Subject
DN on VN & the SHAKESPEARE authorship problem
Date
Body
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 01:53:22 +0400
> To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@UCSBVM.ucsb.edu>
> Subject: Re: VN and the Shakespeare authorship "problem" (fwd)
>
> From: "Peter A. Kartsev" <petr@glas.apc.org>
>
> What immediately comes to mind is a poem, written in Dec. 1924 and
> entitled "Shekspir", that is, "Shakespeare". It addresses the
> anonymous, but obviously aristocratic, real author of the plays,
> while mentioning that "thy works were habitually signed - for a
> fee - by a money-lender, that Will Shakespeare who used to play
> the Ghost in 'Hamlet'". It's one of my (many) favourite poems by VN.
> I do hope it's been translated into English by himself or DN, but
> I have no means for checking this right now.
>
> The problem here is whether we should distinguish between the author
> and the "I" of the poem. Elsewhere, I think Nabokov always referred
> to the author of the plays very conventionally as Shakespeare, not
> mentioning the authorship conundrum.
>
> --
> Peter A. Kartsev
> Moscow, Russia
> Phone: (095) 471-5457
> E-mail: petr@glas.apc.org
>
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DN's COMMENT:
Via: Sandy Pallot Klein <taxi@flinet.com>
Subject: Dmitri Nabokov Answer Re: VN and the Shakespeare authorship "problem"
7 MAY 1997
YES, I HAVE TRANSLATED VN'S POEM ABOUT SHAKESPEARE MENTIONED BY THE
EVER-ASTUTE PETER KARTSEV. YES, IT DOES CONTAIN A REFERENCE TO A
MARGINAL, MONEY AND NAME-LENDING, GHOST-PLAYING "WILL SHAKESPEARE."
IT APPEARED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO IN _THE NABOKOVIAN_ ON ITS WAY TO A
FUTURE COLLECTION. WHEN I GET THE CHANCE, I'LL DIG UP AND POST FOR ANYONE
INTERESTED MY ENGLISH VERSION OF THE _SHEKSPIR_ POEM.
BEST,
DN
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