The third Asymptote Podcast episode for 2024 explores a chapter in the life of Vladimir Nabokov during his time in the United States (where he became a citizen in 1945). With his spouse, Vera, and son, Dimitri, he travelled across the America West at the dawn of the mid-nineteenth century. It’s estimated that Nabokov chalked up some 150,000 miles of travel by train and automobile, to Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and other destinations in the Western United States. His curiosity for the West was supported by his interest in butterflies. The Russian American writer, known for his novels including Lolita and Pale Fire, was also a dedicated scientist of butterflies (a lepidopterist). Dr. Corrine Scheiner, the Maytag Professor of Comparative Literature at Colorado College, joins Podcast Editor Vincent Hostak in conversation about Nabokov’s twin passions: literature and lepidoptera. She explores how his scientific and aesthetic concerns converged in many of his writings. Dr. Scheiner also discusses, in depth, Nabokov’s work as a translator and his approach to self-translation. The episode was recorded in several locations within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where Nabokov researched and began writing Lolita. She shares readings that are often peppered with his acerbic wit regarding his experience with critics and the art of translation. Of course, the discussion would not be complete without insight from a contemporary lepidopterist. From the conservatory within the Butterfly Pavilion, Shiran Hershcovich provides a unique perspective on the families of butterflies Nabokov likely encountered on his “hunts.” Listen to the podcast now.
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