the huge Christmas
tree that touched with its star the pale-green ceiling of our prettiest
drawing room." This original ceiling, with "pale-green clouds" (a
detail lacking in Speak, Memory but mentioned in Drugie
berega), was recently discovered when a portion of the current
ceiling was removed. The description in Drugie berega runs: "…
гигантская елка касалась своей нежной звездой высокого, бледно-7елеными облаками
расписанного, потолка в одной из
нижних зал нашего
дома."
Congratulations should be extended to St. Petersburg University and the
museum staff for their rescue of the museum from financial ruin a years
ago and for their unfailing commitment to making this institution a
fitting tribute to Nabokov's legacy. I have followed the development of
the museum since its inception, and I remain amazed that so few have
accomplished so much despite enormous bureaucratic hurdles and a lack
of proper funding. If you truly love Nabokov, you should treat yourself
to a St. Petersburg vacation and observe the Nabokov Museum firsthand.
It will be one of those experiences you always remember.