One of the most exciting things about being in graduate school is the books that fall into my hands simply because I'm surrounded on all sides by artists of all types, shapes, colors and backgrounds. Nabokov's Speak Memory is the latest in this long string of books and novels that I sadly haven't had time to blog about.
Nabokov's (most famous for his epic novel, Lolita) autobiography is unique for this reason; at the age of 66, he sat down and patiently took the time to retrace his entire life, moment by moment, and put it all down in this uniquely crafted collection of observations and musings. He reaches further back into his memory than most of us ever think possible, as a sort of intellectual, almost psychological exercise, and finds himself lost in a vast, intimate world of senses, feelings and emotions.
I find that by simply reading his thoughts (and they're detailed), my own memory is sparked, and my mind unconciously begins to move in the same sort of inward direction, into the past. Every time i put down Speak, Memory, memories of my own come back to me, things I haven't remembered in years! I dont know why that happens, and I dont really question it either. I simply enjoy it. I enjoy how one artists personal experience can relate to anothers, across borders, time, language, and origin.
To share the experience seems like the natural thing to do.
So if you're looking for a good book this summer, a different type of autobiography, I'd recommended this.
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