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Re: Vladimir Nabokov: Books and Objects ...
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In her Imagining Nabokov, Nina Khrushchev complains (quite snidely, I felt)
that VN saddled Véra with diverse uncreative chores such as cleaning
blackboards, accounting, serving as on-call chauffeuse, and manually TYPING
the texts from VN¹s written cards.
The auction brochure lists two items as VN¹s mechanical typewriters, leading
me to ponder idly if, in fact, their keyboards were ever graced by the
master¹s personal touch? If so, I picture VN pecking away one key at a time,
in contrast to Véra¹s professional speed typing?
Meanwhile and regardless, I¹m delighted for Dmitri that VN¹s artifacts were
so highly valued.
PS: in a recent Guardian selection of the 100 best-ever non-fiction works
(list-mania strikes again), VN¹s Speak Memory wins a place in the Biography
sub-category. Not sure how this fits in with ongoing Nabokovian debates on
the overlapping definitions of fiction and non-fiction.
Stan Kelly-Bootle
On 13/06/2011 15:09, "Sandy P. Klein" <spklein52@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Nabokov Bibliography <http://www.vnbiblio.com/>
> All About Vladimir Nabokov in Print
>
> http://www.vnbiblio.com/?m=201106
> Notice from Christie¹s about the Auction <http://www.vnbiblio.com/?p=710>
> Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
> Sven Becker, a specialist in Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts at Christie¹s
> has sent me this email:
>>
>> IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING CHRISTIE¹S AUCTION OF FINE PRINTED BOOKS, 13 JUNE
>> 2011:
>>
>> Lots 291-401 were sold prior to the auction and have been withdrawn.
>>
>> Christie¹s are pleased to announce that this fine collection (Vladimir
>> Nabokov: Books and Objects from the Collection of Dmitri Nabokov) was sold
>> prior to the auction by private treaty to an important collector who
>> appreciated the great cultural significance of this group of books and
>> objects, and the unique opportunity of acquiring en bloc the last substantial
>> part of the Nabokov family archive. The price paid was in excess of £500,000,
>> which reflects what a rare opportunity it is to obtain a collection of such
>> scope and quality by one of the great masters of Russian and American
>> literature.
>
> This may or may not clarify the original report from mysouth.su. There, the
> original report stated that the price was ³500,000 pounds higher than the
> overall estimate for all lots². That means to me £500K more than some sum of
> the estimates (the high ones?). That could be as much as £734,000 (with the
> house¹s 25% premium thrown in). Or maybe after all it¹s ³only² £500,001.
> //snip
Search archive with Google:
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Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
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that VN saddled Véra with diverse uncreative chores such as cleaning
blackboards, accounting, serving as on-call chauffeuse, and manually TYPING
the texts from VN¹s written cards.
The auction brochure lists two items as VN¹s mechanical typewriters, leading
me to ponder idly if, in fact, their keyboards were ever graced by the
master¹s personal touch? If so, I picture VN pecking away one key at a time,
in contrast to Véra¹s professional speed typing?
Meanwhile and regardless, I¹m delighted for Dmitri that VN¹s artifacts were
so highly valued.
PS: in a recent Guardian selection of the 100 best-ever non-fiction works
(list-mania strikes again), VN¹s Speak Memory wins a place in the Biography
sub-category. Not sure how this fits in with ongoing Nabokovian debates on
the overlapping definitions of fiction and non-fiction.
Stan Kelly-Bootle
On 13/06/2011 15:09, "Sandy P. Klein" <spklein52@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Nabokov Bibliography <http://www.vnbiblio.com/>
> All About Vladimir Nabokov in Print
>
> http://www.vnbiblio.com/?m=201106
> Notice from Christie¹s about the Auction <http://www.vnbiblio.com/?p=710>
> Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
> Sven Becker, a specialist in Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts at Christie¹s
> has sent me this email:
>>
>> IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING CHRISTIE¹S AUCTION OF FINE PRINTED BOOKS, 13 JUNE
>> 2011:
>>
>> Lots 291-401 were sold prior to the auction and have been withdrawn.
>>
>> Christie¹s are pleased to announce that this fine collection (Vladimir
>> Nabokov: Books and Objects from the Collection of Dmitri Nabokov) was sold
>> prior to the auction by private treaty to an important collector who
>> appreciated the great cultural significance of this group of books and
>> objects, and the unique opportunity of acquiring en bloc the last substantial
>> part of the Nabokov family archive. The price paid was in excess of £500,000,
>> which reflects what a rare opportunity it is to obtain a collection of such
>> scope and quality by one of the great masters of Russian and American
>> literature.
>
> This may or may not clarify the original report from mysouth.su. There, the
> original report stated that the price was ³500,000 pounds higher than the
> overall estimate for all lots². That means to me £500K more than some sum of
> the estimates (the high ones?). That could be as much as £734,000 (with the
> house¹s 25% premium thrown in). Or maybe after all it¹s ³only² £500,001.
> //snip
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/