Dmitri Nabokov
Encyclopedia
Dmitri Vladimirovich Nabokov (born May 10, 1934) is an American opera singer and translator. He is the only child of writer Vladimir Nabokov
and his wife Vera Nabokov
, and is currently executor of his father's literary estate.
, to Vladimir Nabokov
and Vera Slonim Nabokova
. Due to Nazi Germany
's growing political and social repression and the likelihood that the regime might target the family based on Vera Nabokova's Jewish ancestry, the Nabokovs fled to Paris
in 1937, and immigrated to New York City
in 1940. Dmitri Nabokov subsequently grew up there, in the Boston
area during the years that his father taught at Wellesley College and served as curator of lepidoptery at Harvard University
's Museum of Comparative Zoology
, and in Ithaca
while his father taught at Cornell University
.
Nabokov entered Harvard College
in 1951, lived in Lowell House
, 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 admission 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
. He then joined the U.S. Army as an instructor in military Russian and as an assistant to a chaplain.
In 1961 Nabokov made his operatic début by winning the Reggio Emilia
International Opera Competition, basso division, singing the role of Colline in La bohème
(which was also the début of fellow cast member Luciano Pavarotti
as Rodolfo; Pavarotti won the tenor competition). Among the highlights from his operatic career are performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with the soprano Montserrat Caballé
and the tenor Giacomo Aragall
.
In 1980, Nabokov, also a semi-professional racecar driver, was driving a competition-model Ferrari 308 GTB when he crashed in Chexbres, on an autoroute linking Montreux
and Lausanne
. He not only suffered third-degree burns over 40% of his body, but fractured his neck. Nabokov has said that he temporarily died: "[I am] enticed by a bright light at the far end of the classic tunnel, but restrain myself at the last instant when I think of those who care for me and of important things I must still do." The injuries suffered in the crash effectively ended his operatic career.
, 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, was deemed "a dead scrap" by Vladimir Nabokov and thought to have been destroyed. The novella has some similarities to Lolita
; consequently (though Dmitri does not agree with this assessment) it has been described as the Ur-Lolita ("The Original Lolita"), a precursor to Nabokov's best-known work.
As executor of his father's literary estate, Nabokov also wrestled for 30 years over whether to publish his father's final manuscript, The Original of Laura
. It was published by Knopf on November 16, 2009.
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 and social critic Edmund Wilson
. Performances took place in New York
, Paris
, Mainz
, and Ithaca
.
Although it is well known that Nabokov also writes, he does not share his pen name
, unlike his father.
Dmitri is a life-long bachelor and has no children. He lives in Palm Beach, Florida
, and Montreux
, Switzerland
.
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
and his wife Vera Nabokov
Vera Nabokov
Véra Nabokova was the wife, muse, editor, and translator of Vladimir Nabokov.-Early life and immigration:...
, and is currently executor of his father's literary estate.
Background
Dmitri Nabokov was born on May 10, 1934, in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, to Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
and Vera Slonim Nabokova
Vera Nabokov
Véra Nabokova was the wife, muse, editor, and translator of Vladimir Nabokov.-Early life and immigration:...
. Due to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's growing political and social repression and the likelihood that the regime might target the family based on Vera Nabokova's Jewish ancestry, the Nabokovs fled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1937, and immigrated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1940. Dmitri Nabokov subsequently grew up there, in the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area during the years that his father taught at Wellesley College and served as curator of lepidoptery at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Museum of Comparative Zoology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum...
, and in Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
while his father taught at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
Nabokov entered Harvard College
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1951, lived in Lowell House
Lowell House
Lowell House is one of the twelve undergraduate residential houses within Harvard College, located on Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between the Harvard Yard and the Charles River...
, and studied History and Literature. Although he scored high on the LSAT and was accepted to Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
(while still an undergraduate), he declined admission because he was searching for an avocation
Avocation
An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life...
. After graduating cum laude in 1955, he studied singing (basso
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
) for two years at the Longy School of Music
Longy School of Music
The Longy School of Music of Bard College is a conservatory located near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1915, it was one of the four independent degree-granting music schools in the Boston region along with the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and Boston...
. He then joined the U.S. Army as an instructor in military Russian and as an assistant to a chaplain.
In 1961 Nabokov made his operatic début by winning the Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
International Opera Competition, basso division, singing the role of Colline in La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
(which was also the début of fellow cast member Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
as Rodolfo; Pavarotti won the tenor competition). Among the highlights from his operatic career are performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with the soprano Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
and the tenor Giacomo Aragall
Giacomo Aragall
Jaume Aragall i Garriga better known as Giacomo Aragall is a Catalan Spanish tenor, born in Barcelona, Spain on 6 June 1939.After his initial studies in Barcelona under Jaime Francisco Puig, Giacomo Aragall travelled to Milan on a scholarship from the Liceu to study with Maestro Vladimir Badiali...
.
In 1980, Nabokov, also a semi-professional racecar driver, was driving a competition-model Ferrari 308 GTB when he crashed in Chexbres, on an autoroute linking Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
and Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. He not only suffered third-degree burns over 40% of his body, but fractured his neck. Nabokov has said that he temporarily died: "[I am] enticed by a bright light at the far end of the classic tunnel, but restrain myself at the last instant when I think of those who care for me and of important things I must still do." The injuries suffered in the crash effectively ended his operatic career.
Literary career
Nabokov has translated many of his father's works, including novels, plays, poems, lectures, and letters, into several languages. One of his first translations, from Russian to English, was Invitation to a BeheadingInvitation to a Beheading
Invitation to a Beheading is a novel by Russian American author Vladimir Nabokov. It was originally published in Russian in 1935-1936 as a serial in Contemporary Notes , a highly respected Russian émigré magazine...
, under his father's supervision. In 1986, Dmitri published his translation of a novella previously unknown to the public. The Enchanter
The Enchanter
The Enchanter is a novella written by Vladimir Nabokov in Paris in 1939. As Волшебник it was his last work of fiction written in Russian. Nabokov never published it during his lifetime. After his death, his son Dmitri translated the novella into English in 1986 and it was published the following...
(Volshebnik), written in Russian in 1939, was deemed "a dead scrap" by Vladimir Nabokov and thought to have been destroyed. The novella has some similarities to Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
; consequently (though Dmitri does not agree with this assessment) it has been described as the Ur-Lolita ("The Original Lolita"), a precursor to Nabokov's best-known work.
As executor of his father's literary estate, Nabokov also wrestled for 30 years over whether to publish his father's final manuscript, The Original of Laura
The Original of Laura
The Original of Laura is the incomplete final novel by Vladimir Nabokov, which he was writing at the time of his death in 1977. It was finally published, after 30 years of private debate, on November 17, 2009. Nabokov had requested that the work be destroyed upon his death, but his family hesitated...
. It was published by Knopf on November 16, 2009.
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 and social critic Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
. Performances took place in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, and Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
.
Although it is well known that Nabokov also writes, he does not share his pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
, unlike his father.
Dmitri is a life-long bachelor and has no children. He lives in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
, and Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
External links
- Interview with Dmitri Nabokov, Nabokov Online Journal (April 2008). PDF file. Nabokov discusses with Suellen Stringer-Hye his decision to publish his father's unfinished work The Original of Laura.
- Dmitri Nabokov's Weblog (since March 2006)
- A rejoinder from Dmitri Nabokov Sins of the father...
- Dear Bunny, Dear Volodya. The Paris Review has a written extract of this at their web site. Unfortunately, there is no audio clip of an actual performance.
- Una Jena in Cassaforte. (Also known as Hybrid) Nabokov 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 as Synesthete. Although there is no audio interview available, The Infinite Mind (a public radio program) has a summary of their show on synesthesiaSynesthesiaSynesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
which includes a segment with Nabokov. - I Will Sing When You're All Dead The Morning NewsThe Morning News (online magazine)The Morning News is a U.S.-based daily online magazine founded in 1999 by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack. It began as an email newsletter and in the fall of 2000 evolved into a news-oriented weblog with a New York focus...
(November 2008). Dmitri Nabokov is the subject of an "impassioned" profile that looks at his life's many adventures.