There does seem to be a privileged "Collected Works" Penguin contract that is more aggressive than the U.S. contract with Knopf. I believe at least one of the many updates to Collected Stories also came out significantly earlier in the UK, also Tragedy of Mr. Morn and the new Collected Poems.
But I'm also curious about a Russian language edition of Vera letters, since presumably the couple would have corresponded primarily in Russian. Does anyone know anything on this front?
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2015 00:00:06 -0700
From: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: NABOKV-L Digest - 18 Apr 2015 to 19 Apr 2015 (#2015-94)
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
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--Forwarded Message Attachment--
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2015 14:20:12 -0300
From: jansy.mello@OUTLOOK.COM
Subject: critical time travel by eversion? Reading A.Swanson's 1975 artinle forty years later
"I loathe science fiction with its gals and goons, suspense and suspensories" (ADA,117), quoted by Arthur Swanson in “Nabokov's Ada as Science Fiction”
There are ways of asking questions that open new investigative paths into the work of an author, others lead us onto real or artificial quandaries.
Here is an example of inquiries that lead us into fresh assertions, new parallels and vocabulary but also to real and false quandaries. It begins asking “Can Ada be viewed as science fiction?” and it investigates if “science…unblended with poetry transforms humans into insects” and turns “’real things’ (facts,logoi) into ‘ghost things’,” now imposing the author’s own understanding of “real things” by adding “facts, logoi” inside parenthesis. A.Swanson sees V.Nabokov’s novel as carrying a meaning that may disappear after being discovered. By ignoring the dimension of its “art” he will consider Ada’s survival “in its own concepts”.
"The question here has been "Can Ada be viewed as science fiction?" If the foregoing argument in the affirmative is accepted, other questions must follow: Why does Nabokov make use of science fiction elements? Does he consider science to be, when unblended with poetry, a form of incest which transforms humans into insects, as his insect-scient-nicest -incest anagram indicates? (85/§1:13) Does he consider that science ruins the towers and breaks the bridges it has built precisely because it has found the means to build them, that science turns "real things" (facts, logoi) into "ghost things" (abstractions, fictions, mists, mythoi) precisely because it has achieved the means of discovering "real things?" These questions and others like them must lead to other essays, and those essays in turn to further studies, until the meaning of Ada disappears because it has been discovered, and until the novel, like its inbred agonists, is survived by its own concepts."*
Science Fiction Studies # 5 = Volume 2, Part 1 = March 1975. http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/5/swanson5art.htm
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
* excerpts: “…one has to risk Nabokov's contempt and his charge of stupidity in drawing up a critique to buttress one's opinions that Nabokov subscribes to Van Veen's concepts of time and that Ada may be viewed as science fiction. […] we could label almost all of Nabokov's narrative art as SF; but to do so would be specious and would obscure the point that Nabokov loathes, not SF, with which he clearly has an affinity, but routine SF […] [Ada] does not resemble SF, but it may be studied as being of that genre or kind, especially if the study centers on that SF element which, for the sake of convenience, we may term "eversion." The term would denote a double reversal or a turning-inside-out; and Ada's eversions of time, earth, and sexual gender can be called, respectively, "transtemporality," "transterrestriality," and "transsexuality. […] Broadly speaking, serious science fiction offers analogies to the first man and the last man from the paleontology and teleology of humankind; and it may compound this challenge to academic thinking, as Ada does, by everting the analogies or by subjecting them to other forms of ‘version’ […] In Nabokov's Ada human concepts, notably those of the first and last man and woman, are everted. The sense of this may be that man (the species) creates himself in his own concepts, that he gains an understanding of his own concepts by turning them inside out, that he uncreates himself by this turning-inside-out, and that he is ultimately survived by his own concepts, which, in themselves, are not destroyed by eversion […] The childless Ada and Van are survived by their concepts of their love on earth and in time. Nabokov's conspectus is that each human being is psychologically both male and female and is both physically human and spiritually divine: each human being is a Tiresian solipsism…”
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--Forwarded Message Attachment--
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2015 22:15:33 -0400
From: ssweeney@HOLYCROSS.EDU
Subject: Fwd: pale looking-glass of past & mushrooms in The Enchanter; Grib & volshebnik in The Waltz Invention
From: Alexey Sklyarenko <skylark1970@mail.ru>
Date: 2015-04-19 7:57 GMT-04:00
Subject: pale looking-glass of past & mushrooms in The Enchanter; Grib & volshebnik in The Waltz Invention
To: Susan Elizabeth Sweeney <ssweeney@holycross.edu>
Äà âñþ ïðàâäó äîëîæè:
ß ëü íà ñâåòå âñåõ ìèëåå,
Âñåõ ðóìÿíåé è áåëåå?»
Nothing but the truth, I ask:
Who in all the world is fairest
And has beauty of the rarest?"
Åñòü âûñîêàÿ ãîðà,
 íåé ãëóáîêàÿ íîðà;
 òîé íîðå, âî òüìå ïå÷àëüíîé,
Ãðîá êà÷àåòñÿ õðóñòàëüíûé
Íà öåïÿõ ìåæäó ñòîëáîâ.
Where a quiet stream is flowing
Stands a mountain high and steep
In it lies a cavern deep;
In this cave in shadows dismal
Sways a coffin, made of crystal.
Hung by chains from pillars six.
Ïàëêó òîëñòóþ âîçüìè
È øàãàé áîëüøîé äîðîãîé
Âìåñòå ñ äîáðûìè ëþäüìè.
Ïî õîëìàì ñòðàíû ðîäèìîé
Âìåñòå ñ äîáðûìè ëþäüìè,
Áåç òðåâîãè íåëþäèìîé,
Áåç ñîìíåíèé, ÷¸ðò âîçüìè.
Êèëîìåòð çà êèëîìåòðîì
Ìè-ðå-äî è äî-ðå-ìè,
Âìåñòå ñ ñîëíöåì, âìåñòå ñ âåòðîì,
Âìåñòå ñ äîáðûìè ëþäüìè.
Ãðîá. Íóæíî âñòàòü?
Âàëüñ. Âû ìîæåòå è ñèäÿ è ë¸æà ñëóøàòü.
Îáùèé ñìåõ.
Àõ, êàê âû ñìåøëèâû. (Act Two)
Ãîëîñ. Ãîñïîäèí Ïðåçèäåíò Ðåñïóáëèêè!
Ãåíåðàëû âñòàþò, êàê áû èäóò íàâñòðå÷ó è âîçâðàùàþòñÿ, ñëîâíî ñîïðîâîæäàÿ êîãî-òî, íî ñîïðîâîæäàåìûé -- íåâèäèì. Íåâèäèìîãî Ïðåçèäåíòà ïîäâîäÿò ê ïóñòîìó êðåñëó, è ïî äâèæåíèÿì Ãåðáà è ìèíèñòðà âèäíî, ÷òî íåâèäèìîãî óñàæèâàþò.
Ìèíèñòð (ê ïóñòîìó êðåñëó). Ãîñïîäèí Ïðåçèäåíò, ïîçâîëÿþ ñåáå ñêàçàòü, ÷òî âû ïîæàëîâàëè ê íàì âåñüìà ñâîåâðåìåííî! Çà ñåãîäíÿøíèé äåíü, -- ïîëêîâíèê, ïðèäâèíüòå ê Ïðåçèäåíòó ïåïåëüíèöó, -- çà ñåãîäíÿøíèé äåíü ñëó÷èëîñü íå÷òî ñòîëü âàæíîå, ÷òî âàøå ïðèñóòñòâèå íåîáõîäèìî. Ãîñïîäèí Ïðåçèäåíò, ïî íåêîòîðûì ïðèçíàêàì ïðèõîäèòñÿ çàêëþ÷èòü, ÷òî ìû íàõîäèìñÿ íàêàíóíå ãîñóäàðñòâåííîãî ïåðåâîðîòà, -- èëè, âåðíåå, ýòîò ïåðåâîðîò ïðîèñõîäèò âîò ñåé÷àñ, â ýòîé çàëå. Íåâåðîÿòíî, íî òàê. ß ïî êðàéíåé ìåðå, è âîò -- êîìèññèÿ, è... è, ñëîâîì, âñå òóò ñ÷èòàåì, ÷òî íóæíî ïîêîðèòüñÿ, íóæíî ïðèíÿòü íåèçáåæíîå... È âîò ìû ñåé÷àñ ñëóøàåì ðå÷ü, -- ÿ çàòðóäíÿþñü îõàðàêòåðèçîâàòü å¸, íî îíà... íî îíà, ãîñïîäèí Ïðåçèäåíò, îíà -- ïî÷òè òðîííàÿ!..
Ìèíèñòð. Âîò âû ïîñëóøàéòå, ãîñïîäèí Ïðåçèäåíò, âû òîëüêî ïîñëóøàéòå... (Act Two)
Êàê õèðåë íàø êðàé áåç îòöà?
Òàê áåç õìåëÿ ñèëüíåéøàÿ æàæäà
Íå ñîçäàñò íè ïèâöà, íè ïåâöà.
Âîîáðàçèòå, íè ðåï íåò,
Íè áàêëàæàíîâ, íè áðþêâ...
Òàê è ïåñíÿ, ÷òî äíåñü ó íàñ êðåïíåò,
Çàäûõàëàñü â ëóêîâêàõ áóêâ.
Øëè ìû òðîïèíîé èñòîðåííîé,
Ãîðüêèå åëè ãðèáû,
Ïîêà âîðîòà èñòîðèè
Íå äðîãíóëè îò êîëîòüáû!
Ïîêà, áåëèçíîþ êèòåëüíîé
Ñèÿÿ âåðíûì ñûíàì,
Ñ óëûáêîé ñâîåé óäèâèòåëüíîé
Ïðàâèòåëü íå âûøåë ê íàì.
Âàëüñ. À... òàê áû ñðàçó è ñêàçàëè. Ãëóïîå íåäîðàçóìåíèå. Ìíå îò íåãî çàõîòåëîñü åñòü. Îòëè÷íî. Âàì óæå ñîîáùèëè, ÷òî ìíå íóæíî?
Ãðèá. Âàì íóæåí äâîðåö.
Âàëüñ. Äà, äâîðåö. Îòëè÷íî. ß ëþáëþ ãðîìàäíûå, áåëûå, ñîëíå÷íûå çäàíèÿ. Âû äëÿ ìåíÿ äîëæíû ïîñòðîèòü íå÷òî ñêàçî÷íîå, ñî ñêàçî÷íûìè óäîáñòâàìè. Êîëîííû, ôîíòàíû, îêíà â ïîëíåáà, õðóñòàëüíûå ïîòîëêè... È âîò åù¸, -- äàâíÿÿ ìîÿ ìå÷òà... ÷òîá áûëî òàêîå ïðèñïîñîáëåíèå, -- íå çíàþ, ýëåêòðè÷åñêîå, ÷òî ëè, -- ÿ â òåõíèêå ñëàá, -- ñëîâîì, ïðîñí¸øüñÿ, íàæì¸øü êíîïêó, è êðîâàòü òèõî åäåò è âåç¸ò òåáÿ ïðÿìî ê âàííå... È åùå ÿ õî÷ó, ÷òîá âî âñåõ ñòåíàõ áûëè êðàíû ñ ðàçíûìè ëåäÿíûìè íàïèòêàìè... Âñ¸ ýòî ÿ äàâíî-äàâíî çàêàçàë ñóäüáå, -- çíàåòå, êîãäà æèë â äóøíûõ, øóìíûõ, ãðÿçíûõ óãëàõ... ëó÷øå íå âñïîìèíàòü.
Âàëüñ. Íî ãëàâíîå, ýòî äîëæíî áûòü âûñòðîåíî ñêîðî, ÿ âàì äàþ äåñÿòü äíåé. Äîâîëüíî?
Ãðèá. Óâû, îäíà äîñòàâêà ìàòåðèàëîâ ïîòðåáóåò áîëüøå ìåñÿöà.
Âàëüñ. Íó, ýòî -- èçâèíèòå. ß ñíàðÿæó öåëûé ôëîò. Â òðè äíÿ áóäåò äîñòàâëåíî...
--
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--Forwarded Message Attachment--
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2015 23:11:08 -0400
From: nabokv-l@HOLYCROSS.EDU
Subject: EDITORIAL: Invitation to a Birthday
--
Co-Editor, NABOKV-L
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--Forwarded Message Attachment--
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2015 23:32:28 -0400
From: nabokv-l@HOLYCROSS.EDU
Subject: QUERY: Letters to Vera
book on the V & V Letters, but not a word that I can find on this my
computer list. Discussion was ver,y very interesting. Am I --- or we ---
missing something? What goes?
Cheers
Co-Editor, NABOKV-L
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