C. Kunin [ it's not the
quality of V & V that was really my point, but the quality of Nabokov's
translations[...] Didn't Nabokov himself describe his translation as "monkey's
chatter, the poet's head upon a platter"? Nemser, myself and others only beg to
agree...
JM: Much as I usually appreciate your
frank remarks, the recent posting you addressed to Katsell
and List caught me by surprise. The opposite of idolizing is denigration
and I'm not sure that you didn't fall
into another extreme.
What I particularly enjoy in "Verses and Versions", as
edited by B.Boyd and Shvrabin , is the opportunity we have to
accompany a poet along his hesitations and choices, his different ways
to address a challenge, the presentation of his successful,
and unsuccessful, results.
The collection, as published in VV is alive
and breathing and touchingly Nabokovian (and, I hope, Russian): it deserves my
total respect - this doesn't mean uncritical acceptance or an
idealistic reverence, but a less
speedy approach.