Vladimir Nabokov as an Author-Translator: Writing and Translating between Russian, English and French

This book explores Vladimir Nabokov's writings, highlighting the influence of three cultures and languages: Russian, English, and French. It emphasizes his dual role as an author and translator and the importance of French in his work. It also discusses his encounters with pseudotranslation and how they shaped his practice. The book argues that Nabokov's collaborative translations in French should be reconsidered as mediated self-translations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book delves into the intricate and multifaceted nature of Vladimir Nabokov's writings, highlighting their profound translational and transnational dimensions. It argues that all of Nabokov's work is unified by the enduring presence of three cultures and languages: Russian, English, and French. In particular, Julie Loison-Charles focuses on Nabokov's dual role as both an author and a translator, exploring how translation permeates his fictional writing from his early Russian works to his final novels in English. While self-translation has received significant attention in Nabokov criticism, this book takes a broader perspective, considering Nabokov's work as an author-translator, with a particular emphasis on his often overlooked and underestimated third language: French.

Through her examination of Nabokov's encounters with pseudotranslation, Julie Loison-Charles demonstrates the profound influence this experience had on his practice as both a translator and a writer. She argues that this encounter played a crucial role in his ability to forge connections between the literary traditions of Europe, Russia, and America. The book further triangulates Nabokov's practice and theory of translation with those of Chateaubriand and Venuti to shed light on his transnational vision of literature and his ethical principles of translation.

In conclusion, this book offers a fresh and insightful perspective on Nabokov's writings, challenging traditional interpretations and highlighting the profound impact of translation on his artistic process. It provides a valuable contribution to the field of Nabokov studies and offers valuable insights into the complexities of translational practices and the transnational nature of literature.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350243286