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Nabokov Celebrations in Jerusalem (fwd)
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From: Leona Toker <toker@h2.hum.huji.ac.il>
NABOKOV CELEBRATIONS IN JERUSALEM
On April 29, a tribute evening devoted to Nabokov's Centennial took place
in the library of the Russian Community House in Jerusalem (36 Jaffo str.).
The credit for the initiative goes to Peter Kriksunov, whose excellent
Hebrew translation of 'Invitation to a Beheading' was published in 1995.
The chief librarian Klara Elbert, the genial host and organizer, had
suggested that I write an article for the Israeli Russian daily 'Vesti' in
anticipation of the event. The article, "K yubileyu V. V. Nabokova," was
published in the April 27 issue. On rather short notice I was also asked to
conduct the proceedings.
The reading room of the library, unfortunately rather small, could not hold
all the people who wished to attend: Nabokov has a very large and admiring
Russian-speaking audience in this city. After a musical prelude by the
celebrated violinist Moti Schmidt, who came likewise out of genuine love
for Nabokov's work in order to provide, as he put it, two musical book-ends
and a bookmark in the middle, the actress Alla Radchenko read two of
Nabokov's poems. This was followed by a short presentation by Peter
Kriksunov, juxtaposing 'Invitation to a Beheading' with a poem written the
same year. The critic Mikhail Vaiskopf spoke about the reception of
Nabokov's work by his generation, before and after Nabokov's works openly
"returned" to Russia. Professor I. Z. Serman situated Nabokov's work in
"dvoryanskaya literatura," the upper-class tradition of Russian literature,
and while doing so, pointed out a most interesting allusion to Nekrasov in
'The Gift.' My comments pertained to different interpretations of Nabokov's
metaphysics. Mikhail Djaginov highlighted some points from his interview
with Dmitri Nabokov that had been published in 'Vesti' on April 22.
Among the highest points of the evening was Leonid Gershovich's account of
the backgrounds for Nabokov's 1974 letter to 'The Observer' in support of
the imprisoned dissident Vladimir Bukovsky (the letter is reprinted in
'Selected Letters'). Gershovich read the letter that Vera Nabokov had
written in her husband's name to the group of people in Jerusalem who had
appealed for Nabokov's help.
Just before the final violin recital, Petr Kriksunov read Nabokov's poem
"Slava." When the floor was given to the audience, an elderly lady read her
own poem dedicated to Nabokov and suffused with Nabokov's own language.
The writer Maya Kaganskaya had cancelled her participation. However, on
April 18 she had conducted a reading of Nabokov's works in the Jerusalem
Russian Literary club.
Intently and somewhat critically overlooking the proceedings from the wall
above our heads was a remarkable portrait of Nabokov by Sergei Teryaev; the
painter had brought it to the library expressly for the evening. A souvenir
invitation to the evening, by the artist Leonid Yuniverg, may eventually
find its way to the Internet Zembla.
Leona Toker
Department of English, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
NABOKOV CELEBRATIONS IN JERUSALEM
On April 29, a tribute evening devoted to Nabokov's Centennial took place
in the library of the Russian Community House in Jerusalem (36 Jaffo str.).
The credit for the initiative goes to Peter Kriksunov, whose excellent
Hebrew translation of 'Invitation to a Beheading' was published in 1995.
The chief librarian Klara Elbert, the genial host and organizer, had
suggested that I write an article for the Israeli Russian daily 'Vesti' in
anticipation of the event. The article, "K yubileyu V. V. Nabokova," was
published in the April 27 issue. On rather short notice I was also asked to
conduct the proceedings.
The reading room of the library, unfortunately rather small, could not hold
all the people who wished to attend: Nabokov has a very large and admiring
Russian-speaking audience in this city. After a musical prelude by the
celebrated violinist Moti Schmidt, who came likewise out of genuine love
for Nabokov's work in order to provide, as he put it, two musical book-ends
and a bookmark in the middle, the actress Alla Radchenko read two of
Nabokov's poems. This was followed by a short presentation by Peter
Kriksunov, juxtaposing 'Invitation to a Beheading' with a poem written the
same year. The critic Mikhail Vaiskopf spoke about the reception of
Nabokov's work by his generation, before and after Nabokov's works openly
"returned" to Russia. Professor I. Z. Serman situated Nabokov's work in
"dvoryanskaya literatura," the upper-class tradition of Russian literature,
and while doing so, pointed out a most interesting allusion to Nekrasov in
'The Gift.' My comments pertained to different interpretations of Nabokov's
metaphysics. Mikhail Djaginov highlighted some points from his interview
with Dmitri Nabokov that had been published in 'Vesti' on April 22.
Among the highest points of the evening was Leonid Gershovich's account of
the backgrounds for Nabokov's 1974 letter to 'The Observer' in support of
the imprisoned dissident Vladimir Bukovsky (the letter is reprinted in
'Selected Letters'). Gershovich read the letter that Vera Nabokov had
written in her husband's name to the group of people in Jerusalem who had
appealed for Nabokov's help.
Just before the final violin recital, Petr Kriksunov read Nabokov's poem
"Slava." When the floor was given to the audience, an elderly lady read her
own poem dedicated to Nabokov and suffused with Nabokov's own language.
The writer Maya Kaganskaya had cancelled her participation. However, on
April 18 she had conducted a reading of Nabokov's works in the Jerusalem
Russian Literary club.
Intently and somewhat critically overlooking the proceedings from the wall
above our heads was a remarkable portrait of Nabokov by Sergei Teryaev; the
painter had brought it to the library expressly for the evening. A souvenir
invitation to the evening, by the artist Leonid Yuniverg, may eventually
find its way to the Internet Zembla.
Leona Toker
Department of English, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem