Subject
Fw: Joyce Versus VN
From
Date
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Bolt" <t@tbolt.com>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (88
lines) ------------------
> "Oh, yes, let people compare me to Joyce by all means, but my English is
> pat-ball to Joyce's champion game." --Vladimir Nabokov
>
> Notice he says "my English" not "my art."
>
> ~ Tom
>
>
> "D. Barton Johnson" wrote:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Sergey Karpukhin" <shrewd@irk.ru>
> >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (64
> > lines) ------------------
> >
> > > Joyce, to my mind, is artistically on a par with Nabokov. They both of
> > them
> > > created a subtle and elaborate art. That said, Joyce is very different
> > from
> > > VN. One of the differences is perhaps that the Irish writer was more
of a
> > > mythologizer than Nabokov. And I think it was Martin Amis who
contrasted
> > > Nabokov's inventive solicitude towards his reader and Joyce's
indifference
> > > towards his (Martin Amis then concluded that Nabokov was the greatest
> > > novelist of the 20th century). Besides, their writerly temperaments,
in my
> > > opinion, are diametrical opposites, in that Joyce comes from words to
> > > things, and VN to words from things. Joyce was champion and justifier
of
> > the
> > > commonplace and the ordinary, while Nabokov glorified the individual
and
> > the
> > > extraordinary.
> > >
> > > From my small academic experience, however, I know that Joyce has a
> > greater
> > > reputation than Nabokov, at least at Russian universities in eastern
> > > Siberia. And at the same time in the same milieu Nabokov is
incomparably
> > > more widely read than Joyce. Partly this can be accounted for by
Joyce's
> > > inaccessibile style and Nabokov's ready Russianness (generally
speaking,
> > it
> > > is easier to read LOLITA and DAR than ULYSSES). Another curious thing
is
> > > that both Nabokov and Joyce came to be regularly published in Russia
in
> > the
> > > early 90s.
> > >
> > > Sergey
> >
> > > PS In my edition of Richard Ellmann's JAMES JOYCE (OUP, 1965) there is
no
> > > reference to Nabokov at all (e.g. his letter to Joyce with the
proposition
> > > to translate ULYSSES into Russian, their meeting in Paris). Can anyone
> > tell
> > > me whether it's been corrected in the 1985 revised edition? Thanks.
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 6:12 AM
> > > Subject: Fw: Joyce Versus VN
> > >
> > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Dane Gill" <pennyparkerpark@hotmail.com>
> > > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (15
> > > > lines) ------------------
> > > > > Greetings
> > > > > keeping with the recent post concerning Joyce I'd like to pose a
few
> > > > > questions...make a few remarks. VN is always being compared to
Joyce,
> > > but
> > > > > never really considered his equal; in every list ever made Ulysses
> > > always
> > > > > "outranks" Lolita. I always get the feeling that critics are
saying VN
> > > is
> > > > > good...really good...but not the best. I was hoping some could
give me
> > > > your
> > > > > opinions on whether Joyce actually harnessed the art of writing
and
> > > > language
> > > > > better than VN. I realize this is a matter of a opinion, but I
mean
> > from
> > > a
> > > > > critical p.o.v was VN up to par with Joyce?
> > > > > Dane
> > > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
>
>
>
>
From: "Thomas Bolt" <t@tbolt.com>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (88
lines) ------------------
> "Oh, yes, let people compare me to Joyce by all means, but my English is
> pat-ball to Joyce's champion game." --Vladimir Nabokov
>
> Notice he says "my English" not "my art."
>
> ~ Tom
>
>
> "D. Barton Johnson" wrote:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Sergey Karpukhin" <shrewd@irk.ru>
> >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (64
> > lines) ------------------
> >
> > > Joyce, to my mind, is artistically on a par with Nabokov. They both of
> > them
> > > created a subtle and elaborate art. That said, Joyce is very different
> > from
> > > VN. One of the differences is perhaps that the Irish writer was more
of a
> > > mythologizer than Nabokov. And I think it was Martin Amis who
contrasted
> > > Nabokov's inventive solicitude towards his reader and Joyce's
indifference
> > > towards his (Martin Amis then concluded that Nabokov was the greatest
> > > novelist of the 20th century). Besides, their writerly temperaments,
in my
> > > opinion, are diametrical opposites, in that Joyce comes from words to
> > > things, and VN to words from things. Joyce was champion and justifier
of
> > the
> > > commonplace and the ordinary, while Nabokov glorified the individual
and
> > the
> > > extraordinary.
> > >
> > > From my small academic experience, however, I know that Joyce has a
> > greater
> > > reputation than Nabokov, at least at Russian universities in eastern
> > > Siberia. And at the same time in the same milieu Nabokov is
incomparably
> > > more widely read than Joyce. Partly this can be accounted for by
Joyce's
> > > inaccessibile style and Nabokov's ready Russianness (generally
speaking,
> > it
> > > is easier to read LOLITA and DAR than ULYSSES). Another curious thing
is
> > > that both Nabokov and Joyce came to be regularly published in Russia
in
> > the
> > > early 90s.
> > >
> > > Sergey
> >
> > > PS In my edition of Richard Ellmann's JAMES JOYCE (OUP, 1965) there is
no
> > > reference to Nabokov at all (e.g. his letter to Joyce with the
proposition
> > > to translate ULYSSES into Russian, their meeting in Paris). Can anyone
> > tell
> > > me whether it's been corrected in the 1985 revised edition? Thanks.
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 6:12 AM
> > > Subject: Fw: Joyce Versus VN
> > >
> > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Dane Gill" <pennyparkerpark@hotmail.com>
> > > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (15
> > > > lines) ------------------
> > > > > Greetings
> > > > > keeping with the recent post concerning Joyce I'd like to pose a
few
> > > > > questions...make a few remarks. VN is always being compared to
Joyce,
> > > but
> > > > > never really considered his equal; in every list ever made Ulysses
> > > always
> > > > > "outranks" Lolita. I always get the feeling that critics are
saying VN
> > > is
> > > > > good...really good...but not the best. I was hoping some could
give me
> > > > your
> > > > > opinions on whether Joyce actually harnessed the art of writing
and
> > > > language
> > > > > better than VN. I realize this is a matter of a opinion, but I
mean
> > from
> > > a
> > > > > critical p.o.v was VN up to par with Joyce?
> > > > > Dane
> > > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
>
>
>
>