| ABOUT US | ARCHIVES | LINKS | RSS FEED | MONDAYS | |

3quarksdaily

An Eclectic Digest of Science, Art and Literature

« Human genome further unravelled | Main | Tyler Cowen on The Black Swan »

June 14, 2007

Christopher Plummer as Nabokov lecturing on Kafka

Via ghostman at Microscopically Fictitious:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Posted by Abbas Raza at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Comments

this seems to have derived from the earlier play put on in which the arguments between Edmund Wilson and Nabakov were dramatized by using their extensive correspondence. In he earliest productions of the play, Nabokov's son Dmitri play his father's part. Nabokov's lectureds are available in book form. Wilson, by contrast, a remarkable critic and writer was a terrible teacher in the classroom.

Posted by: fred lapides | Jun 14, 2007 12:26:17 PM

These are actually from a television special that aired in 1989, called either Nabokov on Kafka or Understanding the Metamorphosis, depending on whether you saw it on television or VHS.

Here's the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192347/

I never saw Nabokov teach, of course, but Christopher Plummer plays him pretty convincingly in my book, although since Nabokov taught his classes nearly verbatim from the notes that would later become his published lectures (or so the story goes), Plummer's spontaneity is probably more artistic flair than true interpretation. But then a Nabokov look-alike reading from a notebook wouldn't be nearly as entertaining, now would it?

Posted by: ghostman | Jun 14, 2007 4:04:39 PM

Pretty entertaining I admit. Did Nabakov sound like Peter Sellers? Sorry--but doesn't he kinda sound like Inspector Clouseau in this?

Posted by: maniza | Jun 15, 2007 1:16:08 PM

Here's audio of Nabokov himself, being interviewed by the BBC in 1969.

Posted by: ghostman | Jun 15, 2007 4:25:00 PM

Wow! That was entertaining. Thanks.

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 4, 2007 1:34:16 PM

Fine piece. Plummer is still sharp as a knife. I hope that one and all will forgive me if I point out the one thing that disturbed me about this. it was THAT BRIEFCASE. (!!!) That was a mistake of the set dresser. All the same, its incongruity stood out so much I had to look away and listen only, which is a fine way to absorb text-heavy or text-exclusive performances.
Hats off to Mr. Plummer!

Posted by: V.N. | Jul 5, 2007 11:56:25 PM

Nabokov would only respond to written questions from interviewers, and then only with his own written responses. Mossman must have convinced him to read those answers aloud...I bet it's inthe Bryan Boyd book.


But super cool link! 'War and Peace, a little long.' LMAO!

Posted by: cgb | Jul 6, 2007 3:07:47 AM

Post a comment






Subscribe to this blog's feed  

3QD Science Prize

Logo designed by Vicki Winters

Iran Twitter News

Andrew Covers Iran

The Lede on Iran

HuffPo Liveblogging

Help 3 Quarks Daily

3QD on Twitter

Search Using Lijit

Lijit Search

Bookmark This Page

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

3QD FEED FOR GOOGLE


Add to Google

3QD ADVERTISING


Compare prices

  • Canada (French)
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • Brazil
  • Recent Comments

    gitanjali on Saturday Poem

    Carlos on Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism

    Jonathan on Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism

    Chris Horner on Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism

    Pete Chapman on Saturday Poem

    Jonathan on Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism

    Lambness on Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism

    Billie Mintz on The Ponzi Avenger

    fred lapides on The History of Jazz, by Darcy James Argue

    Louise Gordon on Everyone Should See "Torturing Democracy"

    Louise Gordon on The Swedish dream is no more

    atomburke on Will Europe’s Economies Regain Their Footing?

    aguy109 on my ten favorite fetishes

    Elatia Harris on my ten favorite fetishes

    Elatia Harris on my ten favorite fetishes

    Elatia Harris on crowds, clowns, contempt, and cacophony

    maniza on Friday Poem

    Jesse on crowds, clowns, contempt, and cacophony

    David Schneider on Friday Poem

    Dave Ranning on Friday Poem

    maniza on The Improbable American

    Ruchira on Friday Poem

    D on Philosophy as Complementary Science

    Dave Ranning on The resignation speech of Sarah Palin: a deconstruction

    bill on Ah the singing, ah the delight, the passion!

    Acclaim For 3QD

    ------XXX------

    "I couldn't tear myself away from 3 Quarks Daily, to the point of neglecting my work. Congratulations on this superb site."—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University.

    "I have placed 3 Quarks Daily at the head of my list of web bookmarks."—Richard Dawkins, Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University.

    "Just wanted you to know I’m one of many who reads and enjoys 3 Quarks....almost daily."—David Byrne, musician, former lead-singer of the Talking Heads, artist, intellectual.

    Subscribe to this blog's feed