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Re: Tilting at Victory, 'Quixote' Tops Authors' Poll (fwd)
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From: Rodney Welch <rodney41@mindspring.com>
Nabokov's contempt for Faulkner, Mann, Orwell, Conrad, Dostoevsky, Camus and
Cervantes -- who nonetheless earned a whole volume's worth of lectures -- is
well-known; Hemingway, too, he considered a writer of "books for boys," with
this caveat: "he has at least a voice of his own and is
responsible for that delightful, highly artistic short story,
`The Killers.' And the description of the iridescent fish and
rhythmic urination in his famous fish story is superb." It is that very
fish story that makes it on to the list. And no, I can't imagine him caring
much for Achebe, Marquez or Grass -- or a few other names on the list, many
of whom seem completely obscure (Joao Guimaraes Rosa? Yasunari Kawabata? Lu
Xun? Tayeb Salih?)
But when you consider that most of the writers he held in highest esteem are
represented, it's hard not to think that, if he cared at all about this list
-- and I can't imagine that he would; he would have been supremely
indifferent -- he might be halfway pleased.
And I certainly would have included "Pale Fire" and "Strong Opinions."
Rodney Welch
Columbia, SC
> From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
> Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 12:39:28 -0700
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Re: Tilting at Victory, 'Quixote' Tops Authors' Poll (fwd)
>
> From: Will Schultz <willtato@pacbell.net>
>
> After reading the list of all 100 submissions,
>
> http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,711520,00.html
>
> I must amplify my previous comment. Thank - you, Rodney, for the source
> and for pointing out that some of VN's favorites did, thank goodness, find
> their way onto the list. But upon examination, I find even more reason the
> master would harrumph, and perhaps also guffaw and even puke. In addition
> to Dostoevski and Cervantes, there are several more he loved to ridicule
> (to the great consternation of many of his university colleagues)
>
> Camus, Conrad, Hemingway, Tomas Mann, Orwell
>
> I think we can also conclude that many on the list might be considered
> at best "teachers" but not "enchanters", to use his own terminology (eg:
> Achebe, Faulkner, Garcia Marquez, Gunter Grass )
>
> And then, why only Lolita ? Pale Fire, The Gift, Pnin get no respect
> here ?
Nabokov's contempt for Faulkner, Mann, Orwell, Conrad, Dostoevsky, Camus and
Cervantes -- who nonetheless earned a whole volume's worth of lectures -- is
well-known; Hemingway, too, he considered a writer of "books for boys," with
this caveat: "he has at least a voice of his own and is
responsible for that delightful, highly artistic short story,
`The Killers.' And the description of the iridescent fish and
rhythmic urination in his famous fish story is superb." It is that very
fish story that makes it on to the list. And no, I can't imagine him caring
much for Achebe, Marquez or Grass -- or a few other names on the list, many
of whom seem completely obscure (Joao Guimaraes Rosa? Yasunari Kawabata? Lu
Xun? Tayeb Salih?)
But when you consider that most of the writers he held in highest esteem are
represented, it's hard not to think that, if he cared at all about this list
-- and I can't imagine that he would; he would have been supremely
indifferent -- he might be halfway pleased.
And I certainly would have included "Pale Fire" and "Strong Opinions."
Rodney Welch
Columbia, SC
> From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
> Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 12:39:28 -0700
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Re: Tilting at Victory, 'Quixote' Tops Authors' Poll (fwd)
>
> From: Will Schultz <willtato@pacbell.net>
>
> After reading the list of all 100 submissions,
>
> http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,711520,00.html
>
> I must amplify my previous comment. Thank - you, Rodney, for the source
> and for pointing out that some of VN's favorites did, thank goodness, find
> their way onto the list. But upon examination, I find even more reason the
> master would harrumph, and perhaps also guffaw and even puke. In addition
> to Dostoevski and Cervantes, there are several more he loved to ridicule
> (to the great consternation of many of his university colleagues)
>
> Camus, Conrad, Hemingway, Tomas Mann, Orwell
>
> I think we can also conclude that many on the list might be considered
> at best "teachers" but not "enchanters", to use his own terminology (eg:
> Achebe, Faulkner, Garcia Marquez, Gunter Grass )
>
> And then, why only Lolita ? Pale Fire, The Gift, Pnin get no respect
> here ?