Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0006321, Wed, 16 Jan 2002 21:13:49 -0800

Subject
ANNOUNCEMENT. St. Petersburg VN SYMPOSIUM. July 2002
Date
Body
The Nabokov Symposium
at the St. Petersburg V. V. Nabokov Museum

July 15-19, 2002

Summary

On July 15-19, 2002, the Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg will hold its
first international Nabokov Symposium. Its goal is to allow established
scholars and their promising young colleagues to share their latest
ideas and discoveries in the field of Nabokov studies and to explore
Nabokov’s St. Petersburg during the White Nights season.

The Nabokov Museum has hosted other Nabokov conferences, such as the
Annual Nabokov Readings Series (1998-2000), “Nabokov and Britain” (April
1999), “Nabokov and Germany” (October 1999), and “Nabokov and France”
(May 2001). Dmitri Nabokov came to St. Petersburg in February, 2001, to
open the International Copyright Conference which was part of the
museum’s ongoing Copyright Monitoring program. Despite the
ever-increasing number of books and articles on Nabokov the Nabokov
Symposium in St. Petersburg will be the first international Nabokov
conference since 1999.

Organizers

The Nabokov Symposium is organized by the Nabokov Museum with the
support of the U. S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg. Brian Boyd
(University of Auckland, New Zealand), Donald Barton Johnson (University
of California at Santa Barbara, USA), and Alexander Dolinin (University
of Wisconsin, Madison, USA) have agreed to participate in the
coordinating committee of the symposium.

Scholars are invited to send their applications [See enclosed form] and
abstracts to Ms. Tatiana Ponomareva (azint@mail.wplus.net) at the
Nabokov Museum. Abstracts of 150-250 words with the author’s name and
e-mail/ fax address will be sent to the members of the coordinating
committee for evaluation. The committee will also participate in shaping
up the conference program, arranging schedules of and inviting mediators
for symposium sessions, and editing the proceedings of the symposium.

Thematic Lines

The themes of the symposium will include, but are not limited to, the
following:

1). Nabokov and the United States (poetics of VN’s later works, VN’s
“American” biography and bibliography, VN’s translations of Russian
works into English, VN’s influence on contemporary American literature,
etc.);

2). St. Petersburg and Russia in Nabokov’s Oeuvre (this theme allows a
broad range of interpretation of VN’s “Russian” and “American” novels
with the focus on their reflecting his Russian and especially St.
Petersburg background);

3). Beyond Nabokov’s Metaphysics: “This world” in VN’s fiction and
poetry (scholars presenting papers on this theme are encouraged to
compare VN’s metaphysics with the representations of “so-called
‘reality’” in his works);

4). Nabokov’s Butterflies (VN’s Lepidoptera, butterfly imagery in VN’s
fiction, comparison of VN’s approaches to nature and to fiction, etc.);

5). Nabokov Texts and Editions (Rowohlt [German], Pleiade [French], and
Symposium [Russian] collected Nabokov editions, Nabokov’s Butterflies,
new Nabokov-Wilson Letters [Dear Bunny, Dear Volodya], the prospects for
publication of new material by Nabokov, including a bilingual annotated
edition, the problems and principles of Nabokov bibliography and keeping
track of what has been written on Nabokov, etc.);

6). Teaching Nabokov (various aspects of teaching Nabokov at the
university and college level; textbooks and other teaching materials in
the field of Nabokov Studies; “close reading” of VN’s texts and the
reading strategies incorporated in his novels, etc.).

Preliminary Schedule

July 15, Monday
General Session of the Symposium
9.30 – 10.00 am: Registration
10.00 – 10.30 am: Official opening
10.30 – 12.00 pm: Keynote speaker(s)
12.00 – 1.00 pm: Lunch
1.00 – 3.00 pm: Papers
3.00 – 3.30 pm: Coffee break
3.30 – 5.00 pm: Tour of the Nabokov Museum and its collections
7.00 – 9.00 pm: Dinner / reception (optional)

July 16, Tuesday
Session 1: St. Petersburg and Russia in Nabokov’s Oeuvre
10.00 – 11.30 am: Papers
11.30 – 12.00 am: Coffee-break
12.00 - 1.30 pm: Papers
1.30 – 2.30 pm: Lunch
Session 2: Nabokov Texts and Editions
2.30 – 5.00 pm: Papers
5.00 – 5.30 pm: Coffee-break
5.30 – 7.00 pm: Tour of Nabokov sites in St. Petersburg (optional)

July 17, Wednesday
Session 3: Nabokov and the United States
10.00 – 11.30 am: Papers
11.30 – 12.00 am: Coffee-break
12.00 - 1.30 pm: Papers
1.30 – 2.30 pm: Lunch
Session 4: Nabokov’s Butterflies
2.30 – 5.00 pm: Papers
5.00 – 5.30 pm: Coffee-break
5.30 – 7.00 pm: “The ‘Silver Age’ in St. Petersburg” Tour (optional)

July 18, Thursday
Session 5: Beyond Nabokov’s Metaphysics
10.00 – 11.30 am: Papers
11.30 – 12.00 am: Coffee-break
12.00 - 1.30 pm: Papers
1.30 – 2.30 pm: Lunch
Session 6: Teaching Nabokov
2.30 – 5.00 pm: Papers
5.00 – 5.30 pm: Coffee-break
5.30 – 7.00 pm: “Pushkin’s St. Petersburg” Tour (optional)

July 19, Friday
Tour of the Nabokov Family Estates near St. Petersburg
10.00 am: Bus leaves from the Nabokov Museum for Rozhdestveno
12.00 pm: Arrival in Rozhdestveno
12.00 – 4.00 pm: Picnic lunch; walking tour of the estates
4.00-5.00 pm: Visit to the Station-Master’s Museum in Vyra
5.00 – 6.30 pm: Dinner at the Station-Master’s restaurant in Vyra
6.30 – 8.30 pm: Trip back to St. Petersburg

Language, Papers, and Presentations

English will be the official language of the Nabokov Symposium.
Exception will be made for established Russian scholars whose papers
require translation into English.

The length of each presentation should not exceed 20 minutes; 5-10
minutes will be allowed after each paper for questions and answers.
Papers given in Russian should be shorter as to allow time for
consecutive translation.

Morning sessions will be longer as to allow 6-8 papers to be presented.
Shorter afternoon sessions will allow for 4-6 papers. Established
scholars will be invited as mediators to coordinate each session of the
symposium.

Younger scholars and especially participants of the Nabokov 101 Summer
International School are encouraged to present their papers in poster
format. Poster papers should not exceed 2,500 words, including
bibliography and footnotes. Participants presenting poster papers will
be required to submit full texts of their papers, with footnotes and
bibliography, in an appropriate academic format, by July 1, 2002.
Preference would be given to poster papers in English, although poster
papers in other languages may be accepted for translation (for
additional fee). Symposium organizers will format, print out, and mount
poster papers.

Overhead projectors and other technical props will be available for
presentations.

Abstracts and Proceedings

The symposium organizers will publish abstracts of all participating
scholars for distribution during the registration session. Symposium
proceedings will be published in English and Russian, possibly in a
CD-ROM format, after all participants submitted full texts of their
papers to organizers. Preferable deadline for paper submissions will be
July 19, the last day of the symposium.

Timelines

Deadline for submitting applications and abstracts is February 1, 2002.

Official invitations to the Nabokov Symposium will be e-mailed or faxed
to the applicants before March 1, 2002.

Visa invitation application forms along with xerox copies of passport
photo spreads should be sent to the Nabokov Museum no later than May 1,
2002.

After the receipt of the official visa invitation from the Nabokov
Museum, participants of the symposium should start the process of visa
application in their countries no later than on June 1, 2002.

Participants are encouraged to arrive in St. Petersburg on July 13,
Saturday, or July 14, Sunday.

The symposium will end on July 19, 2002, with a trip to Nabokov family
estates in the Gatchina region near St. Petersburg. Your departure from
St. Petersburg could be scheduled for any of the consecutive days.

On Monday, July 22, the 10-day Nabokov 101 International Summer School
will begin. Those who are interested in participating in it, should
contact symposium organizers for additional information.

Visas and Accommodation

Symposium organizers will prepare official visa invitations for all
participants, provided they submitted necessary information and
documents by May 1, 2002. The cost of visa invitations is $35 per
person. Spouses and other guests will require separate visa invitations.

Participants will be charged for their visa invitations upon their
arrival in St. Petersburg. Please note that the failure to show up or
the refusal to pay for the visa invitation would affect the (rather
strained) budget of the Nabokov Museum.

Participants will be responsible for getting Russian visas from
consulates and embassies in their countries. Visa information and
questionnaire for visa invitations will be e-mailed or faxed to
participants along with the official invitation to the symposium.

Those interested in getting Russian visas independently, such as through
a travel agent, should notify symposium organizers in advance.

Symposium organizers will make reservations at local hotels for all
participants. The list of hotels with prices and their proximity to the
Nabokov Museum will be send upon request. We recommend that all our
guests stay at the Oktyabr’skaya Hotel in Vosstaniya Square. The cost of
1-night single room accommodation there is $45-50. The number of
inexpensive rooms is limited; all arrangements should be made well in
advance.

The Nabokov Museum and Its Facilities

The St. Petersburg V.V. Nabokov Museum is located in the Nabokov family
mansion at 47 Bolshaya Morskaya Street. It opened in April, 1998. Being
the only literary museum in St. Petersburg not controlled by the state
and one of the few private museums in Russia in general, the Nabokov
Museum is proud of its Western-style management, new fundraising
strategies, and a fresh program of activities that is making its name
known in St. Petersburg and its goal to promote Vladimir Nabokov's
legacy in Russia and all over the world achievable.

The Nabokov Symposium will be held in the library of the Nabokov Museum,
a 70-sq. m. room which formerly contained the 11,000 volume library of
the Nabokov family. The room can fit 50 people. Other rooms, such as the
100-sq. m. Central Hall, the Dining Room, and the Gallery will also be
available for various events of the symposium.

Call for Books and Other Library Donations
With the help of its friends and patrons, the Nabokov Museum has
collected a small library of first editions of Nabokov works as well as
of books, magazines, and other materials about Vladimir Nabokov, his
art, and his family. We would greatly appreciate your participation in
enlarging our library and turning it into a valuable resource for
Nabokov scholars. Your donations of various editions of Nabokov works,
from first editions to used paperbacks, and of your own publications on
Nabokov, including xerox copies of your articles and other papers, would
be most welcome. We always specify the name of the giver and the date of
donation on a special card inserted in or attached to each library item.

Costs and Budget Points

 Registration/participation fee: $300 (includes one copy of Abstracts;
one copy of Conference Proceedings after their publication; handouts;
coffee-breaks, use of the museum’s Internet facilities; tour of the
Nabokov Museum and its collections on the first day of the symposium).
Some of the money will go to benefit the development of the Nabokov
Museum, which greatly relies on its sponsors and friends for financial
support.

 Registration fee for students and scholars giving poster papers: $150

 Registration fee for Nabokov 101 participants: $100

 Cost of visa invitation: $35 per person.

 Cost of airport /hotel transfer: $10 per transfer

 Lunches: $6 per person per meal if arranged by the Nabokov Museum at a
restaurant in Bolshaya Morskaya Street (optional).

 Dinner / Reception: $20 per person (optional).

 Accommodation: $45 – $250, depending on the type of hotel. For
families, rent of private apartments at $50 per night can be arranged.
The number of such apartments is limited.

Cost of Tours (optional):
 Tour of the Nabokov Estates: $30 per person.
 Tour of the Nabokov Sites: $5 per person (walking); $15 per person (by
bus).
 “The ‘Silver Age’ in St. Petersburg” Tour: $15 per person (by bus)
 “Pushkin’s St. Petersburg” Tour: $6 per person (walking); $15 per
person (by bus).

Participants will be responsible for acquiring international health
insurance valid in Russia for themselves and those who will accompany them.

Payment Techniques

Participants will be asked to pay their registration, visa invitation,
lunch and dinner/reception fees in U. S. dollars or Russian rubles at
the registration on the first day of the symposium. Although we prefer
payments in cash, the Nabokov Museum will issue official receipts for
registration fees and other payments to those who require it. You will
be paying for your hotel and/or apartment independently. We would
appreciate your paying for chosen tours at the registration as well.

Information about various currencies operating in Russia and on using
credit cards and travelers’ checks will be sent upon request.

Contact Information

The Nabokov Symposium coordinators:
Ms. Tatiana Ponomareva
E-mail: azint@mail.wplus.net
Ms. Olga Voronina
E-mail: olvor@spb.cityline.ru

Mailing address: Nabokov Museum, 47 Bolshaya Morskaya St.,
St.Petersburg, 190000, Russia.
Tel/fax: + 7(812) 315-47-13.