In this video I identify and discuss the three big themes in Vladimir Nabokov’s books. 00:00 Introduction 02:26 1. Russia 11:02 2. Reality is not real 18:48 3. Interactivity
Thank you once again for the video. It was educational and captivating. And I find your enthusiasm so pleasantly contagious. As someone whose mother tongue is Russian and whose motherland is at this very moment actively expelling everyone who is still capable of thinking for themselves, I feel some kind of cross-generational affinity and kinship with these great minds forced out of Russia about a century ago. I'm also trying to fit in in a new country, but I cannot say that I've done a particularly good job so far... As you rightfully mentioned, Nabokov was a smart guy. And we can only strive and try to hoist ourselves up a little using his legacy. Or, at the very least, we can use good literature as a non-destructive coping mechanism to keep us sane in this time of turmoil and uncertainty. Thank you very much for your videos. They help me not to forget that life is in many ways spiral in its development and that everything that happens to us, has already happened to many people before. We can draw from their experiences and their thoughts and ideas. And hopefully calm ourselves down a bit and find a new perspective.
So glad you liked it. Nabokov is such a towering intellect, and so many of his obsessions were abstract (reality, art, the afterlife) or otherwise esoteric (butterflies, cross-language puns), that it feels somehow like a relief that he gives us normals a human and relatable theme to hook on to, such as nostalgia and the pain of dislocation. Speak, Memory is so good because it’s so universal, and maybe that’s betrays me as an unsophisticate. Don’t know if you’ve read Speak, Memory but it’s got exactly this idea of life being a spiral.
@@morganli7953 I will definitely give Speak, Memory a try. I'm not sure, though, if my English is good enough to handle it. Honestly, I've struggled with Lolita quite a bit, and didn't finish reading it. But it is now more clear to me (thanks to your videos), that it is a feature: it is exactly this type of interaction with a reader that you've mentioned as one of his major themes. The Russian translation of Lolita is rebuked and castigated by Nabokov himself. "I'm sick of the rattling sound of my rusty Russian cords. The story of this translation is the story of disappointment...", he wrote (that's my very frivolous translation of what he wrote in the foreword for the Russian version of Lolita). So, I'll try to get back to Lolita as well:) Thank you!
@@AndrewMcWingerNabokov did translate Speak, Memory into Russian, as Drugie Berega. Perhaps it will be a good entry way for you? Wish I could understand Russian!
@@morganli7953 Thanks for the hint!) But the idea is for me to stretch my English, so maybe it will be a good idea to read English and Russian versions in parallel) And if you have some questions about some tricky sentences in Russian - maybe I can help a bit) At least by giving you some perspective from a Russian speaker)
You articulate such complex ideas with such clarity and eloquence. It's quite refreshing as most "booktube" is quite shallow. It's great to hear insightful, dare I say, scholarly approaches to texts. Out of the famed Russian writers, Nabokov still eludes me. But after your video essay, I'm inclined to make my next read a Nabokov. For a first timer, where do you suggest I begin? I know tastes vary, but from your own tastes, which of his works encapsulates his voice the most?
Yay! Another video about Nabokov! Thank you! I will leave it for my evening! Thank you!
Hope you enjoy it! I could talk about Nabokov forever
Thank you once again for the video. It was educational and captivating. And I find your enthusiasm so pleasantly contagious. As someone whose mother tongue is Russian and whose motherland is at this very moment actively expelling everyone who is still capable of thinking for themselves, I feel some kind of cross-generational affinity and kinship with these great minds forced out of Russia about a century ago. I'm also trying to fit in in a new country, but I cannot say that I've done a particularly good job so far... As you rightfully mentioned, Nabokov was a smart guy. And we can only strive and try to hoist ourselves up a little using his legacy. Or, at the very least, we can use good literature as a non-destructive coping mechanism to keep us sane in this time of turmoil and uncertainty. Thank you very much for your videos. They help me not to forget that life is in many ways spiral in its development and that everything that happens to us, has already happened to many people before. We can draw from their experiences and their thoughts and ideas. And hopefully calm ourselves down a bit and find a new perspective.
So glad you liked it. Nabokov is such a towering intellect, and so many of his obsessions were abstract (reality, art, the afterlife) or otherwise esoteric (butterflies, cross-language puns), that it feels somehow like a relief that he gives us normals a human and relatable theme to hook on to, such as nostalgia and the pain of dislocation. Speak, Memory is so good because it’s so universal, and maybe that’s betrays me as an unsophisticate. Don’t know if you’ve read Speak, Memory but it’s got exactly this idea of life being a spiral.
@@morganli7953 I will definitely give Speak, Memory a try. I'm not sure, though, if my English is good enough to handle it. Honestly, I've struggled with Lolita quite a bit, and didn't finish reading it. But it is now more clear to me (thanks to your videos), that it is a feature: it is exactly this type of interaction with a reader that you've mentioned as one of his major themes. The Russian translation of Lolita is rebuked and castigated by Nabokov himself. "I'm sick of the rattling sound of my rusty Russian cords. The story of this translation is the story of disappointment...", he wrote (that's my very frivolous translation of what he wrote in the foreword for the Russian version of Lolita). So, I'll try to get back to Lolita as well:) Thank you!
@@AndrewMcWingerNabokov did translate Speak, Memory into Russian, as Drugie Berega. Perhaps it will be a good entry way for you? Wish I could understand Russian!
@@morganli7953 Thanks for the hint!) But the idea is for me to stretch my English, so maybe it will be a good idea to read English and Russian versions in parallel)
And if you have some questions about some tricky sentences in Russian - maybe I can help a bit) At least by giving you some perspective from a Russian speaker)
You articulate such complex ideas with such clarity and eloquence. It's quite refreshing as most "booktube" is quite shallow. It's great to hear insightful, dare I say, scholarly approaches to texts.
Out of the famed Russian writers, Nabokov still eludes me. But after your video essay, I'm inclined to make my next read a Nabokov. For a first timer, where do you suggest I begin? I know tastes vary, but from your own tastes, which of his works encapsulates his voice the most?
Just go for the best: Lolita or Pale Fire. Pale Fire is his best, imo, but Lolita is the most popular for good reason. Thanks for the comment!