Speak, memory

Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited

"Our existence is but a fleeting ray of light between two eternal darknesses."

★ Nabokov's classic memoir★ "In Search of Lost Time" spanning 37 years
★ The secret path to the fictional world from the depths of the writer's soul★ Picking up fragments of memory in the language that spreads like plants

Speak, Memory, a classic memoir by the great novelist Vladimir Nabokov, spanning thirty-seven years, is one of his most important and celebrated works, and one of the few unique and remarkable works to tackle the themes of time and memory. It straddles the boundaries of reality and fiction, becoming more like a novel. Its language, with its frank clarity and anatomical precision—the precision of a lepidopterist observing the exquisite patterns on a butterfly's wing through a high-powered magnifying glass—provides a unique reading experience. Memory and the recollection of the past often dominate Nabokov's fiction, making this autobiography an excellent cipher for interpreting his fiction, as recollection itself serves as a hidden bridge between fantasy and reality, allowing the author to unleash his unique imagination. A must-read for devoted Nabokov readers, it provides firsthand information for a deeper understanding of such seminal novels as Lolita, Pale Fire, The Guardian, and Marie. The book contains more than 20 precious old photos of the Nabokov family, recreating the years described by Nabokov.
Speak, Memory is a subversion of the biographical genre. Conventional literary lore generally holds that biographies should be as close to the truth as possible. However, in the eyes of modern and contemporary writers since Proust, and especially writers like Nabokov, memory also encompasses imagination and is unreliable. Consequently, Speak, Memory straddles reality and fiction, defying categorization and almost resembling a novel. Through the sifting of time, some things vanish, others remain, a delicate trade-off. Nabokov possessed an astonishing memory, able to salvage flawless fragments of memory from the past and, using language that swirls like a plant, decoratively expand his thoughts within his text. Nabokov's characteristic complexity, like the intricate and opulent patterns of the Baroque style, is a complex linguistic structure, and even a complex thought process, from which readers can savor the sweetness that flows.
Recognized as a preeminent novelist and stylist of the 20th century, Vladimir Nabokov's works have had an indelible impact on English-language literature and world literature. "The Nabokov Collection I" curates five of Nabokov's most iconic classics from over twenty published titles, presenting them in a brand-new hardcover edition. Among these works are hard-to-find, eagerly awaited "anticipated books." Besides the celebrated and controversial "Lolita," the collection also includes the highly challenging experimental text "Pale Fire," the dark parody of melodrama "Laughter in the Dark," the humorous autobiographical classic "Pnin," and the distinctive memoir "Speak, Memory." Each of these five works is distinctive, representing unique aspects of Nabokov's creative process, offering a fresh perspective on understanding the master novelist.
"Since Shakespeare, no other writer has cast and used language with such agility, wit, and creativity," commented the Daily Mail. Updike praised him, saying, "The power of imagination has rarely found a more vibrant voice."
A masterful novelist's technique, a dark and turbulent allegory of the present, the echo of a lifetime's memory. Welcome to the world of Nabokov's fiction. If words can evoke the purest sensory enjoyment, nothing else can do it.

2019-05-01

上海译文出版社

446

9787532780709