Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0004189, Wed, 16 Jun 1999 21:33:59 -0700

Subject
Re: Bloomsday in The Nabokov Museum in Sp. Petersburg
Date
Body
From: Brian Boyd <b.boyd@auckland.ac.nz>

The Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg yesterday staged Russia's first
public Bloomsday celebration, a highly successful reading of Ulysses based
in what was once V.D. Nabokov's library in the family home at 47 Bol'shaya
Morskaya. Actors read for an hour each, selected chapters from Bloom's
breakfast to Molly's breathlessness; an art show, a small exhibit of
artefacts from Bloomtime, an Irish-Russian folk music group (all male, or
the group should have been called the Veen Sisters) and food and drink
(Guinness were the sponsors of the occasion) added an Ormonde atmosphere
to the festivities, in which 300 took part.

In future years let us hope it also becomes a tradition, at the Nabokov
Museum and elsewhere, to have public readings of The Gift (on April 1),
Lolita (July 4), Pale Fire (July 21) and Ada (June 5, or July 14? the
latter, surely, despite the crowded July season). Or are there better
dates?