Gass later wrote a fine appreciation of VN's fiction, using a brief glimpse caught of VN at a Cornell literary reception when Gass was an undergraduate as its starting point.  The piece is called "Upright, Among Staring Fish," and is collected in "The World Within The Word".  The text, minus one page, is available on Google books.

A search of the NABOKV-L archives will disclose a quote from Anthony Burgess in which he says something to the effect that VN was unfit to tie Joyce's shoes.  Of course, Burgess was speaking hyperbolically, as he wrote and spoke very highly of VN on several occasions.  He selected both "The Defense" and "Pale Fire" for inclusion in his "99 Novels," which purported to list the 99 best novels published in English from 1939 to 1984.  In the entry on "Pale Fire," AB does slag "Lolita," calling it far inferior to PF, an opinion I certainly don't share.  (Also, including "The Defense" meant that AB selected the translation of the Russian original; by that standard, how did "The Gift" not make the cut?)

Gore Vidal wrote a dismissive review of "Strong Opinions," called "Professor V. Nabokov," that was originally published in the NYRB, and can be found in several of Vidal's essay collections.  In this essay, Vidal takes a couple of teasing potshots at VN, but concludes it with a tribute to "Transparent Things," calling it, IIRC, "a beautiful Radiogram, perfectly set in its own Time." 

In "What Became Of Jane Austen," Kingsley Amis describes VN as an "emigre" whose English was not recognizable to a native speaker.

Mr. Rosenbaum has already mentioned a critical review by Geoff Dyer.  Also, when asked to contribute to The Guardian's "Rules For Writers," Dyer's No. 3 rule is: "Don't be one of those writers who sentence themselves to a lifetime of sucking up to Nabokov."  Which is actually good advice, although it sounds a bit harsh.  It also sounds more like a dig at Martin Amis and John Banville than VN. 

On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 12:28 PM, Bruce Stone <bstone41@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear Ron,
 
William Gass wrote a wonderfully scathing (if sorely misguided) essay about VN's fiction. It's called "Mirror, Mirror," and the text is available online in the archives of The New York Review of Books. The essay was also included in the collection Fiction and the Figures of Life. I hope this helps. 
 
Best,
 
Bruce Stone 
 
Date: Mon, 16 May 2011 11:41:33 -0400
From: NABOKV-L@HOLYCROSS.EDU

Subject: [NABOKV-L] QUERY: Other writers' disparagement or envy of VN?
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU

Dear List Members,

I've been thinking of writing an essay about what might be called Nabokov Derangement Syndrome. Which I would loosely define as the not-well examined phenomenon of good, even great writers not being aware of the envy beneath their disparaging remarks about VN.

  One could see it in those who denounced <Laura> for being published at all, because itwould be unfair to VN's memory to expose a not fully realized work to the world. And then when published, pounced on it as not being fully realized. They were clearly elated to have some grounds to feel superior momentarily to someone who was superior in finished work. .  Now I'm not one to call VN perfect, but I recently came across quotes from Updike and Geoff Dyer (I believe they were quoted in reviews republished on this list) whom I've admired, taking shots at VN and his admirers.

  It must be galling to be a writer of fiction and forever be condemned to be second (at least) to VN, so it's not surprising, but I don't think the Syndrome's been pointed out, so I'd be grateful for examples.

     Thank you,

     Ron Rosenbaum

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Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options

All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.


Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options

All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.