Your Day

The Batlord · 07-28-2019, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

I remember trying to read it once and it was really hard.
But it was ten years ago or so and my English was much, much worse then.
Gonna try again, then.

Definitely do. If a book has that effect on me then it must be an artistic masterpiece.

Lisnaholic · 07-28-2019, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

I remember trying to read it once and it was really hard.
But it was ten years ago or so and my English was much, much worse then.
Gonna try again, then.

^ Don't worry, grindy, if you can decipher some of the English that's posted on MB, Nabokov shouldn't be a problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarieMarie

Yeah, it's not difficult to read. His style is breathtaking though

^ Absolutely times two. The opening paragraph of Lolita is in my top five best-ever book starts.

It was out of admiration for his style that I tried a couple of other Nabokov novels, but none of them were nearly as compelling. I think I abandoned them a few chapters in: too much style on topics that were too dull to sustain it imo. In fact, when it came to reading beyond Lolita, I got more enjoyment out of this book, even though it only has 50 or so pages of commentary on Lolita:-

grindy · 07-28-2019, 04:10 PM

Nabokov is my favourite author. Can't believe you weren't able to dig anything else he wrote.
Although his earlier Russian writings are probably almost untranslatable. What he did with the Russian language was and still is unparalleled.

Lisnaholic · 07-28-2019, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

Nabokov is my favourite author.

^ Really? I came to my conclusions about those other novels when I was about 20, so perhaps my ideas are due for a revision. I think I tried "Speak, Memory" too, which, being an autobiog, I expected to enjoy but didn't for some reason.

Quote:

Although his earlier Russian writings are probably almost untranslatable. What he did with the Russian language was and still is unparalleled.

^ yep, I can believe that: he was a real master of style.

**Frownland** · 07-28-2019, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

Nabokov is my favourite author. Can't believe you weren't able to dig anything else he wrote.
Although his earlier Russian writings are probably almost untranslatable. What he did with the Russian language was and still is unparalleled.

Not sure if you've read it, but I'd be interested in your take on Sebald's Rings of Saturn comparing the German and English versions to one another, having only read (and loved) the English version. He was central in the translation which should make that pretty good. Honestly, reviewing translations would be a top notch journal or thread idea if you were up to taking the time out for it.

grindy · 07-29-2019, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Not sure if you've read it, but I'd be interested in your take on Sebald's Rings of Saturn comparing the German and English versions to one another, having only read (and loved) the English version. He was central in the translation which should make that pretty good. Honestly, reviewing translations would be a top notch journal or thread idea if you were up to taking the time out for it.

I always wanted to but never read it.
I'll be happy if I ever get to read it in German, rereading it in English would just be too time consuming, despite my heavy interest in translation topics. Same reason why the journal will never happen, despite being a cool idea.

OccultHawk · 07-29-2019, 06:53 AM

You could do it with famous poems instead of whole novels.

**Marie Monday** · 07-29-2019, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

Absolutely times two. The opening paragraph of Lolita is in my top five best-ever book starts.

Quote:

Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.

Those are two of the most brilliant sentences I've ever read, right after each other (well, the second one is not one sentence technically)

I like how he does not explicitly moralize, but makes very clear by the way he tells the story, and details that he empasizes, what damage such a relationship does. Confusing morals of artists with those of main characters is such an old and common mistake, it's baffling that it still happens

The Batlord · 07-29-2019, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarieMarie

Confusing morals of artists with those of main characters is such an old and common mistake, it's baffling that it still happens

Most people are basic af and have no imagination.

**Frownland** · 07-29-2019, 03:16 PM

Friend and I were talking about which countries to live in before America sparks the next world war as the new Germany. I was talking about how cool it would live in Sugma because of their food and he asked "what's Sugma?" You know I got eem. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.

07-28-2019, 04:10 PM	#62483 (permalink)
grindy . Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: . Posts: 7,201	Nabokov is my favourite author. Can't believe you weren't able to dig anything else he wrote. Although his earlier Russian writings are probably almost untranslatable. What he did with the Russian language was and still is unparalleled. __________________ *A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.*

07-29-2019, 06:53 AM	#62487 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,006	You could do it with famous poems instead of whole novels. __________________ 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Member of the Year & Journal of the Year Champion Behold the Writing of THE LEGEND: https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...p-lighter.html

07-29-2019, 03:16 PM	#62490 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Friend and I were talking about which countries to live in before America sparks the next world war as the new Germany. I was talking about how cool it would live in Sugma because of their food and he asked "what's Sugma?" You know I got eem. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x