His ingenuity borders on incredible. Of course, no Russian speak that British English rich and fluent as he did any more. He is undoubtedly the very last of the Mohicans of the great literary tradition dating from the heart of that golden age represented by Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy and Dostoyevski. I am inclined to imagine his American audience of the day had been rather tempted to write by his example, his ardent vigor, in spite of the ageing body, his general drive of an artist. In that sense, the Kafkean beetle lurks in each and every of us endowed with a few droplets of talent, for it is this kind of metamorphosis that turns us as human beings into a creature of creation, however trying and even repugnant such prowess may appear to the unproductive and secondary mind of an onlooker.

@kabokaisara5293

3 ай бұрын

Dude do you write this is like a Delillo essay

My respect and appreciation of Nabokov grew tenfold after witnessing this remarkable man step into a storyteller's shoes. There can be no doubt after watching this, literature ran through his veins, not mere blood. Thank you so much for sharing this with the world.

@louisnooope

Жыл бұрын

FYI this isn't Nabokov, It's an actor, Christopher Plummer portraying Vladimir Nabokov.

@1995yuda

Жыл бұрын

@@louisnooope OMG! I just googled it, they looked so alike at a certain point. That explains why he is such a great storyteller in that class, all great actors are. You kinda blew my whole theory out of the water. Thanks for letting me know.

@zyngremlin7378

Жыл бұрын

What? Forget about this actor. Nabokov"s works are some of the greatest in English literature. You'll notice Americans are quick to claim him even though he was from Russia.

@bellaadamowicz8380

10 ай бұрын

It is not Nabokov haven’t you seen his photographs? Also an’t you see it is a acting ?

@bellaadamowicz8380

10 ай бұрын

@@zyngremlin7378 Americans are perfectly fine with Nabokov been from Russia. USA gave him a shelter , when he run from occupied France to US . , Americans don’t have to claim him , they have great American writes as well.

It's amazingly performed, love it . Christopher plummer RIP .

@jamesnicol3831

10 ай бұрын

yes few star actors today would do an intellectual exercise like this let alone know what it means

What a marvelous actor! No one has played such a wide variety of roles! RIP Christopher Plummer.

Imagine knowing your English professor was writing Lolita in his downtime...

Man, what an outstanding actor

Wow! Thank you for sharing this, what a jewel! brilliant Nabokov, brilliant Plummer

Thank you for the video!

absolute gem

The greatest short story ever written.

@1fattyfatman

2 ай бұрын

It bugs me.

Fantastic! Thank you!

This is based upon his collected lectures, edited by Fredson Bowers. One volume on Russian literature, one on English literature and one on Don Quixote. There was little to no critical theory in his lectures. Most of them illuminate the practical issues of writing stories.

Amazing. That story honestly gave me chills. I've never heard it before.

@frankuvlkan

Жыл бұрын

Hi Leisurely I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

@leisurelylisa6427

Жыл бұрын

@@frankuvlkan why do you wanna be my friend?

@frankuvlkan

Жыл бұрын

@@leisurelylisa6427 I have a profitable information to share with you and you'll be glad you read this information. The information is free but lucrative and educative, it's 100 percent legit TRADING INVESTMENT....

@leisurelylisa6427

Жыл бұрын

@@frankuvlkan aww too bad..

Superbly done

10/10 to the show how’s for pronouncing Vladimir Nabokov with an authentic sound of a Russian speaker.

Nabokov was native English speaker, he was trilingual

@StopFear

11 ай бұрын

Well, most educated Russians then were

@vladis..

11 ай бұрын

@@StopFear если вы сравните высокообразованную русскую интелигенцию с Набоковым, вы поймёте: что это разные измерения относительно понимания ритма и стиля английского языка, даже в случае пренебрежения сложностью лингвистических конструкций и оборотов, не говоря уже про запас слов.

@nohisocitutampoc2789

11 ай бұрын

You're wrong.

@edgarbleikur1929

10 ай бұрын

Is the English language the native language of Russia? No. So you're absolutely incorrect.

@vladis..

10 ай бұрын

@@edgarbleikur1929 Can you even imagine how many nations live in Russia? Anyway, it doesn't matter in which country you have lived. What matters is what kind of person you are and what kind of meaning you possess.

wonderful story by Franz Kafka!

just wonderful

Charlie day had to have been playing this character in flowers for Charlie lol

Wow!

Fine performance!

Conrad taught himself English through reading. He wanted to read Shakespeare in original.

Без влияния такой литературы , интеллект все больше подчиняется инстинктам - практически возвышая их . Поэзия Владимира Набокова не уступит его прозе!

1959 was a great year for literature like lolita and naked lunch novels that led the way for such wonderful works as the atrocity exhibition and last exit to Brooklyn clockwork orange (1962 if not mistaken) and twelve to name but a few.

Please explain the important notes to take away from such lecture?

Humour in Kafka, Absurd, Marx in the novel America. Vera Nabokov translated Kafka for his husband. She was Jewish. He had a quarrel with Soljenitsin about the antisemitism of Alexander

My favorite things about Kafka is how he treats corpses , or bodies destined for death: with utter contempt, because… that’s how it is

"The passion of the scientist, and the precision of the artist" is probably the one quote that in my opinion separates a good writer from a great one.

oy... Kafka was not a "petty clerk" in a Gogolian office -- he was an executive at a large insurance firm, and his legal knowledge of labor insurance issues was invaluable to his company

The real question is how Gregor the beetle mysteriously changes its size!

You know what this film stock needs? More red.

I think there is something off with this narration of the Metamorphosis which might not have been approved by Nabokov. It is really great, but there is something subtle nuance missing here. It might have come from the actor’s perception of the book. I might be wrong. Any feels the same?

Number pad a stream deck should be it’s own video.

I don't wish to sound unkind because Christopher Plummer would easily be one of my favorite actors of all time but I feel like his Nabokov accent drifted into a French affectation. I don't know Nabokov so perhaps he knew French as well as English? Still it's a remarkable performance like most of his roles. RIP Christopher Plummer 💜

@trevorbailey1486

2 жыл бұрын

From memory, Speak Memory, Nabokov's autobiography, saw the author describe himself as 'a pefectly normal trilingual child in a family with a large library'. He spoke French, the lingua franca of the aristocracy, before he learned Russian.

@therexbellator

2 жыл бұрын

@@trevorbailey1486 Ah good to know. Thank you for the clarification.

@akeeperofsheep

Жыл бұрын

He spoke English with a French accent and French with a Russian accent.

@jamesnicol3831

10 ай бұрын

this has nothing to do with any accent but the intellect of Nabokov and the audible excitement of his voice

@mikewiest5135

10 ай бұрын

I hear Peter Sellers saying “that is not my dog” as Inspector Clouseau…”that is not my wolf” 😊

Kafka was born into the Austro-Hungarian empire as Czechoslovakia was not brought into being until after WWI

holy jumping cats that's great

Takes you back to university days, eh ?

He turned into a beatle but never played with John Lennon.

Plummer became crap with egoyan.

Is the “Nabokov” in this video actually Nabokov or is this a reenactment for the show?

@ad0906013

10 ай бұрын

Already mentioned: Christopher Plummer as Nabokov. Someone needs to get an eyecheck.

@PlumGustave

10 ай бұрын

@@ad0906013someone needs to try to be more decent.

@0xmixo260

10 ай бұрын

@@ad0906013 Shut up

I don't know much about Nabokov, but I think the analysis of Kafka's Metamorphosis was brilliant. However, I can not say I liked Plummer's pompous sounding delivery, which was overly dramatic for my taste. Being an aristocrat, Nabokov may have sounded somewhat like that. I don't know. But the way Plummer spoke reminded me of William F. Buckley Jr. debating James Baldwin, the inflections and pompousness that are meant to indicate good breading and sophistication.

Два гения

Fun stuff...

Why 1989 if Nobokov died in 1977?

@paulstevens6043

3 ай бұрын

the movie is from 1989