Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0021419, Wed, 2 Mar 2011 13:45:17 -0300

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Fw: [NABOKV-L] Sighting: Some of Nabokov's Favorite Movies
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Alfred Appel's foot-note for his 1970 interview, mentioning Harvey Loyd's movie-still and "The Defense" ( a PS to a former posting):

"Valentinov strode toward Luzhin with an enchanting smile...Luzhin, who was slowly emerging from his stupefaction, it gradually and surreptitiously began to be transformed into a bewitching image...the music of the chess boards's evil lure, Luzhin recalled...And this love was fatal. The key was found. The aim of the attack was plain. By an implacable repetition of moves it was leading once more to that same passion which would destroy the dream of life. Devastation, horror, madness..'Ah, don't!' ....In front of him [at a club named "Veritas"] was a round table bearing albums, magazines, separate sheets of paper, and photographs...And on one there was a white-faced man with lifeless features and big American glasses, hanging by his hands from the ledge of a skyscraper - just about to falloff into the abyss...Valentinov had begun talking to Luzhin while still on the other side of the door...:'...shoot a new film. I wrote the script...A cutting from a chess magazine, the diagram of a problem. Mate in three moves.In this subtle problem he saw clearly all the perfidy of its author...there was no movie, the movie was just a pretext... a trap, a trap... he would be inveigled into playing chess and then the next move was clear. But this move would not be made...He was overwhelmed by an urge to move. ...It was impossible to sit still ..".
ch. 14, p.170-171 (Penguin Modern Classics)

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