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I wonder if one of Nabokov's objections to Bellow besides differing
stylistic temperaments would not also include Bellow's penchant for the
"philosophical" novel. Given Nabokov's distaste for other practitioners of
the "philosophical" novel such as Camus, Sartre and Dostoevskii. In his
STRONG OPINIONS, Nabokov was asked directly by an interviewer for his
opinion of Saul Bellow's art, and the Maestro replied, "A puff of smoke."

It's not that ideas don't matter to Nabokov. For instance, he greatly
admired Bely's PETERSBURG which shows the influence of Bely's interest in
theosophical and occult matters. However, Nabokov always asserted his
preference for the supremacy of the author's style over any predeliction for
moralising, pontificating or philosophying.

Sometimes, it's simply a matter of taste. Note Nabokov's love of H.G. Wells'
fantastic tales like THE TIMEšMACHINE (which he shared wi
th another
polymath, Jorge Luis Borges). On the other hand, a great writer and stylist
like William Faulkner, whom I revere, Nabokov had no use for.

Alphonse Vinh


-----Original Message-----
From: D. Barton Johnson [mailto:chtodel@gte.net]
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 12:43 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Amis. Nabokov, Bellow


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Amis's other fave rave is Saul Bellow, but MA notes that VN did not care
much for SB.  Can anyone here provide more details?  Just what were VN's
criticisms of Bellow, and did he refer to any specific novels?

Jay Livingston