Stolen
or not, the dialogue is full of utter nonsense. Furhermore, on
none of the many occasions when my father took me along when collecting, and in
none of the numerous photographs of him taken in summer, did I ever see him
wearing gloves. I hope the rest of
this play is more intelligent than the title and than this
excerpt.
Best
regards,
Dmitri
From: D.
Barton Johnson [mailto:chtodel@cox.net]
Sent: Saturday,
March 15, 2003 7:57 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Peter
Moffat's play "Nabokov's Gloves"
EDNOTE. The material below is shamelessly stolen from
Juan Martinez' Nabokov web site at: http://www.fulmerford.com/waxwing/nabobilia/nv38.html
My thanks to Juan and, no less, to Akiko
Nakata, who provided the material.
-------------------------------
From Peter Moffat's play "Nabokov's
Gloves"
Fran: Did you know
that Nabokov was a lepidopterist? By the way. While we're waiting . .
.
Nick:
Waiting?
Joe: Really?
Amazing.
Nick:
Fran.
Fran: He discovered new
species. Madeleina lolita.
Joe: What? Really?
Fran:
Pseudolucia humbert.
Joe:
No.
Fran: Yes.
Actually.
Joe:
Brilliant.
Fran: Amazing.
They're Latin-American blues. Lolita and humbert. How long do you suppose they'd
been around without a name? Before him. Before Nabokov found them. With his net
and his white cotton gloves.
Joe: White cotton gloves.
Fran: It's what he wore. For butterfly hunting. Delicate hands, you see. Cotton
gloves out there in the heat of the day.