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Nabokov's Last Work: Burn It?

Posted Feb 14, 08 10:43 AM CST in Arts & Living 

(Newser) – His works include Lolita and Pale Fire, but Vladimir Nabokov's greatest masterpiece might be an unfinished manuscript languishing in a Swiss safe deposit box. Nabokov demanded that The Original of Laura be burned after his death, but his heir has vacillated. Now that Dmitri Nabokov is hinting he might go ahead and destroy the work, the Times of London invited two authors to weigh in on its fate.

John Banville, the Booker Prize-winning Irish novelist, insists that The Original of Laura must be saved, since "a great writer is always worth reading, even at his worst"; Kafka wanted all his works burned, too. The playwright Tom Stoppard disagrees: if Nabokov wanted the manuscript burned, then we must do as he says and not be cowed by the "mostly self-serving speculation on the part of the Nabokov industry."

Source Times (UK)

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  • Nabokov's Ghost: Make Buck off Laura

    Feb 29, 08 7:59 PM CST
    Nabokov's Ghost: Make Buck off Laura Dmitri Nabokov's decision not to destroy his famed father's unfinished manuscript followed an imagined conversation with Vladimir's ghost, writes Ron Rosenbaum for Slate. Rosenbaum, who sleuthed his way through the "to burn or not to burn" debate, was previously told by Dmitri—who hinted at the book's genius before announcing his intent to destroy it—that he would keep his decision secret. More »

Vladimir Nabokov, who demanded his last manuscript be burned, with his son and the executor of his will, Dmitri.   (Magnum Photos)
Vladimir Nabokov, who demanded his last manuscript be burned.   (Magnum Photos)
Vladimir Nabokov, who demanded his last manuscript be burned.   (Magnum Photos)
The Vladimir Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, shown here February 8, 2004. Vladimir Nabokov demanded his last manuscript be burned.   (KRT Photos)
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literature • Tom Stoppard • Vladimir Nabokov • John Banville


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