Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0004607, Thu, 2 Dec 1999 06:48:10 -0800

Subject
Re: Query: Byloe Solo (fwd)
Date
Body
***This is the English version of Sergey Il'in's response***

From: Sergey B. Il'in <isb@glas.apc.org>

Seems, I can answer the main question, and I'm going to do it now, till the
muddlesome discussion has begun. "One of the Nabokov's work; in which a
novel "Byloe solo" ("The Bygone [or Former, or Past] Solo") is mentioned
is 'Ada'. Even not 'Ada' itself, but my translation of it to russian. In
the original English text there is 'The Puffer' by Mr. Dukes. In my
translation -- 'Byloe solo' mistera Dyuka. Both are 'Herzog' by Sol Bellow.
No any 'Jazz Pianist', of course, never hung here around. Nabokovs relation
to Jazz we all know so well. And what is that country, being 'headed by his
main character's homonym' I can't understand at all. The question is too
blurred: the main character of what? The main character of 'Byloe Solo'
(and of 'The Puffer' as well) in 'Ada' is not mentioned.

Best wishes,
S.


At 12:57 30.11.99 -0800, you wrote:
>***A gentle editorial request: Please provide translations when you choose
>to respond in Russian. The translation for this message will, hopefully,
>follow soon from the author. To sum up, Sergey Il'in states that the
>work where this title appears is basically _Ada_, but rather his own
>Russian translation of the novel and not Nabokov's original. I will
>leave it to him to explain to the non-Russian-speaking subscribers
>the further intricacies of the message below. GD*****
>
>
>At 08:00 30.11.99 -0800, you wrote:
>>From: Okneanski <leonid.okneanski@stud.uni-muenchen.de>
>>
>>Respected Nabokovians, here's a question concerning some Nabokov's novel
>>(story?) where a book "Byloe solo" ("Past Solo"? "Former Solo"?) is
>>mentioned. Who is the author of the "Byloe Solo"? What's the name of the
>>main character of the book?
>>
>>Vnimanie, zagadka Nabokova!
>>V odnom iz proizvedenij Vladimira Nabokova figuriruet kniga pod
>>nazvaniem "Byloe solo". Esli sudit' po nazvaniyu i avtoru,
>>ukazannomu Nabokovym, mozhno podumat', chto e'to memuary izvestnogo
>>dzhazovogo pianista. Na samom zhe dele e'to sovsem drugoj roman. A
>>kakuyu stranu vozglavlyaet odnofamilec ego glavnogo geroya?
>>
>>
>>Thanks in advance.
>>l.
>>
>>******The Russian text, which is somewhat different from English, suggests
>>that the question is a riddle rather than a query, and that the author of
>>the message knows the answer. Here is the translation of the Russian
>>sentences missing in the English version: "If one were to judge by the
>>title and the author, as specified by Nabokov, one may think it's memoirs
>>of a famous jazz pianist. In reality, it's a totally different kind of a
>>novel. And which country does a person bearing the protagonist's last
>>name rule over?" GD*******
>>
>>
>Sergey Il'yn
>
>Nashe delo veseloe
>
>
Sergey Il'yn

Nashe delo veseloe