No, not exactly. But when reading Tristram Shandy, I kept being puzzled as to whether Tristram’s uncle was going to turn out to be his (real) father. Later, I learned that Sterne did actually model the uncle on his own father. The filial feeling is so palpable. Whether Tristram is Sterne himself is I suppose undecidable – what would it mean? Best wishes, Penny McCarthy.

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From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf Of Donald B. Johnson
Sent: 06 November 2005 03:02
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Fwd: strange relationships: a query

Dear all,

Does anyone know of a non-Russian novel in which one of the characters is a relative of the author (who may also appear in that novel as a character)?

Many thanks,

Alexey