EDNOTE.....and on a more benign topic..........
----- Original Message -----
From: Grigori Utgof
 
Dear Mr. Nabokov,
 
I wish to ask your kind assistance in the following matter.
 
I write about Nabokov's early fiction from the viewpoint of prose rhythm and style, and I need to reconstruct the manner Nabokov pronounced some "zaimstvovaniia" [loan words]. Am I right supposing that your father said "fu'tbol", "fu'tbol'nyi" instead of "futbo'l", "futbo'l'nyi"; "pi'knik" instead of "pikni'k" and "revo'l'ver" instead of "revol've'r"?
 
Thank you.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Grigorii Utgof
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Dear Gregori Utgof,
 
I'm sorry, but you have struck out. Your suppositions were wrong on every count. Besides being a soccer goalie, I guess my father was a pretty good pitcher of curve balls. Glad to be of help.
 
Cordially,
 
Dmitri Nabokov