Reviews for Vladimir Nabokov, his life, his work, his world

The average rating for Vladimir Nabokov, his life, his work, his world based on 1 review is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-09-05 00:00:00 Victor Morris Boyd’s two part biography of Nabokov is absolutely enthralling. Boyd seamlessly weaves biographical details about his subject with literary criticism about the works of his subject. Ultimately, I cannot imagine a more complete picture of Vladimir Nabokov; further, in this picture Nabokov is truly (and accurately) painted as one of the greatest literary minds of the twentieth century. * Boyd identifies one of VN’s most pressing concerns as the absurd inability of human consciousness to return to the ever fleeting moments of the past. However, rather than bore readers with a list of dates and facts, Boyd manages to bring Nabokov’s past to life. Readers are able to follow VN on his many whimsical lepidopterological pursuits and chuckle as the scientist/author perilously braves both bear and rattlesnake (at times blissfully in his own world) in his hunt for butterflies. “Once he was so intent on the chase that he stepped on a slumbering bear” (33). Throughout, Boyd not only interestingly depicts the dogged pursuit of VN, but also explains how this fascination and dedication to the exactitudes of science help shape his world view and, by proxy, his novels. Some of the most entertaining passages were those in which Boyd revisits VN’s time as a college professor. It is hard not to imagine Pnin himself when Boyd recounts the time that VN, in a rush to be on time to his class, entered a classroom a door too soon. He confidently walked to the front of the room and began his carefully prepared lecture in front of 30 stunned students. When graciously informed that he was in the wrong class, VN announced “‘You have just seen the “Coming Attraction” for Literature 325. If you are interested, you may register next fall’” (299). He gathered his notes, entered the correct classroom and told his students that “‘A most extraordinary thing has just happened, most extraordinary.’” Add to this vignettes about students leaving and/or protesting his class because of his blatant contempt for many of the “great” authors, the unremitting exactitude he required on his exams, and the humorous way he taught Russian and it would be hard not to enjoy reading about these parts of his life. One thing I found appallingly fascinating is the penury VN lived in most of his life (described thoroughly in both parts of Boyd’s biography). Even after becoming a preeminent émigré writer, he was constantly requesting financial assistance. It shocks me that not until Lolita (and what a story there is behind the publication of that!) did he actually gain fame and financial independence. Perhaps more striking, though, is the supreme confidence that both he and his truly exceptional wife, Vera, had that other would indeed one day recognize his brilliance. * Boyd does a wonderful job splicing together VN’s life and the many inspirations that prompted him to write his stories with thorough criticism of the works themselves. In this half more so than the first part of the biography, full chapters are dedicated to dissecting each of VN’s novels. Boyd proves himself a very astute critic as well as a biographer, and anyone who reads Pale Fire absolutely must read the chapter Boyd dedicates to dissecting it. Never would I have believed that 1,300 pages of biography could be so illuminating, engaging, and just so damn interesting. As much credit as VN deserves for living such an amazing life, Boyd deserves at least as much for so thoroughly chronicling it in a way that truly bring Vladimir Nabokov to life once again—allowing the great author to be indelibly etched in the collective consciousness of all readers.