Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0021353, Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:05:38 -0700

Subject
Re: Sighting: Baseball legend
Date
Body
I was glad the article gave credit to Michael Donohue, who pointed out on
this list that the headline was invented.

Thanks to Matthew Roth for the Google News search. This headline from
the *Baltimore
Sun* in 1950 is a promising candidate for one that Nabokov might have
noticed and decided to versify:

A's Down Yanks, 8-7, *On Chapman's
Homer*<http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1680805302.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+28%2C+1950&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=A's+Down+Yanks%2C+8-7%2C+On+Chapman's+Homer&pqatl=google>


http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1680805302.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+28%2C+1950&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=A's+Down+Yanks%2C+8-7%2C+On+Chapman's+Homer&pqatl=google

http://tinyurl.com/4ud3nfw

That was one Sam Chapman, not Ben. Not only was Ben Chapman a notorious
racist, as Robert H. Boyle pointed out; he was also a notorious anti-semite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Chapman_(baseball)

Thus he ideally united two kinds of Prejudice. I wonder whether, when
Nabokov chose the Red Sox for his fictitious Chapman's team, he had any idea
that Ben Chapman had played for them and was known for his connection to
this topic that Kinbote and Shade discuss.

Jerry Friedman

Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en

Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com

Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/








Attachment