Word: novelists
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Vladimir Nabokov, in the end an American novelist, always included himself in the mainstream of this self-contained, self-sustaining Russian tradition. He may well have been the last great participant in the conversation, so who better to hear on the subject of Russian literature...
...volumes of lectures reveal a method and manner of teaching almost as fascinating as the content. It is amusing to see a famous novelist insisting upon numbered seats, cracking jokes about life in Ithaca or working out grading formulas. Nabokov's usual procedure is to introduce each novelist with a few choice and highly opinionated general comments, and then turn to the text and tackle it almost word by word. Not afraid to rank his favorites, 1-2-3, he is equally unafraid to slander his least favorites...
...assessment of Dostoevsky: His tone is too violent, too bitter. The attack on Dostoevsky apparently became obsession for the writer. His criticism of Crime and Punishment as petty and simple-minded seems also to have entirely missed the point of Notes from Underground. Dostoevsky, after all, was a novelist of ideas; Nabokov is unwilling to deal with him on his own terms. Perhaps if he paid more attention to the larger intellectual context of Dostoevsky's work, he would appreciate the importance of the famous Crystal Palace as a cultural rallying point, as something more than a mere "journalistic" symbol...
...NABOKOV THE NOVELIST has a special affinity with Gogol. They are both obsessed with words, with the curious and beautiful poetic possibilities of their languages. They both love a story for its own sake; they shy away from messages and morals. They twist the literary conventions. Above all, they challenge the imagination. Nabokov treats Gogol lovingly; it makes for a delightful and intelligent opening chapter...
...Every tooth in a man's head is more valuable than a diamond." So wrote Cervantes in the early 17th century. The great Spanish novelist was not being quixotic. In his day, teeth were not easily replaced. But modern visitors to dentists' chairs in search of a gleaming grin find the artificial variety just about as dear as a diamond. Encasing even one chipped or rotted tooth in a cap can run anywhere from $300 to $600, and the process is tedious and uncomfortable. Lately, however, a less expensive alternative has been gaining popularity. Called tooth bonding...