Subject
Kinbote and K. D. Nabokov
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Date
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VN's uncle Konstantin Dmitrievich Nabokov (1872-1927), who shared with Kinbote his sexual orientation and who is known to the readers of Speak, Memory (pp. 49, 224) as the author of Ispytaniya diplomata ("The Ordeals of a Diplomat," Stockholm, 1921) and an English version of Pushkin's Boris Godunov, turns out to be a character in A. N. Tolstoy's novel Emigranty ("The Emigres," 1931). The novel is set in Paris and Stockholm (with several scenes set in Petrograd and Reval). The time is 1919-20. The Russian "crown jewels" are mentioned several times: "Борис и Кирилл Владимировичи должны получить от матери знаменитые изумруды [emeralds], у них будет на что содержать двор." (ch. 9) "Нам совершенно известно, что в Стокгольм привезены из Петрограда личные драгоценности семьи Романовых - императорская корона, держава и скипетр, осыпанные бриллиантами мирового значения, шапка Мономаха, бриллиант "граф Орлов" в четыреста каратов, несколько десятков пудов жемчуга и горностаевая мантия..." (ch. 36). A. V. Amfiteatrov (cf. Pale Fire's Amphiteatricus) is also mentioned in Tolstoy's novel.
Earlier Victor Fet pointed out that Alexey Gusev (a namesake of Colonel Peter Gusev, King Alfin 'aerial adjutant') was a character in A. N. Tolstoy's sci-fi novel Aelita (1923), the 'space adjutant' of the engineer Mstislav Los'. Incidentally, Aelita (the name of the heroine) translates from Martian "starlight seen for the last time." The name Mstislav reminds one of Vseslav Botkin (Kinbote's real name).
Alexey Sklyarenko
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Earlier Victor Fet pointed out that Alexey Gusev (a namesake of Colonel Peter Gusev, King Alfin 'aerial adjutant') was a character in A. N. Tolstoy's sci-fi novel Aelita (1923), the 'space adjutant' of the engineer Mstislav Los'. Incidentally, Aelita (the name of the heroine) translates from Martian "starlight seen for the last time." The name Mstislav reminds one of Vseslav Botkin (Kinbote's real name).
Alexey Sklyarenko
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/