Subject
Re: Munich VN Exhibit (fwd)
Date
Body
I can provide another review of the exhibition, which has now
relocated to the Montreux Palace Hotel (in whose Internet Cafe I am
sitting at the moment!)
The exhibition is excellent. Highlights for me include VN's original
birth certificate, in Russian and official German translation, a copy
of "Poems" (1916), other childhood books from VN's library, copies of
both German and Russian emigre newspaper reactions to VDN's murder,
and a fascinating chess-problem set out on VN's "Staunton" chessmen.
The whole exhibition is imaginatively and effectively laid out,
fitting snugly into an area near the Hotel reception, and is free for
all to see. Congratulations to Daniela Rippl! One small gripe - the
original exhibition appears to have been in German and English, but
for the Palace large chunks appear to have been translated into
French only - a pity. And I think VN would have enjoyed the
following translation from German: "his first posthumous novel "The
Magician"!
The hotel also boasts the new statue on the ground floor. Staff were
happy to show me what they call VN's room (the study, room 64),
although they insisted that it is "a legend" that the Nabokovs had
more than the one room, and were bemused to be told of Dmitri's
climbing antics between floors as mentioned in Boyd's chapter on
"Transparent Things".
The town has another exhibition at the moment, in the old town
museum. This has the video of Nabokov's "Apostrophes" interview, for
French TV in ?1975 - the curator told me that although it is an hour
long, most visitors watch it to the end, as the personality VN
reveals is so captivating. Further rooms show a collection of VN-
inscribed editions, other fascinating personal effects such as the
famous lectern and the suitcase described in "Speak, Memory!", and
lots of butterflies. The ubiquitous posters for the exhibition
feature two words in VN's handwriting - "If" and then "we" - does
this mean anything to anyone on the list?
Tom Pedrick
P.S In reaction to Don's exhortations of a while ago to introduce
ourselves: I am a VN amateur and very occasional list-contributor,
who studied Russian and then VN under Jane Grayson on a Master's
course in London University some time ago. Being strange and Limey,
I vote for "The Gift" as Book of the Century.
relocated to the Montreux Palace Hotel (in whose Internet Cafe I am
sitting at the moment!)
The exhibition is excellent. Highlights for me include VN's original
birth certificate, in Russian and official German translation, a copy
of "Poems" (1916), other childhood books from VN's library, copies of
both German and Russian emigre newspaper reactions to VDN's murder,
and a fascinating chess-problem set out on VN's "Staunton" chessmen.
The whole exhibition is imaginatively and effectively laid out,
fitting snugly into an area near the Hotel reception, and is free for
all to see. Congratulations to Daniela Rippl! One small gripe - the
original exhibition appears to have been in German and English, but
for the Palace large chunks appear to have been translated into
French only - a pity. And I think VN would have enjoyed the
following translation from German: "his first posthumous novel "The
Magician"!
The hotel also boasts the new statue on the ground floor. Staff were
happy to show me what they call VN's room (the study, room 64),
although they insisted that it is "a legend" that the Nabokovs had
more than the one room, and were bemused to be told of Dmitri's
climbing antics between floors as mentioned in Boyd's chapter on
"Transparent Things".
The town has another exhibition at the moment, in the old town
museum. This has the video of Nabokov's "Apostrophes" interview, for
French TV in ?1975 - the curator told me that although it is an hour
long, most visitors watch it to the end, as the personality VN
reveals is so captivating. Further rooms show a collection of VN-
inscribed editions, other fascinating personal effects such as the
famous lectern and the suitcase described in "Speak, Memory!", and
lots of butterflies. The ubiquitous posters for the exhibition
feature two words in VN's handwriting - "If" and then "we" - does
this mean anything to anyone on the list?
Tom Pedrick
P.S In reaction to Don's exhortations of a while ago to introduce
ourselves: I am a VN amateur and very occasional list-contributor,
who studied Russian and then VN under Jane Grayson on a Master's
course in London University some time ago. Being strange and Limey,
I vote for "The Gift" as Book of the Century.