Dmitri's Choice

// added January 18, 2008 // 2 comments //
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http://www.slate.com/id/2181859

Russian author Vladimir Nabokov wanted his final, unfinished work destroyed. Should his son get out the matches?
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    Books,  Literature,  Secrets,  Vladimir Nabokov,  2 more

2 comments // Dmitri's Choice

  • Tori
  • pephillips69
    • 0
      pephillips69  

    • Because he had not been able to make the final corrections to his epic, the Roman poet Publius Vergilus Maro left instructions on his deathbed that his masterpiece, The Aeneid, should be destoyed. The Emperor, and Vergil's patron, Augustus, felt otherwise. As a result, The Aeneid survived and flourished, proving to be one of the most influential poems in Western literature.

      I am not familiar enough with Nabokov's works, especially with the potential significance of his final, unpublished work, to say whether or not his son should indeed carry out his father's wishes. The extent to which the work was left unfinished may be an important factor.

      It is a difficult choice, although Nabokov's son might think about the case of Vergil. He might also think about the case of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, left unfinished by Charles Dickens upon his death. That work was published posthumously, and it has been the source of inspiration for many writers wanting to provide their own ending to the work. That could also be the fate of Nabokov's work, should it be released. Again, it is a difficult decision.

    • 2 years ago
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