Subject
Karshan" "Selected Poems" - a review
From
Date
Body
Jul 13
Poetry Review: "Selected Poems" by Vladimir Nabokov, with an introduction by Thomas Karshan
Book Reviews, Poetry Add comments
Nabokov is a name so revered in literary circles that to write of him, edit an anthology, translate his works or review any of the above, you had better be a relative. Such is the meteoric stature of the "poet-king," whose given name in Russian means, aptly, "ruler of the world." Considering that, editor Thomas Karshan is safe from at least one angle. "Selected Poems" contains twenty-eight never-before-seen translations by the late Dmitri Nabokov, the author's son and closest literary executor, whom the elder hailed a "marvelously congenial" translator in the preface of "Invitation to a Beheading." Never one to shy from a tussle, Vladimir found "no devil of creative emendation to fight" in his son's translations. Both held that, in transposing letters, fidelity to the author came first-no matter how twisted the result. Alas, even Dmitri is not immune to misstep. Depending on one's opinion of 2009's posthumously published "The Original of Laura," Dmitri is either a rebel of supreme literary disobedience, a Max Brod of his time, or a flippant ruffian, tainting his father's legacy with a deeply unfinished and presumptuous swan song-and few things in between. Nevertheless, it is a new collection, one meticulously selected by Karshan and as with all things unseen, it can only be unseen once... Nabokov was mentored by a Symbolist and in his twenties, his effusive poetic prime, aligned himself with the camp of free-verse rejection. His is the school of Gumilev, Bunin, Khodasevich before him and Pushkin before them. His stanzas employ a traditional abab pattern, often in iambic pattern. Many of the poems in the collection commemorate his heroes, "Shakespeare," "Tolstoy," even a reverent apology to Pushkin, "On Translating Eugene Onegin." ...There are some omissions and Karshan owns up to them. For one, none of Nabokov's chess problems (from 1969's "Poems and Problems") are included. There are also no poems or excerpts from the poets of his novels-John Shade in "Pale Fire," Fyodor in "The Gift," Pnin, or Humbert Humbert in "Lolita."..."Selected" is a harsh word, proscribing a huge body of work into a rigid, albeit choice, palisade. It doesn't allude to the prospect that Karshan's release may just be the definitive collection of Nabokov's poetry in print. (Taylor Cowan)
"Selected Poems"
By Vladimir Nabokov, with an introduction by Thomas Karshan
Knopf, 240 pages, $30
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/
Poetry Review: "Selected Poems" by Vladimir Nabokov, with an introduction by Thomas Karshan
Book Reviews, Poetry Add comments
Nabokov is a name so revered in literary circles that to write of him, edit an anthology, translate his works or review any of the above, you had better be a relative. Such is the meteoric stature of the "poet-king," whose given name in Russian means, aptly, "ruler of the world." Considering that, editor Thomas Karshan is safe from at least one angle. "Selected Poems" contains twenty-eight never-before-seen translations by the late Dmitri Nabokov, the author's son and closest literary executor, whom the elder hailed a "marvelously congenial" translator in the preface of "Invitation to a Beheading." Never one to shy from a tussle, Vladimir found "no devil of creative emendation to fight" in his son's translations. Both held that, in transposing letters, fidelity to the author came first-no matter how twisted the result. Alas, even Dmitri is not immune to misstep. Depending on one's opinion of 2009's posthumously published "The Original of Laura," Dmitri is either a rebel of supreme literary disobedience, a Max Brod of his time, or a flippant ruffian, tainting his father's legacy with a deeply unfinished and presumptuous swan song-and few things in between. Nevertheless, it is a new collection, one meticulously selected by Karshan and as with all things unseen, it can only be unseen once... Nabokov was mentored by a Symbolist and in his twenties, his effusive poetic prime, aligned himself with the camp of free-verse rejection. His is the school of Gumilev, Bunin, Khodasevich before him and Pushkin before them. His stanzas employ a traditional abab pattern, often in iambic pattern. Many of the poems in the collection commemorate his heroes, "Shakespeare," "Tolstoy," even a reverent apology to Pushkin, "On Translating Eugene Onegin." ...There are some omissions and Karshan owns up to them. For one, none of Nabokov's chess problems (from 1969's "Poems and Problems") are included. There are also no poems or excerpts from the poets of his novels-John Shade in "Pale Fire," Fyodor in "The Gift," Pnin, or Humbert Humbert in "Lolita."..."Selected" is a harsh word, proscribing a huge body of work into a rigid, albeit choice, palisade. It doesn't allude to the prospect that Karshan's release may just be the definitive collection of Nabokov's poetry in print. (Taylor Cowan)
"Selected Poems"
By Vladimir Nabokov, with an introduction by Thomas Karshan
Knopf, 240 pages, $30
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/
