Nabokov was born again. And then died.

Most everyone worth their weight in words has read Vladimir Nabakov's 'Lolita.' Some are titillated by the first section of the book, when Humbert Humbert reveals his past, discovers Lolita and "pursues" a love affair with her. Some are bored by the second section, the long and dull road trip, images blurring together with no apparent character or story development. And some are shocked by the final part of the book, the bizarre noir shoot-out between two old men, surreal in its awkwardness. Probably most readers appreciate Nabakov's complex multi-lingual double entendres and invented vocabulary, to the extent that we're aware of them. And a few readers probably are ultimately frustrated by Nabokov's phallocentricity, eurocentricity and overall snideness.

Whatever your response, 'Lolita' holds a unique appeal to young American readers. And just when you thought you'd never experience the same gamut of emotions evoked by a single piece of fiction, McSweeney's up and published a book in 2007 called 'Bowl of Cherries ' by the then ninety-year-old screenwriter Millard Kaufman, his debut novel, although he was an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. As you read this first piece of fiction, you realize he's taken the shell of 'Lolita' and poured in his own content. Humbert Humbert is represented as a boy genius, Lolita as a seventeen year old harlot. This does away with Nabakov's "forbidden love" element, but for those of us more interested in writing craft than in the pedophelia, this is actually better. The rest of the book, from a long and boring middle section right down to an almost magically fantastical finale, follows the structure but not the content of Nabokov's oevre.It could be that he idolized Nabakov, as many older men authors do. Or, considering Kaufman's age, it could be that he and Nabakov were moved by the same cultural and literary tides.

Whatever the reason, 'Bowl of Cherries' is good to read, even if you don't end up liking it, exactly. At the very least, I must say it's refreshing to unenthused about a book because I disagree with the writer's literary aesthetic rather than because it's poorly written or just plain stupid, as with all too many books on shelves.

...And then, just when I titled this blog Nabakov has been born again, Millard Kaufman up and dies. Dies! On March 14th the 92 year old passed away of heart failure. May he rest in peace. Guess we can't expect big things from him anymore, but perhaps you can give him posthumus attention by reading 'Bowl of Cherries', and posthumus praise by comparing him to Nabakov. Because for better or worse, a comparison to Nabakov is still praise.

filed under: prose

tags: book reviews bowl of cherries millard kaufman nabakov

1 comments

Comments

brettb921March 27, 2009

nicely done! p.s. someone at GQ magazine (not that I read that garbage) must have been come across your last issue of illiterate (childhood). If you will see GQ March 2009 - pg. 210 you might notice a little piece called "Brotherly Hate" - - I think someone in New York is borrowing some ideas.... one graphic is a kid smashing a television with a huge transformer doll, and the next one is a kid with a lighter and a can of aerosol hairspray... sound fun?

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