tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post1296430941987106611..comments2023-09-26T03:53:17.142-04:00Comments on Pentimento: That Book by NabokovPentimentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-64915712513173928302010-01-09T17:29:18.925-05:002010-01-09T17:29:18.925-05:00I agree with your assessment of N's craft, Mac...I agree with your assessment of N's craft, Maclin. His stories, though, are surprisingly tender.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-18002970059090450882010-01-09T13:18:27.394-05:002010-01-09T13:18:27.394-05:00I haven't read this story. I've always lik...I haven't read this story. I've always liked VN's writing at the level of craft--it glitters beautifully in a Mozartish kind of way--but the coldness keeps me at a distance. I read Ada in my 20s & thought it rather lovely but I don't know what I'd think know. Anyway, I'll keep this in mind.Maclinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14431327970201767428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-52588628863421897382010-01-04T19:45:07.873-05:002010-01-04T19:45:07.873-05:00Yes, he was a zoologist and lepidopterist in addit...Yes, he was a zoologist and lepidopterist in addition to being a novelist, and he discovered and named several butterfly species.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-75786494833021082972010-01-04T19:37:44.808-05:002010-01-04T19:37:44.808-05:00I understand Nabokov did a wonderful book about bu...I understand Nabokov did a wonderful book about butterflies. Apparently he was quite the naturalist.elena maria vidalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17129629173535139807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-62314332984095259972010-01-04T17:25:59.631-05:002010-01-04T17:25:59.631-05:00And yet there's a sense of tenderness and regr...And yet there's a sense of tenderness and regret in that story, and in many of the short stories in the collection, that's absent in much of his writing. The reader comes to love Vasily Ivanovich. And to some extent the sadism of the tour group is meant to contrast the largeheartedness, even childlikeness, of the Russian soul with the casual brutality of the German.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-41132615727459709692010-01-04T13:53:54.775-05:002010-01-04T13:53:54.775-05:00+JMJ+
It must be your week for kind words, Pentim...+JMJ+<br /><br />It must be your week for kind words, Pentimento. Have you read Betty Duffy's latest post?<br /><br />By the way, I just read that short story you linked--the first bit of Nabokov I've ever read. Yes, the cruelty at the end is as confusing as it is terrible. There is nothing more unsettling than evil we cannot rationalise. I shall be thinking about this until I fall asleep tonight.Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-53302000742982575462010-01-04T12:18:41.040-05:002010-01-04T12:18:41.040-05:00Happy new year, Mark! Thanks for your kind words....Happy new year, Mark! Thanks for your kind words.<br /><br />Do read "Cloud, Castle, Lake" if you have time. It's short and it's excellent, and I'd love to know what you think of it.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-25826006388004974932010-01-04T12:11:24.683-05:002010-01-04T12:11:24.683-05:00I'm not fan of Nabakov either, although I appr...I'm not fan of Nabakov either, although I appreciate the homage to "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by the Police in your post title.<br /><br />BTW, I've given you a shout-out on my blog - I haven't been linking to you much (sorry about that), but I've been reading and enjoying your posts! Thanks so much!<br /><br />Cheers and happy New Year!Mark D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05000893614655251587noreply@blogger.com