Subject
Waugh & Mitford on VN (fwd)
Date
Body
The recently-issued _Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh_ ,
delightful in every way, contains some remarks on VN. Waugh, p. 384:
"Graham Greene recommended a pornographic book in the _Sundy Times_. I
mean the sort of book you go to jug for." Mitford, p. 415:"Didn't you
think _Lolita_ an excellent book? I _did_ love it." Waugh, p. 416: "No
I didn't think _Lolita_ any good except as smut. As that it was highly
exciting to me." Mitford, p. 416:"It seemed to me _Lolita_ did what
the reviewers always say about Mme Bisch - 'she does exactly what she
sets out to do'. A wonderfully meaningless phrase when applied to her
but it fits Nabokov like a glove." Mitford p. 468: "Do you love _Pale
Fire_? Oh how I screamed with laughter. Largely written in Harold
Acton's voice I thought." Waugh, p. 468: "I enjoyed _Pale Fire_
awfully & thought the poem no parody or pastiche but a jolly good
composition in its own right. _Much_ better than _Lolita_. But a
show-off. Too clever by half. But a pleasure."
Waugh's remarks expand a little on those found in the standard
edition of his letters, which were confined I think to _Lolita_,
though perhaps wisely did not include the admission that he found
_Lolita_ 'highly exciting' as smut. By the time Waugh read _Pale Fire_
he was damning everything in sight -- any kind of praise from him at
that point was rare indeed. That Nancy Mitford was a fan of VN's is
strange & wonderful news at least to me. I used to have a tiny study
with only enough shelf-space for those few authors absolutely
essential to life, and so VN found himself seated, as it were, next to
Mitford. I used to wonder what those two would find to say to one
another at the celestial cocktail party. Now I see that she could have
told him all about Harold Acton, and he could have told her what kind
of man would find _Lolita_ exciting smut.
The book, which was edited by Charlotte Mosley, might not be
available in the States yet but should be soon -- otherwise can be
obtained from a British importer.
Mary Bellino
delightful in every way, contains some remarks on VN. Waugh, p. 384:
"Graham Greene recommended a pornographic book in the _Sundy Times_. I
mean the sort of book you go to jug for." Mitford, p. 415:"Didn't you
think _Lolita_ an excellent book? I _did_ love it." Waugh, p. 416: "No
I didn't think _Lolita_ any good except as smut. As that it was highly
exciting to me." Mitford, p. 416:"It seemed to me _Lolita_ did what
the reviewers always say about Mme Bisch - 'she does exactly what she
sets out to do'. A wonderfully meaningless phrase when applied to her
but it fits Nabokov like a glove." Mitford p. 468: "Do you love _Pale
Fire_? Oh how I screamed with laughter. Largely written in Harold
Acton's voice I thought." Waugh, p. 468: "I enjoyed _Pale Fire_
awfully & thought the poem no parody or pastiche but a jolly good
composition in its own right. _Much_ better than _Lolita_. But a
show-off. Too clever by half. But a pleasure."
Waugh's remarks expand a little on those found in the standard
edition of his letters, which were confined I think to _Lolita_,
though perhaps wisely did not include the admission that he found
_Lolita_ 'highly exciting' as smut. By the time Waugh read _Pale Fire_
he was damning everything in sight -- any kind of praise from him at
that point was rare indeed. That Nancy Mitford was a fan of VN's is
strange & wonderful news at least to me. I used to have a tiny study
with only enough shelf-space for those few authors absolutely
essential to life, and so VN found himself seated, as it were, next to
Mitford. I used to wonder what those two would find to say to one
another at the celestial cocktail party. Now I see that she could have
told him all about Harold Acton, and he could have told her what kind
of man would find _Lolita_ exciting smut.
The book, which was edited by Charlotte Mosley, might not be
available in the States yet but should be soon -- otherwise can be
obtained from a British importer.
Mary Bellino