Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0004364, Mon, 6 Sep 1999 15:13:44 -0700

Subject
VN Bibliography: Mulyarchik review & _Nabokov's Paradise Lost_
Date
Body
1. The most vibrant sections of Nabokov's _Speak, Memory_ are set in the
familys' summer estates outside of St. Petersburg. Although the Nabokov's
former manor, "Vyra," was burned during the German withdrawal during WW
II, "Rozhdestveno," bequeathed to VN by his Uncle Ruka shortly before the
revolution, still survives -- although badly burned in a fire in
1995. On a hill overlooking the Oredezh' river, it's colonnaded porch
sheltered Vladimir and "Tamara" during their romance.

Alexander Semochkin, the architect who is in charge of restoring
"Rozhdestveno" (on an incredibly meager budget), has written a charming
account of all three family country estates. Intermixed with quotations
from VN's autobiography and Semochkin's informative text are many
excellent photographs -- both historical and recent --all done on high
quality, glossy paper. The family photos, some previously unpublished, are
set among excellent contemporary pictures of the natural setting. There
are two editions: one in Russian and a second in English.

Alexander Semochkin, NABOKOV'S PARADISE LOST: The Family Estates in
Russia. St. Petersburg, Liga Plus Publishers, 1999.
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2. A.M. Mulyarchik, _Russkaya proza Vladimira Nabokova_ (VN's Russian
Prose) [Moscow: Moskva UP, 1997], pp 144. is reviewed by T. Belova in _Voprosy
literatury_, Mar-Apr 1999, pp. 360-357. The review includes a more general
survey of Russian VN criticism--including that of Viktor Yerofeev and N.
Anastas'ev.

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D. Barton Johnson
Department of Germanic, Slavic and Semitic Studies
Phelps Hall
University of California at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone and Fax: (805) 687-1825
Home Phone: (805) 682-4618