On May 10, 2012, at 4:07 AM,
Anthony Stadlen wrote: [...] [...] ... Unlike you, I don't particularly see any
Vladimirian literary extensions to be gleaned from Kalmakov's painting
(except the precious information that the painting was owned by his parents and
hung somewhere in the house). Nevertheless, the firebird and mermaid/seasand
nymph associations in ADA seem to confirm your hunch! (There are a lot of
aquatic images, words, worlds in ADA.)
Carolyn Kunin answers:
Dear Mr Stadlen, Because of the layout of
your last post, it's not clear whom you are addressing when you write "unlike
you" - but I'll take it to mean me. I don't know what you mean by "Vladimirian
literary extensions" - but I think I can assure you I did not intend to make any
such. My pursuit of Kalmakov in the "Vladimirian" (I would rather say
Nabokovian) context, is more directly biographical and only secondarily
literary. Probably this is because my least favorite of VN's works is definitely
Ada. I never intend to read it again, that's for damned sure....As for VN's
denial of any firebird identity, I'd take that and put it in a box with his
similar denial of any interests in doubles. It's a pretty big box, and the label
I'd put on it would be "TO BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT."
JANSY MELLO: Once again there's a
problem in connection to A.Stadlen's lay out of his postings - and the wrong
person gets the "fame" (it rhymes with "blame"). That part, addressing you, was
written by me, JM. Sometimes I prefer the "Vladimirian" to the
"Nabokovian" because, perhaps, there exist as many Vladimirs as there are
Nabokovs - and in the context, I intended to distinguish him from his parents. I
thought your explorations of the Kalmakov painting was related to
Vladimir Nabokov, as if he'd have made literary references to K's
"Death" and that sub-aquatic matters in Ada might have
been inspired by his parents's painting. I disagree with that
assumpation and now I see that it was not your intention.
A.Stadlen's quote about VN description
of himself (" far from having been a frivolous
firebird, I was a rigid moralist..") is very apt and, as you note, fits
into the box labeled "to be taken with a grain of salt." - at least, in
part. I believe he was "a moralist kicking sin,
cuffing stupidity, ridiculing the vulgar and cruel...." but I
agree with you that it's doubtful that he never intended to associate himself,
as sirin, to the "firebird" vogue.