Just received email notification that The Cambridge Companion to Nabokov is coming out in paperback. (It’s $24.99 in paperback; in hardcover, $70.00.)
Here’s the table of contents from the Cambridge University Press catalog:
Chronology; Introduction: the many faces of Vladimir Nabokov Julian W. Connolly; Part I. Contexts: 1. Strong opinions and nerve points: Nabokov’s life and art Zoran Kuzmanovich; 2. Nabokov as storyteller Brian Boyd; 3. Nabokov as a Russian writer Alexander Dolinin; 4. ‘By some sleight of land’: how Nabokov rewrote America Susan Elizabeth Sweeney; 5. Nabokov and modernism John Burt Foster, Jr.; Part II. Works: 6. Nabokov as poet Barry Scherr; 7. Nabokov’s short fiction Priscilla Meyer; 8. The major Russian novels Julian W. Connolly; 9. From Sirin to Nabokov: the transition to English Neil Cornwell; 10. Nabokov’s biographical impulse: art of writing lives Galya Diment; 11. The Lolita phenomenon from Paris to Tehran Ellen Pifer; 12. Nabokov’s late fiction Michael Wood; Part III. Related Worlds: 13. Nabokov and cinema Barbara Wyllie; 14. Nabokov’s world view Leona Toker; A guide to further reading.
As I’ve mentioned before, my favorite critical volume on Nabokov is Michael Wood’s The Magician’s Doubts, which I wholeheartedly recommend as an illuminating (and highly readable) piece of work. Anyone familiar with The Cambridge Guide? Would you recommend?
Related: Inspired by this recent post from Maud, a copy of Dear Bunny, Dear Volodya is winging its way to Tingle Alley. Viva the biblio-profligacy!
Also related: Ed dug up this well-balanced list by Anthony Burgess of the 99 best modern novels published between 1934-1984. Two Nabokov titles are included: Pale Fire and The Defense. Interesting as Lolita seems to have been left off. But the list is printed in such a way that makes it appear as if it’s been run through a garbage compacter so I may have missed it.
I don’t know this volume in particular, but I’ve had good luck with the Cambridge Companion series. The one on Virgil is great. I am embarassed to admit that I am a Nabokov virgin.
Comment by bookdwarf — 6/16/2005 @ 3:41 pm
Good to hear that the series is worthwhile – and here the table of contents looks promising.
The nice thing about being an [insert author here] virgin is that then they’re still waiting out there for you … I have a friend who just discovered “Buffy,” and I’m so envious as she still has so many seasons to watch. But M., I think you would adore Nabokov; his stuff is right in line with a lot of other books I’ve noticed you liking.
By the way, I’m a Rupert Thomson virgin, and on your (and Maud’s) recommendation I’ve also got The Insult coming. (I got all slutty on Alibris last weekend.) Will also watch for the Divided Kingdom, which I remember you liked a bunch.
Comment by CAAF — 6/16/2005 @ 3:48 pm
The critics are pretty much the usual suspects in modern Nabokov scholarship. The Bunny-Volodya letters are terrific reading, as is Selected Letters, 1940-1977. I always thought Burgess was kinda cheating putting The Defense on his list; the translation came out in 1964, but the Russian original was written in 1929.
Comment by Rodney Welch — 6/17/2005 @ 1:01 pm
Oooh, I just rewatched all the Buffy’s recently. Wow. I was so sad when I came to the end.
I need to get a copy of The Insult from Alibris. It never comes into our store. I’ve been waiting for months. Perhaps I will also get slutty with Alibris. And even get myself some Nabokov!
Comment by bookdwarf — 6/17/2005 @ 4:27 pm
Carrie, I’m sad – you must not be a reader any more: http://www.chekhovsmistress.com/2005/05/cambridge_compa.html
No matter, I always enjoy the Cambridge Companions. Sometimes they’re spotty and as Rodney said above, the usual suspects, but unless you’ve already had a great deal of exposure to the scholarship, then you will enjoy it.
Bud
p.s. This comment doesn’t seem to be taking, so if it shows up a million times then I’m sorry in advance for being obnoxious.
Comment by Bud Parr — 6/17/2005 @ 5:17 pm
Thanks for directing me to your earlier post, Bud. (However, I am indeed a regular reader of Chekhov’s Mistress — she said, her eyes flashing, her hair indignantly tossing side to side — I think I just missed that one as I was in Wisconsin at the time.)
Have you ordered the Companion? I may have to hold off for a month or two. All of last weekend’s Alibris sluttiness arrived today (including those Wilson – Nabokov letters and The Insult) … it’s an awesome-looking stack, but probably sufficient for summer.
Rodney, I’ll look up those selected letters; thanks for the recommendation.
Comment by CAAF — 6/17/2005 @ 5:32 pm
Oh, sorry. I mean sorry you were in Wisconsin. No, I like Wisconsin, I’ve had great potato pancakes there. I have not ordered the companion, but will wait until I go back to VN, who unfortunately is in line in the woefully large tbr pile. But I can definitely recommend it just based on others I’ve read just because for anyone who doesn’t normally read scholarly research, they’re a nice summary.
Comment by Bud Parr — 6/20/2005 @ 8:27 pm
Why, Bud Parr, I do believe you are using my comments to make fun of my beloved home state, which seems a misappropriation. Though if you do so to remind me of potato pancakes we are back square. We used to have potato pancakes for dinner all the time – I forgot about those. I can also recommend to your gustatory attention: The stadium bratwurst, a nice bowl of cheese-and-beer soup from a diner, as well as anything from the menu of Tom’s Drive-In (Fox River Valley-area chain of fast-food restaurants), particularly the cheese nuggets which are basically fried cheese curds. Total heart attack stuff but ridiculously tasty.
I reread Pale Fire and Lolita last year, but want to go back and reread Ada and The Defense, which I haven’t touched since college. (The first two are my favorites so get reread a lot more regularly.) But I have a similar sense that they may not be gotten to till fall.
Comment by CAAF — 6/23/2005 @ 12:34 pm