Dear Bunny, Dear Volodya: The Nabokov-Wilson Letters, 1940-1971, Revised and Expanded Edition

Rating:
Summary: Amazing that Wilson didn't ask for his letters back...
Review: Although these letters between Nabokov and Wilson touch on many subjects, they return again and again to disagreements between the two men which eventually became chronic.

The first disagreement was about Lenin. VN regarded Lenin as a bloodthirsty tyrant, and a thug. Wilson thought Lenin was a true democrat -- the only democratic ruler Russia had ever had! Yes, this is mind-boggling to read in the 21st century, but Wilson absolutely condescended to VN over this subject, going so far as to claim that VN didn't know very much about Russia!

It is even more amazing that Wilson apparently went to his grave without realizing what a fool he had made of himself.

The second disagreement was about Russian metrics and versification. Again, it seems just amazing to report this, but the American critic Wilson began learning Russian at a fairly advanced age, and then began arguing with VLADIMIR NABOKOV about Russian metrics and versification. It really goes without saying that Wilson succeeeded only in making a titanic fool of himself -- that is, if you realize that VN was a native speaker of Russian, steeped in the Russian language and Russian culture, and perhaps the greatest Russian author of the twentieth century. Wilson's attempt to "debate" VN is just as silly as, say, myself deciding to "debate" French literature with Marcel Proust!

And, once again, Wilson apparently went to his grave without realizing what a fool he had made of himself.

As an American, I must state that I find this book deeply embarrassing. If I had my choice, I would improve the study of literature and foreign events in our universities -- to the point where such a stupidity could never occur again. Right now, this wish seems more than a little quixotic.

Recommended? Not so much, unless you are a fanatical fan of Nabokov -- or unless you require proof that a renowned American critic (the man who wrote Axel's Castle!) could be so silly.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful and irreplacable
Review: Here in an elegant paperback of modest proportions is a revised edition of the correspondence of two of America's greatest writers, containing a few newly located letters. Edmund Wilson was already an established writer when Nabokov immigrated to this country around 1940, and Wilson's role in introducing Nabokov around and getting him writing assignments and teaching positions in America was crucial to Nabokov at a critical time. The two men write in fascinating manner about literature, life, writing gigs, and life. The correspondence is sad, too, because the two men seem almost willfully to misunderstand each other on such seemingly innnocuous issues as the nature of Russian and English prosody. Also Wilson as an erstwhile Communist was fascinated with Russia, attempted to learn the language, but thought he knew it better than he did, even trying to correct Nabokov who of course was a native speaker, not to mention a great writer, in Russian. Toward the end of their friendship, Wilson published a memoir that revealed his jealousy of Nabokov, and there was a break, only healed when Wilson was near death. Simon Karlinsky has written a wonderful introduction to the correspondence, that may be worth the price of the book in itself. Nabokov thought highly of Karlinsky, and Karlinsky explains the Russian background of early life behind some of the stances of Nabokov that we Americans find it hardest to understand. For example, why did Nabokov refuse any social role to the artist? For writers, for Nabokov or Wilson lovers, and I count myself both, this is an essential and irreplacable book

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: When two opinionated men with such different tastes as Nabokov and Wilson write letters over a twenty year period, the result is going to be exciting. Their arguing about Faulkner and Norman Douglas or the gender of French nouns gives the friendship a bite. And we also see that each got more than friendship out of the relationship--Wilson got lessons in Russian and Nabokov got a boost into the American literary world. A fascinating read.