Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0015422, Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:54:04 -0700

Subject
DAWN in Russia.
Date
Body
Dear Sandor Pongor,

The (original) English text of "Conclusive Evidence" and the
expanded 1966 version "Speak, Memory" both say to "DAWN in Russia." I
suspect that the 2006 Hungarian may be from a Russian translation
since in Russian "zarya" means "twilight" and can refer to EITHER
"dawn" or "dusk" and might well be confused by the translator
translator. Cf. the French "entre chien et loup" and the Russian
Russian "mezhdu sobakoi i volkom". Both meal Latin idiom.

Best, D.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Waldo Frank's DAWN IN RUSSIA in SPEAK MEMORY, XIII, 3 (p. 263)
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:40:43 -0700
From: Sandor Pongor <pongor@ICGEB.ORG>
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU


I have question and a note about the reference VN made in Speak Memory to
Waldo Frank's book, Dawn in Russia. The remark is in the context to the
European "fellow passanger" intelligensia, embodied by Nabokov's
friend "Nesbit". A search for the identity of "Nesbit" brought me to this
list, more preciesely to the founder's posting that identifies "Nesbit" as
Butler.

- I first read the English edition of Speak Memory around 1978-80. In
that edition, Waldo Frank's "Dawn in Russia" was mentioned by its correct
title. Now I am reading the 2006 Hungarian translation of "Speak Memory"
which surprisingly refers to "Dusk in Russia". Dawn and dusk can not be
easily mixed up by any translator. Is it possible that "dusk" is a pun that
Nabokov added to a later edition of Speak Memory? I do not have the English
edition of Speak Memory anymore, but perhaps someone could help me
out with this.

- It was not clear to me whether or not the question re the book's
difficult availability was posed by Prof. Jowhson, or it is a quote from
Frank's biography. I myself inherited "Dawn in Russia" from a relative who
had connections to "leftist students" in Italy, in the 1930s. I assume the
book must have come to her as a gift and so it was probably known and
available in Europe. By the way I still have it.


Thanks in advance

Sandor
(a reader of unselected books)





S

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