Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0006101, Tue, 31 Jul 2001 11:06:33 -0700

Subject
Nabokov mentioned by B. R. Myers (fwd)
Date
Body
From: D.K. Holm <dkholm@pop.nwlink.com>


Readers of this forum are probably familiar with the Atlantic article by B.
R. Myers, and the "controversy" it has fueled in literary circles. It turns
out that Myers is a Nabokov buff. In an exclusive interview with the
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, there is the following question and answer:

ADG: When you wrote that "we have to read a great book more than once to
realize how consistently good the prose is . . ." what book did you have
in mind? The first book I thought of was Gatsby, which hasn't a word too
many.

Myers: Henry de Montherlant said that the main things a writer needs are
the gift of observation and the gift of imagery. Nabokov displays both
these gifts in Laughter in the Dark, but the story is so involving that
you are barely conscious of his presence at all; instead, you see life
through the eyes of a poet as if this were the most natural thing in the
world. Today, needless to say, Laughter in the Dark is one of Nabokov's
least-respected novels in the U.S.

Readers interested in full interview and several articles about Myers's
manifesto can find links at http://www.Mobylives.com/.

D. K. Holm
Cinemonkey.com