Subject
Fw: VN Bibliography: Urban,
Vladimir Nabokov - Blaue Abende in Berlin (1999)
Vladimir Nabokov - Blaue Abende in Berlin (1999)
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EDITOR's NOTE. NABOKV-L thanks Manfred Voss <Mvoscol@aol.com> for his review
of:
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (41
lines) ------------------
> Urban, Thomas. Vladimir Nabokov : blaue Abende in Berlin / Thomas Urban.
> Berlin : Propyleaen [l. Propyläen], 1999.
> 248 p. : ill.
> Language: ger
>
> The first chapters of the book give a potted history of the Russian emigré
> community in Berlin after WWI and provide a context for VN's and his
family's
> lives there until 1937. The exposition is heavily dependent on Boyd's and
> Field's biographies and does not offer anything new of substance. With
his
> intended German-speaking audience in mind, the author might have explored
in
> even more detail VN's relationship with Germany, German culture, language
and
> literature. VN's relevant comments are taken too much at face value. Not
for
> the first time it remains puzzling how one can live in an apparently
> disgusting country for close on 15 years (4 years under Hitler's rule),
when
> there was no really compelling reason to do so. - A separate chapter deals
> with the notorious "Novel with Cocaine" and the question of its
authorship,
> which should in all likelihood not be attributed to VN (cf. Thomas Urban,
> "Vladimir Nabokov, Agheyev and the 'Novel with Cocaine'", Nabokovian 38
> (1997), pp. 52-54).
>
> The book contains a gazetteer and a map of places in Berlin connected with
> VN. Addresses of his Berlin abodes (along with names of landlords
or -ladies
> and other details) are listed and photographs of relevant buildings are
> supplied (where they survived the ravages of WWII). There is a picture of
a
> public convenience on Hochmeisterplatz (miraculously not destroyed in
WWII)
> supposedly mentioned in "Dar/The Gift". - Other illustrations (somewhat
> poorly reproduced) in the main body of the text include: the March 29,
1922
> (evening edition) front page of "Vossische Zeitung" (one of the better
Berlin
> papers) reporting the assassination of Nabokov père (readable with the aid
of
> a magnifying glass); the front page of Rul' (March 30) reporting the same;
> the grave stone of VN's father in the Russian cemetery in Tegel (Berlin);
the
> cover (not in terribly good taste) of a cheap edition of "Sie kommt -
kommt
> sie?" (the first (1928) German translation of "Mashen'ka/Mary") (this
edition
> not mentioned in Juliar D8.1); a facsimile of the contract for the German
> translation of "Korol', dama, valet/King, Queen, Knave" (5000 marks for
the
> serial rights in "Vossische Zeitung", not bad at all). - A chronology,
notes,
> bibliography and index are provided.
>
> All in all a somewhat disappointing production.
>
> Manfred Voss
of:
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (41
lines) ------------------
> Urban, Thomas. Vladimir Nabokov : blaue Abende in Berlin / Thomas Urban.
> Berlin : Propyleaen [l. Propyläen], 1999.
> 248 p. : ill.
> Language: ger
>
> The first chapters of the book give a potted history of the Russian emigré
> community in Berlin after WWI and provide a context for VN's and his
family's
> lives there until 1937. The exposition is heavily dependent on Boyd's and
> Field's biographies and does not offer anything new of substance. With
his
> intended German-speaking audience in mind, the author might have explored
in
> even more detail VN's relationship with Germany, German culture, language
and
> literature. VN's relevant comments are taken too much at face value. Not
for
> the first time it remains puzzling how one can live in an apparently
> disgusting country for close on 15 years (4 years under Hitler's rule),
when
> there was no really compelling reason to do so. - A separate chapter deals
> with the notorious "Novel with Cocaine" and the question of its
authorship,
> which should in all likelihood not be attributed to VN (cf. Thomas Urban,
> "Vladimir Nabokov, Agheyev and the 'Novel with Cocaine'", Nabokovian 38
> (1997), pp. 52-54).
>
> The book contains a gazetteer and a map of places in Berlin connected with
> VN. Addresses of his Berlin abodes (along with names of landlords
or -ladies
> and other details) are listed and photographs of relevant buildings are
> supplied (where they survived the ravages of WWII). There is a picture of
a
> public convenience on Hochmeisterplatz (miraculously not destroyed in
WWII)
> supposedly mentioned in "Dar/The Gift". - Other illustrations (somewhat
> poorly reproduced) in the main body of the text include: the March 29,
1922
> (evening edition) front page of "Vossische Zeitung" (one of the better
Berlin
> papers) reporting the assassination of Nabokov père (readable with the aid
of
> a magnifying glass); the front page of Rul' (March 30) reporting the same;
> the grave stone of VN's father in the Russian cemetery in Tegel (Berlin);
the
> cover (not in terribly good taste) of a cheap edition of "Sie kommt -
kommt
> sie?" (the first (1928) German translation of "Mashen'ka/Mary") (this
edition
> not mentioned in Juliar D8.1); a facsimile of the contract for the German
> translation of "Korol', dama, valet/King, Queen, Knave" (5000 marks for
the
> serial rights in "Vossische Zeitung", not bad at all). - A chronology,
notes,
> bibliography and index are provided.
>
> All in all a somewhat disappointing production.
>
> Manfred Voss