vladimir Nabokov. See attachment.
http://www.voinovich.ru/text03.htm
Best, Aleksandr