JM: In "Strong Opinions"
(paperback, 171) Nabokov observes: " I am at a loss to
understand why the names of most of the people with whom I am paired begin with
a B." In another interview he'd
heard:"You are often superficially linked to a handful of international writers
like Beckett and Borges." (SO, 155).
It occurred to me that his uncle Vasili
is summoned by VN's father in French ("Basile, on vous attend") and in this
instance the letter "V" turns into a "B."
I know that the "H"- in Humbert - becomes a
"G" in Russian.
Is there any habitual translation of the
name Vladimir which would turn the "V" into a
"B," as it is the case of Vasili/Basile? *
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* wiki: "The name Basil (royal, kingly), pronounced /ˈbæzəl/,
has origins from the male Greek name Vassilios (Greek: Βασίλειος, female version
Bασιλική) which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from
"basileus" (Greek: βασιλεύς) a Greek word of pre-Hellenic origin meaning "king",
from which words such as basilica and basilisk (via Latin), as well as the
eponymous herb (via Old French) derive, and the name of the Italian region
Basilicata, which had been long under the rule of the Byzantine Emperor (also
called basileus)....Basil has many variant forms: Basel, Basile, Basilic,
Basilides, Basileios, Basileo, Basilie, Basilio, Basilius, Bazeel, Bazeelius,
Bazil, Bazyli, Breasal, Pasi[1], Vasil, Vasile, Vaseleos, Vasileos, Vasilije,
Vasilios, Vasilios, Vasilius, Vasilus, Vassilis, Vasili, Vassili, Vasily,
Vassilij, Vassily and Wassily."