Vladimir Nabokov and Virginia Woolf

Сколько у Вас пишущих дам! Будьте осторожны—это признак проbинциальной литературы (голландской, ческой и т. д.)(You have so many writing women! Be careful—it's a sign of a provincial literature (Dutch, Czech, etc.))—Vladimir Nabokov, letter to Mark AldanovI gradually got used to his manner of ... taking something from a great author and then saying he'd never read him.—Nina Berberova, “Nabokov in the Thirties” Nabokov did say he had read Woolf. In fact he claims to have read “all” of Woolf in 1933 in preparation for writing “The Admiralty Spire.”1 Yet the faults for which his story's horrid narrator reviles “lady novelists” have nothing to do with either the subject, method, or stylistic devices of Woolf's novels.2 Nabokov finds lady novelists sentimental and famously wrote to Edmund Wilson, “I dislike Jane, and am prejudiced, in fact, against all women writers. They are in another class.”3 Maxim D. Shrayer reviews Nabokov's largely negative criticism of the works of Russian and anglophone women poets and prose writers, finding that he “fails to offer grounds for his dismissive remarks” about even such a poet as Marina Tsvetaeva.4What led Nabokov to read all of Woolf's work but never anywhere to allude explicitly or covertly, except in his letter to Zinaida Shakovskaia, as far as we know, to one of the most important anglophone modernists publishing while Nabokov was studying literature in England? After all, by 1933 Woolf had written Jacob's Room (1922), The Common Reader (1925), Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando (1928), A Room of One's Own (1929), and The Waves (1931), works that at the time were overturning the way prose fiction was written no less remarkably than Joyce's Ulysses.5 Woolf's reputation by the 1930s was too well established for him to treat her work as of the Woolf was a prose the of while the and Woolf's and a and Nabokov had at the time we his of her work in the of and of and a time he was to a of Nabokov's that a was with in the of he was in for his of Woolf. of Woolf his to his of as that was and the his of Woolf's to his work his to the Woolf in A Room of One's that Nabokov's fiction one of the most important of his and Nabokov a to the Be or to to and which he the to well which a have by of that with A of the of of in which the of in the of such a as Nabokov a a of that to a in or Nabokov's of work in “The Nabokov's and for to and In The of the of the with his from Woolf's to the in as of a of to the that the to or in that the to a a of by that Nabokov Woolf's work and the that Woolf's of in his her his of and his in but his to and was well of as in his Nabokov's of Nabokov's was written in while he was at Woolf had a of of by his of which of was as was then the for reviews in the was well that Woolf and had from in at in and were so and that her that of in his of the Nabokov have the of the of and by the in the but he to the or the by 1933 he read “all” of her Nabokov have that Woolf was a of a the most important and in of The to a The of and that Nabokov to Woolf and in her work many of his was than and were writers, by the with the of from with which in and a at a Woolf's in was and Nabokov's was in was Woolf's and and Woolf her from the Nabokov as he and he had to to in of the of a with and fiction in a way by Woolf in her “The to by and to that of and that of and The and fact and Woolf's in and by the work of her the of Woolf's in and the the in the and the of The of a to his or her of the or to Woolf and to in and The of for a and of he are to him to a that him to his The of for his which he as in for was never or or was to something the of in the Woolf's of a in the Nabokov in his the was and with the of ... a a of the Woolf's Jacob's Mrs. The Waves and Orlando and in Nabokov's The The of and to the works we at the of the of the of and and the of Mrs. The and Orlando and Nabokov's The The of and that of Woolf her by the from her in and her and in Nabokov his Russian with his anglophone in The of to the of and in he and of and Nabokov's are so great that his with his from his work for and of as he in his with The he the of his and with the of his and of his he his his In The he Nabokov the from the that his which from the “lady Dalloway and The of and Nabokov to from one of Mrs. The remarkably a in which a by of a The to the in the the Nabokov his of Woolf's The a to Mrs. Dalloway the from a to of the of the In to that from the against him from the that that from of Mrs. the of the the of which he as to the but the of his the him far from or that was the of a and The had was to at him to his the was he as to and his he to his to have of the to the that he but in the say to his so many that he her to his even to in fact of a of the of a and the of was the in and and he with at his to the and of a of against his and The that he a and the with he the of and as and a of that from and him to at to a of are and his for her of the but her for the to his of were were his to and but the of that to his by in the had her to her had nothing the with him but was a of in her to him in a to to The a to the and her to that had he had They had that of to his of the of the in to and to him to a but to of the the the the and of the and was of his or was with and that of the he the did to was The did the and at was at the he and to Mrs. the to the the we from that was with but from her to and from the which he of the to in of with the Dalloway as to his as for his to as to the against the of and to the great of the the of the the of the at the of his in The to the one in Mrs. too a in his he by the of the in in a the and of the and but the and the to the of the but the he the and to the but he by of he a and the of the were the him by his and was and his with ... A against the were and his the to the that the and the were him and that he but a he at the and of the of his saying the and the the had in have the with the of ... They were and and of and all were with something against the The was too After many he in a and one and he did the one while his in no had at the his was with one at something he got the were and he had to of he was he was he of were way the and the was to and and at the his at the his he of was and The the to the of the the of from the of the and Mrs. the with the of and the the are by to the of a he against him in a that by of his to a by his to his to a to in with a that and finds as a of and as a to a the of and him that all, the that him the his in the the and for a nothing the with him and a have but are are of a but a of his in the the had and A all ... the and from the that his had a in a the in the way in had to his to a the of with the of a from the of Russian the a of in of of and of a Russian the of with In the from his a of such in of a but a in which the the of that in his and in Mrs. her to at in the in the of the the even the to which her his are to a Mrs. to the of to a from no in the of his and to to the in he by the and the Russian which his from Mrs. of The in which had in his time was the his the of his as the to a a and a to for in the of a one had to the and even the in his a way of were and his that were against the of the and which have the was even The was that had the of author have his and to was to a of the the his Nabokov and to the his to the of the and the but as a of and the of the even Nabokov's most the of the the for and a against the he and a of so in his that he to his his to his to his his to and the to and of his his and his about his that a of his he in all In Nabokov to from the with which the that his to the of and Dalloway in one so her as her the most the in the the of Woolf's in the Dalloway the of her and that a and at the time at the her and her as the the of no no of but and with the of Mrs. even Mrs. her as the of a than her her and by her of her as his for her his to of and the with her of her at her he to that with he The from Mrs. Dalloway in the of the to in the of the Mrs. Dalloway from the to the with and to her the with many we from the and we then Mrs. The by The him most was the fact that from he in Woolf's we are to the by his in a manner the Nabokov's less than and the of the we that the his from to a in his which a of his that and the of a and the to from “The was was no The of Nabokov's the of Woolf's in the the but in the that or and was no Mrs. the and the to from the at the of The he from the as a the his and and never at which he but never so we his do his as and no have from the a of his with the in a in and a way of The and Mrs. but to of her and was no the of to a and and even her a The of the the and the the and are all too with Woolf's Nabokov's the of such the of the Nabokov's in a of the have in and in in the narrator of of the Russian to a or The in which as a his of are from a of The by from the of but we the of his and The far than Mrs. which the of the the for from one or time to In in a at the or of the the from one to the or from the to the the of of of by a of are in for which Nabokov for such Woolf the for but that in Nabokov's as in the most in the in Mrs. Dalloway a and a in time as to the of The to one of the with his his a and he was at to the he the in the and in his which and then to a his him for with he he the the and the of the that had and and the in the and the of the of a with which a or a at so that the his as and the a at of the he the the the and we the of for the even of his the great to that Nabokov, the of of Woolf's the Woolf in the of The the as the of by but as one of many the of and treat of the Nabokov's Russian and anglophone the his Russian and the Russian and the him from the The in the and for the Russian for the from Woolf's Jacob's Room for the of and and The Waves for the in which the gradually Woolf's of and literature and her of the of the in Nabokov his from Russian to as a his in in his one in Russian he with the of Russian and as for a he by his Russian and with In to Nabokov to poets and and novelists and in to his the anglophone as a in which he to his Russian to have to his by in The of to and all are written in The to of Nabokov in the of the Russian for his Nabokov's from Russian to The of and The with the The The of in a fiction Nabokov a and The of to a of literature and to a of the in the Nabokov to and but allude to or as “Nabokov his in the of Nabokov from Woolf Jacob's Room The the of a at in at at In the Woolf the of to Jacob's as as and and the Jacob's Woolf from the of her and of in the that to that and read and as to have as Nabokov, and another of the the of all the by Jacob's but even a less than The narrator of Jacob's Room one as he lady a in a They a all of Woolf's in Jacob's Room of Jacob's from his from his his The of the the of no to ... A to a for he a in a of but do something one to the at the of the of with all of he had at Yet him we to the of his and of his the at and the the he his in Jacob's the of that in the and with to his the his his to his and the at that to his his his from the from the from the the of his as the with “The to his that no no of with the In The of Nabokov's Woolf's to his he in to The important that a so that to his to his while Woolf do with and for her to and the of The of but are by that the to the of of and Room are in of than The and Mrs. as to work the but Nabokov to than to the of in in explicitly but the Nabokov a of and from his of the Russian his to for his in from his to his to his to to with to the as he the of the with in the and the in of that he the of the of the of Russian of the from his his by in his the narrator of Jacob's he to and in The of of by the fact that and are from the as a of to a that the had ... a but a of he less than Jacob's to the too the and at the or or the of the or are in the or Jacob's in by the in his as Nabokov for The in of the a in the of the at the Nabokov as he to the anglophone of the for used by in to and by to his in his The of the in have and have something and have and are a in his and by the of the with about of literature by the of in the of and and in the of a Woolf a to one that the of one at in were but then one he as the with of the of for the works of the a with the to the all the were the of the and a from The works of in to one was a were the of the a of the of the and all the In to and Jacob's are his in the a Jacob's a about Jacob's of the by a The by a of the in the a by the from his Nabokov Jacob's with a the publishing Russian works in from to and Woolf writing and the Russian in but no Russian literature in his one Russian but in with the Woolf in The Common Reader in her “The Russian of in which the by and in of by have never read a of or or even the by have had to and the work of we are saying to that we have a literature of have in a from Russian to have the a the and of the in to nothing except a and of the the great Russian are by or a of all but of something and the of the of “The with the as one of a of Woolf's to a of by a of Woolf to one by the a of of as the of Jacob's at the and with of of Jacob's Room Jacob's by his his and Jacob's are his as his about for one to a for a to he were the in the the in the in the no one am to do with a of Jacob's The are to Jacob's by the that the which the of his and of the are of at for the time his a are to in the by the are of a and to of his Jacob's are of his in for something to about his a were in the and for a had the of in a of had him in that but was and to that of were which had many and had the of all of Jacob's and his of his The the the in his the Jacob's his the than the Jacob's no one finds the of him to from and finds Jacob's from of the or the a of in of the Jacob's then all the to by the The In of in the of of Nabokov's way of his his from and his from the of ... to have the of the of and the of the the of the and the of the are The and the of the Room to a and a of in the Russian to Jacob's Room and in of a in and in his by the the by that and the Russian to the of one in Jacob's in The Waves a the of from to the and Nabokov of the a to that he of his am one of and all say in In The of we the in his letter to in “I am with a of and with the of so that a in the and the which for or had in the of in but his letter from The Russian which do the in the which to the to a from or to his Russian and as he his of another and Russian the of the the and a of his the he and the have am have of and all of one and do and we are we are Yet no and “I am a in the of The of “I am or or we are of The of and by Nabokov's to have his Russian his Woolf's of and have a that the the the and the and the of the in the of the of the and in Nabokov's that his for Woolf's her in the the and the as well as in the of one know, the of to a of from his for and his him his The even to than Nabokov's that a that used in and Woolf's in Room of One's by to something the and from of his a in Russian the of his and his at a his from the his his the of his and his Nabokov a to Woolf's for Jacob's the of which another in the of which he that he and are The with in The Waves and Woolf's of Jacob's and a to the of that Nabokov to the of his too a A the and of from his in the of to the Orlando a while as the to for The as a of and as of his letter to Nabokov Orlando of In to a he “The in the in his Nabokov to in the in a and of Woolf's her and Woolf the of in Nabokov in the and Woolf in Mrs. Dalloway the Yet the of as a Nabokov in to a in in and Woolf in Mrs. of at do the of the with and The Nabokov's to a The with to his and of the of we of of of for Woolf and “The and in in at and Nabokov's from the of that to the of by the time he he a of and all of the of his his of the of After he by his Russian he all his works except “The which he as he as many as he wrote the of was at the of the less than at the for the of to that he had his was his the of prose was Orlando the of her in the of her had for the of the Orlando the of her at with the poet to The the A Woolf her and for but no to her and to the that her “The led ... and to the which the The had and had about the but was in the of Orlando to her the as a to to the of the but that writing a a and so her The of the that a and the of the one of Orlando had so that ... her to was of which her to a Nabokov's of “The of Woolf's and Woolf's the for the of The of the was the of the of the ... the author all the of which the have a was a from the as to the of the by and the of a the the of a from a a with the of the a in the of as the author were with his the of the and his of and the of was a of all the in the with no was to the of the of and the of the work was the that his had of to are in a the to “The Woolf of Woolf for “The the in the were too many of in the of was in her with the The the a and a in which all the with to the that the of the a that the one in the of was The was a of that The about the had the was a that by the of the the of at finds and was the of the with of the the in in to which to all ... am to In the as of the a the of The a to the the by his of the of his for his with the the The in his all are the the that a of of so that one with his from the of the he to to which the way to the and Nabokov to “The which and a in to Woolf's in Orlando and devices as a of a Woolf's to he in a of time that the of Russian and all of which to as his as a that as a and the of Nabokov's from the and literature of and from the time of the and the Nabokov's and are to to literature and which the and of of by as the of and the and by Nabokov of were the to for in in the a of Nabokov's the to his and author have to his Nabokov to in the of that led him to from his the and the author the the of the with the of the of the from which and Nabokov have by the and Russian Nabokov in Woolf fiction in of of and are the for of the in “The with but that ... a of Orlando the of and in by the of and of at the writing of that in Orlando Woolf had with for that and of a to the than either or of Nabokov's he all and his of the while Woolf the of women in by to the Nabokov's in the of his which was a of the Russian Woolf's to the that of her a of the that women of and and of the of as in A Room of One's and Orlando are the of to which in by that of which to from to the and to the Woolf's Woolf's to Nabokov's than Nabokov's to and even in and as well as the and of the with The and The which were the of Woolf's to great from to as well as to Orlando and with as a were of of the the in such as and a in the was as a he had while his of was a have by the of the Orlando In the a in and a for of and the in from to the of fiction and so that we to the to in a Nabokov in Orlando a Woolf for the the in the Woolf's one of the of the was a many and a The of the in from the in and in the that from the was the the of and so in from by the the and of from far to the ... a which say to in his Nabokov's of Woolf's of one he and and Woolf the by fact and with fiction with The to her one work of fiction and one one “The The are that to the as important too his to the to a important to that with the that the to which in the to and then to which the to to Nabokov's as well as to the he in his to his Woolf the in Orlando the something that a in and as the of and and from a of Nabokov the to to the and the A of a that most way of at either to as do and then of which the the and method, to a the by which the and by the Nabokov his with Orlando to but he and the of the of in Woolf's Nabokov's dislike of women in and Woolf in he to have and from her work in to the and of the the and and the of a the and the to his to her important to the prose fiction of his his to his in his in of at the Nabokov the Woolf the of and with her a work of in another of Woolf her at her at Mrs. in To the In the for the one in the time to with the in her Mrs. that Mrs. The Nabokov his at the of his the of his to of his that he by his The the of the Mrs. used to the of the and the ... and of as a that was in and but a of one the of in The to Mrs. that we and even by in The of Nabokov the of Jacob's the from subject, than the writing the for the Nabokov Woolf's and the of Orlando a of as well as which a for Woolf and in the of literature as Nabokov's in him a in the Russian and anglophone In from the he as Nabokov that Woolf a had all his and his to a that him to great to the of his the of

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