Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0006822, Thu, 19 Sep 2002 20:42:29 -0700

Subject
Fw: Nabokov and the Smiley Face
Date
Body
----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Stow" <sastow@wm.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 6:45 AM
Subject: Nabokov and the Smiley Face




In the 'Circuits' section of today's New York Times there is an article
about the invention of the annoying 'smiley face' icon. :-) Our hero
is implicated. :-(

Dr. Fahlman is no stranger to such criticism. By way of rejoinder, his
personal Web site includes a 1973 quotation that he attributes to Vladimir
Nabokov.
When an interviewer asked Nabokov how he ranked himself among great
writers, Dr. Fahlman said, the writer replied, "I often think there should
exist a special typographical sign for a smile - some sort of concave
mark, a supine round bracket, which I would now like to trace in reply to
your question."

For the full article go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/19/technology/circuits/19SMIL.html


Simon Stow
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Government
> College of William and Mary
> P.O. Box 8795
> Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
>
> Tel: 757-221-3048
>