While reading the rough draft of the forthcoming translation of
Vladimir Nabokov's "Lectures on Russian Literature" to the Portuguese, I
was intrigued by the abrupt way the lecture on Turgenev
ends.(Fredson Bowers, Harvest Book,p.95), with an extensive quote from the
Russian writer's epilogue. Before presenting it (p.94) Nabokov notes,
simply: "In the epilogue, chapter 28, everyone is marrying,
in the pairing-off device. Notice here the didactic and slighty humorou
attitude. Fate takes over but still under Turgenev's direction." The
profusion of demonstrative quotes had alterady begun on p.71 ( on "Fathers
and Sons"). .
I searched for info concerning this specific lecture, but comments were
equally non-committal. Announcing the 2013 Brazilian translation of
Turgenev's Rudin, other essays are mentioned (by E.Wilson, Isaiah Berlin,
Joseph Frank, Harold Bloom and Henry James, all of them having
been already translated with the exception of Nabokov's* Another site
at the internet "is dormant" but it provides a point of view: " It is a
detailed literary analysis, interesting but difficult to boil down to a couple
of lines."** Indeed.
VN criticized Turgenev freely by noting that "his gallery of idealistic and touchingly human serfs stressed
the obvious odiousness of serfdom..." Concerning Rudin he
states that it "depícts the generation of the 1840s, the idealistic
idealistic Russian intelligentsia bred in German
universities" although he admits that "there is some very good writing in Rudin...") His
praise is often double-edged: "Besides being good at
painting nature, Turguenev was likewise excellent at painting little colored
cartoons which remind one of those seen in British country clubs [ ]
good examples of his perfectly modulated well-oiled prose ...But generally
speaking his style produces a queer effect of patchiness, just because certain
passages, the artist's favorites, have been pampered much more than the
others....among the general flow of good, clear, but undistinguished
prose." When describing the "Turguenev maiden" he concludes, with a tone
of rebuke, that the writer "envelops his heroines in a
kind of gentle poetical beauty which has a special appeal for the reader and has
done much to create the general high concept of Russian womanhood" and he
also notes, now in relation to T's male characters, that "there was a common debility about Turgeneve's nature and art; he
was incapable of making his masculine characters triumph within the existence he
invents for them. Moreover, in Bazarov's character there is behind the brashness
and the will-power,and the violence of cold thought, a stream of natural
youthful ardency which Bazarov finds difficult to blend with the harshness of a
would be nihilist." ..
For one who detests "generalizations" the words "generally
speaking," "the general flow of good...prose," or the "general high
concept" he applied in his essay unavoidably stand out.
I wonder if V. Nabokov cultivated some sort of personal grudge against
Turgenev and the social circles in Europe where he moved (without ceasing
to remain a Russian author?)
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Num
ensaio clássico, Vladimir Nabokov lista os principais prosadores russos — Gógol,
Liev Tolstói, Turguêniev e Tchekhov. Cadê Dostoiévski? [ ]Quem
quiser conhecer um pouco mais sobre a prosa do autor russo
[Turguêniev] deve buscar os ensaios de Vladimir Nabokov, Edmund Wilson (“11
Ensaios — Literatura, Política, História”), Isaiah Berlin (“Pensadores Russos”),
Joseph Frank (“Pelo Prisma Russo — Ensaios Sobre Literatura e Cultura”), Harold
Bloom (“Como e Por Que Ler”) e Henry James (o ensaio foi publicado no final de
“Pais e Filhos”, com tradução de Rubens Figueiredo). O único não traduzido para
o português é o de Nabokov (citado acima). Há uma boa edição espanhola, com
ensaios notáveis sobre Gógol, Turguêniev, Dostoiévski, Tolstói e Tchekhov, além
do texto “El arte de traducir”.
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**
Views of Turgenev
Nabokov!
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1AntipodeanDec 30, 2006, 4:24am
Can anybody remember what Nabokov said about Turgenev? It's well-known that he
didn't like Dostoyevsky, and deeply admired the early Gogol, in addition to Anna
Karenina. But Turgenev? he must've had some published thoughts. I just can't
recall right now. Thanks.
2JargoneerDec 30, 2006, 9:12am There is an analysis
of Fathers and Sons in Lectures on Russian Literature. It is a detailed literary
analysis, interesting but difficult to boil down to a couple of lines. Elsewhere
in the book, he lists the four greatest prose writers in Russian (in order) as -
Tolstoy, Gogol, Chekhov & Turgenev. He then says "This is rather like
grading students papers and no doubt Dostoevski and Saltykov are waiting at the
door of my office to discuss their low
marks."
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