Subject
Bitov & VN: paper abstract
Date
Body
EDITOR's NOTE. Below is an abstract of Marina Von Hirsch's paper that will
be presented at Priscilla Meyer's Pushkin and Nabokov Conference at
Wesleyan College in March 1999.
-------------------------------------------
Th每is paper will explore just one but very important aspect of
Bitov'聮s long lasting and complex literary relationship with Nabokov:
聳the literary tributes to the latter that abound in the former'聮s
fictional and nonfictional texts. Analyzing and comparing the texts of
the two writers, one cannot help asking: What is it in Bitov'聮s writings
that enabled Boris Nosik, the author of the first Russian biography of
Nabokov, entitled _Mir i dar Vladimira Nabokova_盲脿冒锚卯芒脿, to define Bitov
as the most Nabokovian of all Soviet Russian writers? Why does Bitov, who
is committed to individuality as an essential condition of writing, seem
to be willing to accept, and, moreover, to encourage the comparison of his
work with Nabokov'聮s? Are the obvious affinities premeditated or
coincidental? And the list of such questions could be continued
infinitely. At the beginning of this literary relationship Bitov
experienced a disturbing complex of emotions known as anxiety of
influence, to which he repeatedly confessed in _Pushkin House_. He later
learned to deal with those emotions playfully. Unlike Nabokov who claimed
in one of the interviews included in _聯Strong Opinion_聰 that he 聯was
immune to any literary influence,聰 Bitov, on the contrary, seems to be
preoccupied with a self-conscious pursuit of his literary antecedents, to
the point of even creating them. Thus, according to Sven Spieker, who
identifies Nabokov聮s 1937 essay on Pushkin as 聯one of the most pertinent
pretexts聰 for Bitov聮s science fiction novel _聯Puskin'聮s Photograp_,聰 the
protagonist of Bitov'聮s story is n search of Pushkin, while its author,
engaged in a struggle of influence, appears to be in search of Nabokov
whose 聯motif of the invisible or inaccessible past聰 he appropriates.
Bitov'聮s relationship to Nabokov has obviously been changing with time.
Having started with anxiety of influence, it has undergone a significant
evolution which resulted in the anxiety that there is no influence. Hence
Bitov'聮s literary tributes to Nabokov which illuminate how important
Nabokov'聮s place is in Bito'聮s hierarchy of classics. It is true tha Bitov
might appropriate a device or an idea from Nabokov, but he always puts
them to original use. In fact Bitov validates his independence by
establishing intricate intertextual dialogues with Nabokov which he
conducts by way of parody, pastiche, allusion, imitation, and, of course,
by playing verbal games, among which the anagrams appear to be a major
source of inspiration shared by the two writers. Bitov聮s writings and
pronouncements on Nabokov can be classified in to four major categories:
1) commentaries to different works that synthesize fictional and critical
discourse, like 聯The Commnetary聰 to Pushkin House; 2) fictional texts with
references and allusions to Nabokov; 3) discursive texts dedicated
specificall to Nabokov; and 4) miscellaneous interviews and texts which
mention Nabokov. Decoding and tracing Bitov聮s anagrammatic tributes to
Nabokov throughout these texts will constitute the subject of this paper.
Once, asked by the interviewers for whom he wrote, Nabokov replied that he
wrote for 聯follow-artists, fellow-artists, and artists.聰 In all the three
hypostatses named by Nabokov Bitov appears to be Nabokov'聮s ideal reader
As for their shared affection for anagrams and verbal pyrotechnics, Bitov
stands out above all as Nabokov'聮s 聯fellow artist.聰 Toote from Ibn
Hassan'聮s influential book The Postmodern Turn, 聯all of us devise cunning
ceremonies of ancestor worship.聰 This is exactly what my paper is going to
be about 聳 Bitov聮s anagrammatic trib utes to Nabokov as the 聯cunning
ceremonies of ancestor worship.聰
每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每R
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be presented at Priscilla Meyer's Pushkin and Nabokov Conference at
Wesleyan College in March 1999.
-------------------------------------------
Th每is paper will explore just one but very important aspect of
Bitov'聮s long lasting and complex literary relationship with Nabokov:
聳the literary tributes to the latter that abound in the former'聮s
fictional and nonfictional texts. Analyzing and comparing the texts of
the two writers, one cannot help asking: What is it in Bitov'聮s writings
that enabled Boris Nosik, the author of the first Russian biography of
Nabokov, entitled _Mir i dar Vladimira Nabokova_盲脿冒锚卯芒脿, to define Bitov
as the most Nabokovian of all Soviet Russian writers? Why does Bitov, who
is committed to individuality as an essential condition of writing, seem
to be willing to accept, and, moreover, to encourage the comparison of his
work with Nabokov'聮s? Are the obvious affinities premeditated or
coincidental? And the list of such questions could be continued
infinitely. At the beginning of this literary relationship Bitov
experienced a disturbing complex of emotions known as anxiety of
influence, to which he repeatedly confessed in _Pushkin House_. He later
learned to deal with those emotions playfully. Unlike Nabokov who claimed
in one of the interviews included in _聯Strong Opinion_聰 that he 聯was
immune to any literary influence,聰 Bitov, on the contrary, seems to be
preoccupied with a self-conscious pursuit of his literary antecedents, to
the point of even creating them. Thus, according to Sven Spieker, who
identifies Nabokov聮s 1937 essay on Pushkin as 聯one of the most pertinent
pretexts聰 for Bitov聮s science fiction novel _聯Puskin'聮s Photograp_,聰 the
protagonist of Bitov'聮s story is n search of Pushkin, while its author,
engaged in a struggle of influence, appears to be in search of Nabokov
whose 聯motif of the invisible or inaccessible past聰 he appropriates.
Bitov'聮s relationship to Nabokov has obviously been changing with time.
Having started with anxiety of influence, it has undergone a significant
evolution which resulted in the anxiety that there is no influence. Hence
Bitov'聮s literary tributes to Nabokov which illuminate how important
Nabokov'聮s place is in Bito'聮s hierarchy of classics. It is true tha Bitov
might appropriate a device or an idea from Nabokov, but he always puts
them to original use. In fact Bitov validates his independence by
establishing intricate intertextual dialogues with Nabokov which he
conducts by way of parody, pastiche, allusion, imitation, and, of course,
by playing verbal games, among which the anagrams appear to be a major
source of inspiration shared by the two writers. Bitov聮s writings and
pronouncements on Nabokov can be classified in to four major categories:
1) commentaries to different works that synthesize fictional and critical
discourse, like 聯The Commnetary聰 to Pushkin House; 2) fictional texts with
references and allusions to Nabokov; 3) discursive texts dedicated
specificall to Nabokov; and 4) miscellaneous interviews and texts which
mention Nabokov. Decoding and tracing Bitov聮s anagrammatic tributes to
Nabokov throughout these texts will constitute the subject of this paper.
Once, asked by the interviewers for whom he wrote, Nabokov replied that he
wrote for 聯follow-artists, fellow-artists, and artists.聰 In all the three
hypostatses named by Nabokov Bitov appears to be Nabokov'聮s ideal reader
As for their shared affection for anagrams and verbal pyrotechnics, Bitov
stands out above all as Nabokov'聮s 聯fellow artist.聰 Toote from Ibn
Hassan'聮s influential book The Postmodern Turn, 聯all of us devise cunning
ceremonies of ancestor worship.聰 This is exactly what my paper is going to
be about 聳 Bitov聮s anagrammatic trib utes to Nabokov as the 聯cunning
ceremonies of ancestor worship.聰
每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每每R
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