I agree with you, and would add Pnin to the worthwhile works of his American period; it’s also perhaps uniquely sweet and tender.
Beginning with the game-changer Lolita, and very evident in The Real Life of Sebastian Knight and increasingly so in Ada and Transparent Things is a chthonic, even explicitly satanic, spirituality. I see no evidence of that in your work! You’re a classic Italian Catholic, world weary and uneasy but fundamentally at home even if you identify as a wayward son.
Also, Nabokov’s worldview and aesthetic was based on deception and the murderous threat concealed in the attractive and apparently nutritious lure. His collection of interviews “Strong Opinions” are a tissue of lies, interweaving falsehoods of both commission and omission.
Again, I see your work as expressing a delicate and persistent pursuit of the truth, not necessarily in a universal sense but as it can be located and authentically expressed within the context of your sensibility in response to your life experience.
Nabokov had no such commitment. He delighted in deeply transgressive epistemological acrobatics, most famously writing a novel about child abuse from the perspective of the abuser, and presenting HH as so charming, witty and lacrymously pseudo-penitent that readers are tempted to align with his twisted and exploitative perspective and sympathize with his—not Lolita’s!!!—plight.
Again, there is a vast gulf between your work and Nabokov’s.
This is beautiful, Chris. And very touching. Thank you for sharing these intimate memories. "I had been awoken into an emptier world, to a grave loss and the final termination of any possibility of reconciliation and true appreciation between my father and me—but I had just felt his presence, and we’d connected more authentically than we had ever done since I became a man." -- I was particularly moved by this paragraph. Your experience is indeed a testament to the profound human connection that transcends physical boundaries. A reminder that love and understanding often reach their purest form in the least obvious, non-terrain configurations. That deepest bonds endure beyond the constraints of time and distance, and matter.
Thank you Silvio—your comment belongs in the essay!—I really appreciate your generous response and reciprocating thoughts. Your wonderful, luminous English prose reminds me of my favorite passages from Nabokov’s “Speak, Memory”.
Nota bene Silvio I’ve carefully ring-fenced you from Nabokov’s more sinister works! Fortunately you deploy your sensibility and prose for more exalted purposes than was Nabokov’s wont.
Noted. But I'm quite fond of those early Russian works, despite their sinister and sometimes incomprehensible nature. I actually like the sinister quality of them. I'm a huge fan overall. Interestingly, while I find his works published directly in English after his move to the US beautiful, they seem somewhat less impactful compared to his earlier ones. Of course, Lolita and Lectures on Literature are two of my favorites. And his memoir is simply outstanding.
Thanks for sharing such an intimate part of your life. I resonated with the part about your Dad, and how his early doubt and discouragement set such a strong tone and direction for your life. But it’s clear that you always had a destiny to write, no matter what gets in your way
Thanks, Chris. That was wonderful. One of the things that surprised me about the death of my parents (and the death of my wife's parents) was how very quickly everything that was a challenge or negative in the relationships just melted away - and the memories focus on all that was loving and inspirational and profoundly accepting. The memories bring such comfort and also drive me to give that same love and acceptance out into the world.
You're a beautiful person, Robin. Yes, I'd like to think that Shakespeare and Marc Antony got it wrong when he said, "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar." I hope many people have experiences like you and your wife and I have had with our departed loved ones.
I agree with you, and would add Pnin to the worthwhile works of his American period; it’s also perhaps uniquely sweet and tender.
Beginning with the game-changer Lolita, and very evident in The Real Life of Sebastian Knight and increasingly so in Ada and Transparent Things is a chthonic, even explicitly satanic, spirituality. I see no evidence of that in your work! You’re a classic Italian Catholic, world weary and uneasy but fundamentally at home even if you identify as a wayward son.
Also, Nabokov’s worldview and aesthetic was based on deception and the murderous threat concealed in the attractive and apparently nutritious lure. His collection of interviews “Strong Opinions” are a tissue of lies, interweaving falsehoods of both commission and omission.
Again, I see your work as expressing a delicate and persistent pursuit of the truth, not necessarily in a universal sense but as it can be located and authentically expressed within the context of your sensibility in response to your life experience.
Nabokov had no such commitment. He delighted in deeply transgressive epistemological acrobatics, most famously writing a novel about child abuse from the perspective of the abuser, and presenting HH as so charming, witty and lacrymously pseudo-penitent that readers are tempted to align with his twisted and exploitative perspective and sympathize with his—not Lolita’s!!!—plight.
Again, there is a vast gulf between your work and Nabokov’s.
“Speak memory” study has resonated and illuminated your entire life. Thanks for sharing your retrospectives—they’re helpful.
This is beautiful, Chris. And very touching. Thank you for sharing these intimate memories. "I had been awoken into an emptier world, to a grave loss and the final termination of any possibility of reconciliation and true appreciation between my father and me—but I had just felt his presence, and we’d connected more authentically than we had ever done since I became a man." -- I was particularly moved by this paragraph. Your experience is indeed a testament to the profound human connection that transcends physical boundaries. A reminder that love and understanding often reach their purest form in the least obvious, non-terrain configurations. That deepest bonds endure beyond the constraints of time and distance, and matter.
Thank you Silvio—your comment belongs in the essay!—I really appreciate your generous response and reciprocating thoughts. Your wonderful, luminous English prose reminds me of my favorite passages from Nabokov’s “Speak, Memory”.
Absolutely love Nabokov, and that one in particular. You're so kind, Chris. (and I'm blushing)
Nota bene Silvio I’ve carefully ring-fenced you from Nabokov’s more sinister works! Fortunately you deploy your sensibility and prose for more exalted purposes than was Nabokov’s wont.
Noted. But I'm quite fond of those early Russian works, despite their sinister and sometimes incomprehensible nature. I actually like the sinister quality of them. I'm a huge fan overall. Interestingly, while I find his works published directly in English after his move to the US beautiful, they seem somewhat less impactful compared to his earlier ones. Of course, Lolita and Lectures on Literature are two of my favorites. And his memoir is simply outstanding.
Thanks for sharing such an intimate part of your life. I resonated with the part about your Dad, and how his early doubt and discouragement set such a strong tone and direction for your life. But it’s clear that you always had a destiny to write, no matter what gets in your way
Thank you Grant--it's clear you have a destiny to write too!
Thanks, Chris. That was wonderful. One of the things that surprised me about the death of my parents (and the death of my wife's parents) was how very quickly everything that was a challenge or negative in the relationships just melted away - and the memories focus on all that was loving and inspirational and profoundly accepting. The memories bring such comfort and also drive me to give that same love and acceptance out into the world.
You're a beautiful person, Robin. Yes, I'd like to think that Shakespeare and Marc Antony got it wrong when he said, "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar." I hope many people have experiences like you and your wife and I have had with our departed loved ones.
I enjoyed reading this, Chris. It's incredible introspection and beautifully expressed. Thank you for sharing your feelings.
Thank you Harshal! Hope you're continuing to thrive in Ireland!