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Raul's Reviews > Speak, Memory
Speak, Memory
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After reading the personal experiences of a writer, normally I like the writer more than I did before. This wasn't the case with this book. My admiration for Nabokov's talent, intelligence and sense of humour increased, but I ended up annoyed with Nabokov as a person.
Born into an aristocratic and wealthy family, fifty servants, French and English governesses, Russian tutors, grand estates, limousines, Vladimir Nabokov's childhood was spent in a state of comfort at the very least. The child Vladimir was a domineering older brother, a snob, a spoilt precocious child.
Still Nabokov's prose was entrancing as always, and not just one passage per chapter but passage after passage of brilliant recollections. When tracing his ancestry to writing of his childhood, and later exile, after his world is cast away by the Bolshevik revolution. This was just an incredible book.
Born into an aristocratic and wealthy family, fifty servants, French and English governesses, Russian tutors, grand estates, limousines, Vladimir Nabokov's childhood was spent in a state of comfort at the very least. The child Vladimir was a domineering older brother, a snob, a spoilt precocious child.
Still Nabokov's prose was entrancing as always, and not just one passage per chapter but passage after passage of brilliant recollections. When tracing his ancestry to writing of his childhood, and later exile, after his world is cast away by the Bolshevik revolution. This was just an incredible book.
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Quotes Raul Liked
“The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Although the two are identical twins, man, as a rule, views the prenatal abyss with more calm than the one he is heading for.”
― Speak, Memory
― Speak, Memory
Reading Progress
July 17, 2019
–
Started Reading
July 17, 2019
– Shelved
July 29, 2019
–
Finished Reading
October 16, 2022
– Shelved as:
favourites
November 11, 2023
– Shelved as:
five-stars
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Ilse
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 02, 2019 02:35AM
Great review, Raul, I tend to concur :-). He was a brilliant writer (maybe still my favourite writer too), but seemed pretty intimidating as a person - or was this mostly pose?
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Ilse wrote: "Great review, Raul, I tend to concur :-). He was a brilliant writer (maybe still my favourite writer too), but seemed pretty intimidating as a person - or was this mostly pose?"Thank you, Ilse. You make an excellent point, he does come across as intimidating. Not even at certain points when expected does he let his guard down, for instance when he talks about his deceased brother and whatever sense of guilt he might feel. I personally think it's a combination of his genius, of which he is aware of and draws incredible confidence and surety from, which contributes to the intimidation. And the expectations of masculinity especially during his time. I would be glad to know your thoughts.
