Apr 05, 2016 nabokov was born in saint petersburg in 1899 and grew up with an attic full of rare and expensive illustrated books on flora and fauna. Where they went and how long they stayed at a location depended on the quality of the catch. The most recent example of nabokovs scientific impact is reported technically in proceedings of the royal society b, 2011 and featured in the new york times. Nabokov, on a book entitled lolita, 1956 1953 to arizona where the weather is too cold and windy for butterfly hunting, in same old oldsmobile, working on the final draft of lolita early april leaving ithaca, new york birmingham, alabama portal, arizona chiricahua mountains, hunting butterflies. Vladimir nabokovs delightful butterfly drawings open culture. Boyd notes that nabokov repeatedly chose the rockies, partly because altitude increases the variety of butterfly species one is likely to encounter and partly because the alpine vegetation reminded him of old russia. Vladimir nabokovs delightful butterfly drawings open. How butterfly genitalia inspired nabokovs masterpieces. Vladimir nabokovs butterfly drawings take flight in this.
Jan 26, 2011 nabokov, who never learned to drive a car, estimated that in the glory years between 1949 and 59, vera drove him more than 150,000 miles all over north america, mostly on butterfly trips. Nabokovs butterflies is a book edited and annotated by brian boyd and robert michael pyle that examines and presents vladimir nabokovs passion for. Jan 25, 2011 a male acmon blue butterfly icaricia acmon. Smith miller miller, in their book on the butterflies of the west indies and south florida 1994, demoted it to subspecific rank, making it a local race of cyclargus ammon lucas, the type species of cyclargus.
Most represent the european, asian and american species of the blues of the. In another case, nabokov had described the karner blue as a seperate species while other authorities later classified it as a subspecies of the mellisa blue. The genus nabokovia was named after him in honor of this work, as were a number of butterfly and moth species e. May 26, 2016 in nabokovs day, this was added to species names to note when an examination of genitalia showed that a blue resembling a wellknown species was actually something else.
Nabokovs butterflies is a book edited and annotated by brian boyd and robert michael pyle that examines and presents vladimir nabokovs passion for butterflies in his literary presentation the book contains a chapter by boyd discussing the literary treatment of butterflies in vns work labeled nabokov, literature, lepidoptera, a chapter by pyle to assess vns standing as a. Nabokovs butterfly is a short but delightful book about some of rick gekoskis most memorable moments as a rare book dealer and collector. So apparently, nabokovs penchant for insects began at. The book also contains an addendum compiled by pyle that lists butterflies described by vn and butterflies named after him. He began to master the volumes on butterfliesernst. The pages of nabokovs fictional work flutter with 570 mentions of butterflies and entomologists have now named over 20 species of butterfly after characters from his novels. The book will be of inherent interest to nabokov fans, but blackwell. Fine lines, a new book out this week from yale university press. Note edit the above book is not to be confused with nabokovs butterfly, a book isbn 0786714522 by rick gekosi, a bibliophile, who recounts his experiences in the collection and sale of rare books. The main collection of nabokovs writings on butterflies is brian boyd and robert michael pyle, eds. As a synesthete, he associated colors with each letter. Author and passionate lepidopterist vladimir nabokov once said. Ironically, it was nabokovs literary importance and notoriety that drew disdain from the very community that he so desired to be apart of.
With profits from the novel and the film, nabokov was able to quit teaching and devote himself entirely to his writing and butterfly hunting. For more information on nabokov s butterflies, see book news, feb. Nabokov has also drawn a large butterfly in several colors. An avid collector of butterflies, nabokov was especially fond of one species with yellow wings and a black body.
You wont get the narrative read of nabokovs scientific career as so aptly written by johnson and coates last year, but this is different fare the hard stuff letters, excerpts, drawings. I particularly enjoyed the segments where gekoski describes his personal friendships and contacts with some of the authors. In a speculative moment in 1945, he came up with a sweeping hypothesis for the evolution the. Vladimir nabokovs butterfly art in pictures books the guardian.
But in 2000, out came the 782page nabokovs butterflies, which collects, as its coeditor brian boyd writes in the atlantic, his astonishingly diverse writing about butterflies, whether scientific or artistic, published or unpublished, carefully finished or roughly sketched, in poems, stories, novels, memoirs, scientific papers, lectures, notes, diaries, letters, interviews, dreams. Specimens collected by the author of lolita and selftaught lepidopterist exhibited in his childhood home. His first pro posal of a name for an unfamiliar variety, sent to. Butterflies and moths bearing nabokovs name genera, species and subspecies named by nabokov page 1 of 3. The holotype is at the natural history museum in london.
Last year a beautiful book became available that was apparently missed by many. But one of the best places to find many different species of butterflies congregating at one time was at nosebleedhigh altitudes along the. His scientific drawings and watercolours of butterflies have now been. Well, i thought, maybe it is a sign i should write a blog post on nabokov and butterflies, and here it is. Ada, the title character, has a fascination with fritillaries and it is her fantasy to raise all of the known species. Literature and butterflies are the two sweetest passions known to man. The book includes poems, letters, diary entries, interviews, and technical articles that combine the authors passions for science and literature. Nabokov spent much of the 1940s dissecting a confusing group of species called polyommatus blues. Discover nabokov s butterflies in saint petersburg, russia. The main book on nabokovs scientific impact up to 1999 is kurt johnson and steven l. He developed forwardthinking ways to classifying the butterflies, based on differences in their. An animated look at vladimir nabokovs passion for butterfly. Vladimir nabokovs scientific butterfly illustrations.
Vladimir nabokov and butterflies butterfly conservation ireland. In nabokovs afterward to his novel on a book entitled lolita, he mentions two important facts that are essential in understanding the appearance of butterflies in the work. The species is called the karner blue, and its got a very limited habitatthe butterfly is endangered. I walk from 12 to 18 miles a day, he writes in a letter mailed in july of 1943, wearing only shorts and tennis shoes always a cold wind blowing in this particular canon. In pnin, nabokov features some of the butterfly species he did work on. Johnson set about reviving nabokovs classification and found it to be substantially correct. Nabokovs butterflies is a beautiful book, from the feel of the paper to the careful design. Nabokov theory on butterfly evolution is vindicated. These differing perspectives and more are collected in a new book, fine lines, which examines nabokovs work as a lepidopterist. Nabokov was born on 22 april 1899 10 april 1899 old style, in saint petersburg, to a wealthy and prominent family of the russian nobility that traced its roots to the 14thcentury tatar prince nabok murza, who entered into the service of the tsars, and from whom the family name is derived 16 his father was the liberal lawyer, statesman, and journalist vladimir dmitrievich nabokov. Kurt johnson, author of nabokovs blues, identifies the four overlapping butterflies as north american species, reflecting the journey across the u. New hampshire lepidophiles raise rare butterfly species. Jul 09, 20 young vladimir nabokov with a butterfly book. Jan 30, 2018 today, when bryce mentioned that nabokov really liked butterflies, i was reminded of the butterfly blanket in my locker.
Jul 01, 2000 pick up this book, open it to any page and begin reading. Nabokovs blues is johnsons attempt to write the famous novelist back into the history of science, quite literally by naming new species of butterflies after characters from his books, but more. Vladimir nabokov and butterflies butterfly conservation. The relationship of butterflies to lolita ive written before about vladimir nabokovs credentials as an entomologist. Vladimir nabokovs butterfly art in pictures books the. Besides photographs of nabokov there are also the masters drawings of butterflies, ranging from marginal doodles to carefully coloured drawings a stunning collection even without the accompanying text. Jan 30, 2011 vladimir nabokov is best known for penning classics like lolita and pale fire, but he was also pretty handy with a butterfly net nabokov was a talented amateur lepidopterist. How butterfly genitalia inspired nabokovs masterpieces facts so.
Maybe it was because of length, numbering some eight hundred pages. A first edition of ulysses sold for 460,000 in auction at chris. At the end of vladimir nabokov s poem pale fire, he describes how white butterflies turn lavender as they pass through its shade where gently seems to sway the phantom of my little daughter. Nabokov also wrote the screenplay the script for a movie for the 1962 movie version of the book. Nabokov proposed that the species had evolved from an asian species over millions of years. The volume publishes 148 of the authors original butterfly. We decided we finally needed a nabokov category since we mention him so often. Resources relating to vns interest in butterflies and moths.
Jun 30, 2016 vladimir nabokovs scientific butterfly illustrations. Jun 01, 2016 vladimir nabokovs butterfly drawings take flight in this new book. A 1941 family road trip along route 66 planted the seeds for vladimir nabokovs novel lolita it also enriched the american museum of natural historys butterfly collection by some 300 north american specimens the author, an avid amateur lepidopterist, indulged his hobby along the. His memoir, speak, memory, tells of his early life in russia. Vladimir nabokovs butterfly drawings take flight in this new book. A 1941 family road trip along route 66 planted the seeds for vladimir nabokovs novel lolita.
Nabokovs butterflies saint petersburg, russia atlas obscura. The highways and roadside motels of preinterstate america provided the backdrop for literary giant vladimir nabokovs famous novel lolita. Except as otherwise noted, all butterfly illustrations are by william h. From laughter, a poem as lovely and delicate as the azure it honors, to the detailed drawings, artistic renderings, and delightful writings, it soon becomes obvious that nabokov saw a universe in a butterflys wing. Vladimir nabokov is best known for penning classics like lolita and pale fire, but he was also pretty handy with a butterfly net nabokov was a. But they were also prime collecting grounds for nabokovs great passion, lepidopterologythe study of moths and butterflies. Nabokovs butterflies saint petersburg, russia atlas. Feb 01, 2011 nabokov spent much of the 1940s dissecting a confusing group of species called polyommatus blues. Allen lanepenguin, 2001, paperback penguin 2000, 782pp. After making many detailed observations of these north american butterflies, nabokov proposed that the species had evolved from an asian species over millions of.
May 24, 2016 these differing perspectives and more are collected in a new book, fine lines, which examines nabokovs work as a lepidopterist. Not even a nabokov obsessed taxonomist would want to read this collection from start to finish. Vladimir nabokov, butterfly illustrator the new yorker. Vladimir nabokov began collecting lepidoptera at the age of seven. Unnamed butterfly from a copy of king, queen, knave. The scientific odyssey of a literary genius cambridge, mass zoland, 1999. In 1944, for example, nabokov published the first description of the karner blue, a rare butterfly that lives in the northeastern united states. Nabokov had dreamed since the age of seven of catching a new species of butterfly, and here at last, on july 20 and 22, 1938, at a height of 4,000 feet, he caught two specimens of a butterfly that. Nabokov predicted that it would also be found on cuba. Nabokovs blues is johnsons attempt to write the famous novelist back into the history of science, quite literally by naming new species of butterflies. The eccentric russian novelist chasing butterfliesthe signature image of vladimir nabokov in americacame to beguile millions.
Apr 06, 2020 in 1944, for example, nabokov published the first description of the karner blue, a rare butterfly that lives in the northeastern united states. Nabokov named the title character in part after his favorite butterfly. When nabokov passed away in 1977, the threat facing the karner blue was not entirely obvious, but today the threat of its extinction is very real. Butterflies motivated his parallel career in science, culminating in a thenignored. Nabokov, who never learned to drive a car, estimated that in the glory years between 1949 and 59, vera drove him more than 150,000 miles all over north america, mostly on butterfly trips. It also enriched the american museum of natural historys butterfly collection by some 300 north american specimens. A drawing by vladimir nabokov of the wing of a karner blue, a butterfly species that he discovered and named in 1944. So apparently, nabokov s penchant for insects began at an early age. The lovely red admiral butterfly was playfully called the red admirable by nabokov, and he also notes that in tsarist russia, it was known as the butterfly of doom because large numbers of them were on wing the year tsar alexander ii was assassinated. In nabokovs day, this was added to species names to note when an examination of genitalia showed that a blue resembling a wellknown species. Yes, this book is the perfect companion to nabokovs blues and the stories of lepidoptera spun in nabokovs own speak, memory and strong opinions. The image of nabokov pinning butterflies down in some cheesy motel while working out lolita is an image that sticks with me. Vladimir nabokovs butterfly drawings take flight in this new.
Jan 02, 2014 the relationship of butterflies to lolita ive written before about vladimir nabokovs credentials as an entomologist. Vladimir nabokov described the icaricia genus in 1944. Mar 23, 2016 a drawing by vladimir nabokov of the wing of a karner blue, a butterfly species that he discovered and named in 1944. The book begins with 154 of nabokovs blackandwhite and colour drawings of butterflies fine anatomical structures. Howe, who generously allowed them to be reproduced here. Butterflies prompted nabokovs travels across the united states, exposing him to the culture and physical environment that he would transform into his bestknown novel, lolita. They play a minor role, but i bet one could draw important parallels between the ecology of these butterflies and the story of the main character of the novel. T he life and work of the novelist vladimir nabokov referenced many symbols, none so much as the butterfly.
Ada vladimir nabokov first edition signed rare butterfly. Vladimir nabokov biography life, family, children, parents. Today, when bryce mentioned that nabokov really liked butterflies, i was reminded of the butterfly blanket in my locker. Excerpts from a guide to nabokovs butterflies and moths by dieter e. In nabokovs day, this was added to species names to note when an. He was the curator of lepidoptera at the museum of comparative zoology at harvard university, and he correctly postulated how the populations of blue butterflies like the karner blue above migrated from asia to the americas. But in 2000, out came the 782page nabokov s butterflies, which collects, as its coeditor brian boyd writes in the atlantic, his astonishingly diverse writing about butterflies, whether scientific or artistic, published or unpublished, carefully finished or roughly sketched, in poems, stories, novels, memoirs, scientific papers, lectures, notes, diaries, letters, interviews, dreams. Nabokov had dreamed since the age of seven of catching a new species of butterfly, and here at last, on july 20 and 22, 1938, at a height of 4,000 feet, he caught two specimens of a. Athers butterflies, the longest piece of nabokov fiction to have. Discover nabokovs butterflies in saint petersburg, russia. Nabokov was born in saint petersburg in 1899 and grew up with an attic full of rare and expensive illustrated books on flora and fauna. Discovering a new species became his fondest fantasy.
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