Alexey's post reminds me that I was surprised to find that neither Vladimir nor Vera Nabokov knew the second stanza of EO naizust' (by heart). Nor were their readings particularly good. We know VN could read his own works beautifully as we have the recordings.

Furthermore, I had always been told that all Russians had all of Evgeni Onegin ('one gin' in Nabokovese) by heart. I got as far as the fourth or fifth stanza of the First Canto and still can roll out the first two without a hitch, and rather beautifully I've been told. Am I alone? was I mislead?

Carolyn 

From: Alexey Sklyarenko <skylark1970@MAIL.RU>
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:39 PM
Subject: [NABOKV-L] paralysis in LATH

Onegin envies a councilman from Tula who is lying paralized:
 
Зачем, как тульский заседатель,
Я не лежу в параличе?
 
Why like a councilman from Tula
am I not lying paralized?
(Fragments of Onegin's Journey: [XIV]: 9-10)
 
Chekhov's friend and correspondent L. V. Sredin (1860-1909; see my post "Tornikovski & Kalikakov") was lying paralyzed in the last ten (or more) years of his life.
 
Alexey Sklyarenko


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