Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0001272, Sun, 8 Sep 1996 19:08:25 -0700

Subject
Call for proposals re: VN & Music (fwd)
Date
Body
EDITOR'S NOTE: Just a word of clarification. The proposal for a collection
on "VN & Music" is not mine, but comes from Lisa Zunshine, the prospective
editor. On my own behalf I would remark that although VN remarked on his
relative indifference to music in SPEAK, MEMORY and elsewhere it is
present in several of his works---THE DEFENSE (where it is used as a basis
for comparison with chess strategy) and, of course, in the stories "Musik"
and "Bachman." VN's family was strongly musical and his early exposure was
substantial. His immediate literary heritage was from the Russian
Symbolists who held music as an ideal for literature. There is, in fact, a
good deal to be said on "VN & Music."

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sandy Klein <taxi@flinet.com>

I doubt very much VN stated he "disliked" music as he encouraged his
son Dmitri to study music. Just where did you get the below information
VN "disliked" music?

Sandy Klein
____________________________________________________________
>
> From: Roy Johnson <Roy@mantex.demon.co.uk>
>
> In message <Pine.SUN.3.91.960906154856.17610C-
> 100000@humanitas.ucsb.edu>, Donald Barton Johnson
> <chtodel@humanitas.ucsb.edu> writes
> >
> >I am soliciting paper proposals for a possible volume on Nabokov and Music
> >in a new book series _Border Crossings: Modernism in
> >Music, Literature, and Visual Arts_ to be brought forth by
> >Garland Publishers.
>
> Since VN admitted that he had no ear for music [didn't he even
> go so far as to say that he *disliked* it?] this should be
> a rather short book [:-)]
> Roy Johnson