Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov

Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov | Stacy Schiff

#12Booksof2021
#December

I spent two years on a Nabokov theme, reading all of his novels, with 2021 reading his English language novels. This biography, which is really special, was so meaningful to me in that context. It was possibly my favorite book of my Nabokov theme. It‘s a great book to complete this #12Booksof2021 list.

Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks good. 3y

Graywacke @Andrew65 thanks so much for running this, and, impressively and kindly, staying on top of everyone‘s posts! 3y

Andrew65 @Graywacke Try my best. 😊 It has been good to review reading from last year and picking new books from others posts to read next year. 3y

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Graywacke

Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov | Stacy Schiff

pick

Schiff is at her best writing slow and immersive, and with a subject complicated and fascinating enough to adapt to that. She pulled it off with Benjamin Franklin in Paris, and she does it here with the strikingly intelligent, proudly Jewish, fiercely humble partner of Vladimir Nabokov. She was his muse, caretaker, typist and his first and best reader. A really beautiful book.

vivastory When I saw Schiff in '16 she was speaking mostly about her book on the Salem witch trials, but she also spoke about her other works, including this one. It sounded fascinating! 3y

Graywacke @vivastory cool that you got to see her speak and glad she was still talking about this one ~17 years after she originally published it (1999) 3y

batsy Lovely review. This sounds like it would be fascinating just to learn about their relationship, even I've only read just the one Nabokov. 3y

Graywacke @batsy thanks. I think it‘s a biography that works even if you haven‘t read anything by him. (Of course it might nudge you to read something…like Pnin…everyone should read Pnin 🙂) 3y

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Graywacke

Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov | Stacy Schiff

“he believed God looks after entomologists as he does drunkards.”

Flaneurette love this quote! stacked

3y

Graywacke @Flaneurette the whole paragraph is entertaining, but that one line really charmed me. This book is terrific. So you know, it‘s slow, but a really nice kind of slow. A lets-spend-some-time-with-these-people slow. 3y

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Graywacke

Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov | Stacy Schiff

‘"Véra, show him what you have in your handbag," Vladimir directed, with what Steinberg recognized as immense pride. Véra extracted the Browning ... To the great artist's eye the gesture was ripe with symbolism. It seemed as if Véra had been appointed the keeper of her husband's virtue. Véra would have shuddered at the mention of symbolism, but … ‘

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Graywacke

Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov | Stacy Schiff