Why knowing only English is to be considered a consolation
rather than a circumstance of birth and education?
Maybe for being able to read VN’s English novels it is indeed
a consolation -- but for a reader of Pushkin in translation it is just a “consolation
prize”.
On the other hand, some Russian translations of VN’s English
novels (not in Index) offer no consolation whatsoever.
Victor Fet
From: Vladimir Nabokov
Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf Of Mary Krimmel
Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 12:30 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Re: [NABOKV-L] NABOKOV-LIST [THOUGHTS] Translations
It's
humbling and educational to be one of a small minority in a group I
highly respect. Is there even one other participant who speaks and even reads
only one language? My consolation is that my one language is English.
Mary
Krimmel