Dear Carolyn,
Ouch!
I don’t think the Vladimir Nabokov line has suffered any great self-confidence problems in a long time. And I have no trouble believing that one of the greatest joys of fatherhood for VN was the strong possibility that his work would be well cared for in the decades to come, and it has. Despite appearances, I am a great admirer of translators for what seems the magical gift of having at least two languages to read, dream, and live in. My eldest sisters speaks and reads French and German impeccably, and can read and write Hungarian with fair precision. My next eldest sister can read and understand the Latin of science and study, and is comfortable in French and German, as well. I know American English and Detroit English, but I believe I can handle both with a certain panache and, occasionally, what my father, a U.S. infantry platoon leader who fought from North Africa to Italy to France (where a tank shell arrested his progress) used to call the “tone of command.”
Best,
Andrew
On 9/1/06 2:47 PM, "Carolyn Kunin" <chaiselongue@EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:
Andrew “please don’t hit me” Brown
Dear Andrew,
BAM!! Just jesting. Jansy informs me off List that when Dmitri was in his crib his father had already identified him as his future translator.
I guess it doesn't pay to underestimate the self-confidence of a Nabokov.
Carolyn
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