Interviews with Vladimir Nabokov

January 19, 2005 9:04 PM

Lib.ru maintains a delectable archive of interviews, conducted in English, with Vladimir Nabokov. Scroll down for the English.
posted by ori (15 comments total)

Also a small collection of articles about butterflies.
posted by ori at 9:07 PM on January 19, 2005

Thanks, ori! Any and all Nabokov links are always welcome. His is still the gold standard in writing, as far as I'm concerned. No one even comes close. I'm going to enjoy reading these interviews.
posted by Dr. Wu at 9:24 PM on January 19, 2005

Thanks ori. I have all his fiction and non-fiction. New links are great. I am just sorry I never got to see him teach. I hear he was amazing.
posted by arse_hat at 9:59 PM on January 19, 2005

I haven't had a chance to read much Nabokov (I thought Transparent Things was brilliant and try to get everyone I know to read it), but I hope to get through all of his assembled works over the next several years. Thanks for this, ori.
posted by The God Complex at 12:54 AM on January 20, 2005

I did some digging and it appears that these links are copyright violations of material from Strong Opinions. I'm not sure what the protocol is regarding that, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
posted by The God Complex at 2:29 AM on January 20, 2005

I did some digging and it appears that these links are copyright violations...

It's a Russian site. In Russia, everything is pirated. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you should speak Russian.
posted by pracowity at 3:17 AM on January 20, 2005

Is Lolita all about pederasty or what?

Eh?

I'm looking at you, Adrian. Yes, you, weasel face.
posted by Wolof at 3:35 AM on January 20, 2005

Is Lolita all about pederasty or what?

What?
posted by pracowity at 1:14 PM on January 20, 2005

It's a Russian site. In Russia, everything is pirated.

Yeah, I know. I guess the point I was making is whether or not this qualifies as a good metafilter post. We generally don't post links to FTPs offering pirated mp3s and the like--and in the past Matt has expressed some hesitancy regarding FPPs of this nature. That's all.
posted by The God Complex at 1:20 PM on January 20, 2005

Great post, Thanks...
posted by jb5dogs at 1:53 PM on January 20, 2005

We generally don't post links to FTPs offering pirated mp3s and the like

I see your point.

Still, even though the Russian site is breaking the law (and I presume it is), and even though the Nabokov estate fights such things, posting those interviews on a web site is losing no one very much money, and the same people who might be losing a little there are probably more than making up for it with the sales generated by a Metafilter link like this.

At least no one linked to the Nabokov Library.
posted by pracowity at 2:14 PM on January 20, 2005

At least some of those interviews are in Strong Opinions. Everyone should read Lolita (not really about pederasty, more about language, desire, and America) and Pale Fire at the very least. I liked them so much that I have read them each more than once. Pnin is also very good and so are his two books of autobiography. Excellent post, despite the violation of copyright.
posted by mokujin at 4:49 PM on January 20, 2005

not really about pederasty

At all. For starters, pederasty involves little boys. But I still have no idea what Wolof was going on about.

I like the same ones you do, mokujin. Books, I mean: Lolita, Pale Fire, Pnin, autobiography.
posted by pracowity at 11:43 PM on January 20, 2005

I didn't suspect any of these to be copyright violations, tho in retrospect I probably should have.
posted by ori at 1:12 AM on January 21, 2005

Excellent - great find, ori! This will be good reading for the blizzard this weekend - thanks.
posted by madamjujujive at 8:27 PM on January 21, 2005