Yesterday Alexey wrote: p.s. J. D. Salinger died yesterday. He was my favorite American writer (VN was a Russian one, wasn't he). p.p.s. Tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of Chekhov's birth.
Dear Alexey,
We are not all enamored of J D Salinger. I side with Mary McCarthy, who wrote acerbically about his self-reflexive Glass family novels in a review entitled "Closed Circuit." Holden Caulfield was the Peter Pan of the sixties, not my favorite decade, and too many of my generation chose to follow his path and still haven't grown up.
Chekhov's 150th birthday on the other hand is cause for rejoicing. Although I never was able to pin down what the relationship between Chekhov and the Nabokovs was (it is claimed that a dachshund of Chekhov's was the parent of Box) I would like to take this opportunity to quote from Chekhov's version of the Credo:
... My holy of holies is the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love and the most absolute freedom imaginable -- freedom from violence and lies no matter what form they take. ...*
Carolyn
*from a letter to editor A. N. Pleshcheev, Oct. 4, 1888