Dmitri Nabokov
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Dmitri Vladimirovich Nabokov, born in Berlin on May 10, 1934, is the only child of Russian-born American writer Vladimir Nabokov and his wife Véra (née Slonim). He is currently executor of his father's literary estate and is considered the ideal translator of Nabokov's works.
Dmitri entered Harvard University in 1951, lived at Lowell Hall, and studied History and Literature. Although he scored high on the LSAT and was accepted to Harvard Law School (while still an undergraduate), he declined because he was searching for an avocation. After graduating cum laude in 1955, he studied singing (basso) for two years at the Longy School of Music. Dmitri then joined the U.S. Army as an instructor for Military Russian and as an assistant to a chaplain.[1]
In 1961 Dmitri made his operatic début in Reggio Emilia, singing the role of Colline in La Bohème (which, incidentally, was also the début of fellow cast member Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo).[2] Among the highlights from his operatic career: performances at the Gran Teatro del Liceo with legendary Catalan soprano Montserrat Caballé and acclaimed Spanish tenor Jaime Aragall (aka "Giacomo" Aragall). [3]
He has had the Herculean task of translating his father's works--novels, plays, poems, lectures, letters--into several languages. One of his first translations, from Russian to English, was Invitation to a Beheading, under his father's supervision. In 1986, Dmitri published his translation of a novella previously unknown to the public. The Enchanter (Volshebnik), written in Russian in 1939 by V. Sirin, was deemed "a dead scrap" by Nabokov and thought to be destroyed. The novella has some similarities to Lolita; consequently, (though Dmitri does not agree with this assessment) it has been known as the Ur-Lolita ("The Original Lolita"), a precursor to Nabokov's masterpiece.[4]
In celebration of Vladimir Nabokov's centennial in 1999, Dmitri appeared as his father in Terry Quinn's Dear Bunny, Dear Volodya, a dramatic reading based on the personal letters between Nabokov and literary/social critic Edmund Wilson. Performances took place in New York, Paris, Mainz, and Ithaca.
Dmitri is a life-long bachelor and has no children. He resides in Palm Beach, Florida and Montreux, Switzerland.
[edit] References
- ^ "Nabokov Carries on Father's Legacy." The Harvard Crimson. 6 Aug. 2005. 11:00 UTC. Link to Article
- ^ "La Bohème Discography." OperaGlass. 08 Dec 2003. 20 Aug 2006 Link to Article
- ^ "Dmitri Nabokov Interview with JOYCE." NABOKV-L. 10 Nov. 2003, 11:20 UTC. Link to Article
- ^ Nabokov, Dmitri. "On a Book Entitled The Enchanter". The Enchanter 1986: 85, 107, 109.
[edit] External links
- http://dmitrinabokov.blogspot.com/ Dmitri Nabokov's Weblog (since March 2006)
- The Paris Review has a written extract of this at their web site. Unfortunately, there is no audio clip of an actual performance.
- (Also known as Hybrid) Dmitri appeared in this Italian film in the late 1960s (hence the extra "i" in his first name). The Internet Movie Database has a listing of it.
- Dmitri is quoted in this article about his paternal uncle, Sergei Nabokov. Sergei was persecuted by the Nazis for his homosexuality; he died in a concentration camp in 1945.
- Although there is no audio interview available, The Infinite Mind (a public radio program) has a summary of their show on synesthesia which includes a segment with Dmitri.
