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Re: Bookclubs
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***The other references came from the LECTURES ON RUSSIAN LITERATURE, not
from the LECTURES ON LITERATURE. As it's turning out, VN did, indeed,
have much to say on the topic of bookclubs. Worth remembering that while
at Cornell, he didn't want to join even such a high-brow one as Book &
Bowl. Szeftel thought VN and Vera were just being "cheap" but it was,
obviously, more a matter of a principle. He did make an exception,
however, for Peter Kahn's talk on "How to Look at Nudes -- with
Slides." GD***
From: ROakes1019@aol.com
This may have already been pointed out but Nabokov mentions book clubs in
LECTURES ON LITERATURE, "Good Readers and Good Writers." In the third
paragraph he says, "Can anybody be so naive as to think he or she can
learn anything about the past from those buxom best-sellers that are
hawked around by book clubs under the heading of historical novels?" In a
playful mood, he goes on later to ask what the necessities of a writer are
and lists ten choices, the first six of which are absurd. The first is
"The reader should belong to a book club."
Betty Oakes
from the LECTURES ON LITERATURE. As it's turning out, VN did, indeed,
have much to say on the topic of bookclubs. Worth remembering that while
at Cornell, he didn't want to join even such a high-brow one as Book &
Bowl. Szeftel thought VN and Vera were just being "cheap" but it was,
obviously, more a matter of a principle. He did make an exception,
however, for Peter Kahn's talk on "How to Look at Nudes -- with
Slides." GD***
From: ROakes1019@aol.com
This may have already been pointed out but Nabokov mentions book clubs in
LECTURES ON LITERATURE, "Good Readers and Good Writers." In the third
paragraph he says, "Can anybody be so naive as to think he or she can
learn anything about the past from those buxom best-sellers that are
hawked around by book clubs under the heading of historical novels?" In a
playful mood, he goes on later to ask what the necessities of a writer are
and lists ten choices, the first six of which are absurd. The first is
"The reader should belong to a book club."
Betty Oakes