Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0014418, Sun, 17 Dec 2006 22:58:08 -0500

Subject
VN & Hogg -- the proof
From
Date
Body
A rather long post from Carolyn in which three archival posts are quoted
in full and a mystery is solved:

Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 15:43:46 -0700
From: Chaswe

Does anyone have any evidence of VN's ownership, use or reading of James
Hogg's Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, first
published
1824, other editions circa 1922 (?) and 1947? In the last chapter of
Despair
Hermann seeks a title for his confessional, such as: "something
beginning with
'Memoirs of a --' of a what? .... 'Justification of a Likeness'?"

Hogg's book is a first-person account ("this astounding book" -- Gide)
of the
murder of his alter ego by a man justified by virtue of belonging to the
Calvinist "Elect"; ie predetermined to be saved and therefore incapable
of
doing wrong. Sinner resembles Pale Fire in being bi-partite, the first
part a
commentary on the autobiographical second part; and perhaps in other,
deeper
ways.

Was the Justified Sinner translated into Russian or French prior to
1932,
(Otchayanie was "written in 1932, in Berlin") or had VN read it in
English?
Any evidence? Any answers?

Charles Harrison Wallace

Dear Charles,

Odd that you didn't notice my references recently to the possibility
that VN may have owned the 1947 Cresset edition of Hogg's "Memoirs":

Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:05:23 -0400

To the List,

The kaleidoscopes mentioned here recently turned up twice in my
List-inspired reading of the past few days.

I re-read Marina Warner's comments on Hogg's Confessions in her truly
wonderful Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds, and was delighted by
this footnote:
In an article 'Nature's Magic Lantern' Hogg reviews his own experience
of meteorological illusions, and he discussed them with Sir David
Brewster, the physician, inventor of the kaleidoscope and even more
significantly, of the theory that led to stereoscopic photography.
(note 22, p 246)

The Dr Brewster information was welcome as was the promise of
"meteorological illusions" in Hogg's novel and other writings (cf PF's
parahelia). I was also encouraged to learn that Hogg's publisher was The
Cresset Press, as the possible source of that object in the Garh story.

Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 22:35:13 -0400
To the List,

I made a possibly important (I hope) mistake. Hogg's publisher was not
The Cresset Press, but the Cresset Press did produce two editions of
Hogg's Confessions, one in 1947 and one in 1964.

Is there any way to find out if Nabokov owned the 1947 edition?

Carolyn

p.s. Wonderful to learn of the Poe-Brewster link!

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