Un revólver para salir de noche

by Monika Zgustová

Continuando con su particular aproximación a la mujer en el siglo xx, esta vez Monika Zgustova centra su atención en Véra Nabokov, la mujer que acompañó al escritor Vladimir Nabokov durante toda su vida. Véra es un ejemplo diáfano de la mujer que, consciente de que comparte su existencia con un hombre extraordinario, decide convertir en su razón de ser el éxito de su marido. Véra es la primera lectora de los textos de Vladimir, quien los pasa a limpio y los prepara para su edición. Organiza la vida de los Nabokov en el exilio, primero en Berlín, luego en París y finalmente en Estados Unidos, donde convence a su esposo de que pase a escribir en inglés y se centre en las novelas, hasta su regreso a Europa, cuando se establecen en Suiza. Lleva las finanzas de la familia y negocia los contratos de los libros, las adaptaciones cinematográficas, los contratos en las publicaciones periódicas. Pero también pretende controlar las amistades de Vladimir, sobre todo las femeninas, hasta el punto de asistir a las clases de su marido en la universidad como una alumna más. Y por otro lado, ¿hubiera sido Nabokov uno de los más grandes escritores del siglo xx sin Véra? La pregunta surge ineludible: ¿era Véra una mujer independiente, como ella se consideraba a sí misma, o su vida dependía en todo y para todo de la de su marido? La novela se adentra asimismo en las relaciones de Nabokov con otras mujeres, a pesar del férreo control de Véra, y lo que representaron para Nabokov y su obra.

Genres: Historical Fiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Monika Zgustová es una escritora y traductora checo-española. Los temas de su obra de ficción giran alrededor del exilio, la pérdida de la identidad y la vida íntima de las personas en tiempos del totalitarismo.

Reviews

[Kalliope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by one of the sellers in the bookshop that had to shut down due to the Covid Pandemic I mentioned this Covid casualty in my review of La tregua. Amongst other attractions, this bookshop had a wide choice of Russian literature.

When approaching this book (novel? biography?) it is relevant to know that Zgustova is a Czech translator who lives in Spain. She translates both from Russian and the Czech (Hrabal, Hasek, Havel, Ajmatova and Tsvetaieva..) but writes her own books also. This is my first by her and it belongs to a sort of series that she is dedicated to women of the twentieth century (with Gala, Dalís wife, and Allilúyeva, Stalin’s daughter amongst those).

And I think this is relevant because when presenting us this narration on the Nabokovs, I felt that Zgustová was very conscious of both of her own word and of the whole Nabokov works – and his life. I have read in the past the brilliant Speak Memory and while reading this I felt I wanted to revisit Nabokov’s own account of his life, although the autobiography stops around 1940, when the writer moved to the US.

Hard for me now is to identify what exactly glued me to this account. Was it curiosity about Nabokov’s creative genius, about the life of an emigré, about the links between his life and his works, because, as the novel begins, the Nabokov of this book felt that whenever he included an element of his life into his fiction, that element dissolved somewhat out of his life and acquired a greater solidity in his fictional world. Or was it because, simply, Zgustová’s prose flows very smoothly?

The novel has four parts of very unequal length and it jumps backwards and forwards in its chronology and concentrates each part in a different character or element: Vladimir, Irina, Véra and The Gun. Of course, Vladimir is the centre, his genius, his works, his teachings, and we meet him in 1977 some time prior to his death, when he is writing Laura – manuscript which he left unfinished. Irina Guadagnini, a Russian with an Italian grandfather, and who was Nabokov’s lover in Paris, makes her appearance in 1937. In the third, called Nocturne, we follow Nabokov’s wife Véra as she drives back during a night in 1990, from New York back to Boston after watching her son Dmitri sing in the Metropolitan opera in The Marriage of Figaro. The last part, in 1990 in Montreux, we are left with that Gun, charged, which Véra always carried in her handbag, no matter what.

What emerges out of this account is the formidable personality of Véra. The woman who pulled the strings of the writer in her husband – forbidding him to write poetry and / or short stories, since those would not sell; who precluded the involvement of editors; who realized that the newspaper stories on the car mechanic Frank Lasalle and his abduction of the eleven year old Sally Horner, would tickle readers; and who also decided that Vladimir had to be moved out of his beloved United States to a place where she could better control him.

She also, very astutely, knew how to handle her husband’s affair with this Irina, the very elegant beautiful woman with eyes like the sea, by issuing an ultimatum formulated in such a way that Vladimir would really have no choice but to just stay with her, Véra, and with Dmitri--and keep writing.

And so, when Véra was faced with the interjection from a friend that she was Countess Almaviva – ‘the wife of a notorious seducer’, she, confidently replied that ‘she was the successful woman who has made her husband famous’. She certainly liked then to display her trophies: her pearls and her fur coat.

This book then has left me with, on the one hand, an ardour to read more of Nabokov’s works, and on the other, with an impression of a redoubtable Véra for whom it is not easy to feel empathy. But if not empathy, at least gratefulness. Had she not stopped the Irina with the piercing blue eyes, we probably would not have Lolita.

But then, it is hard to say whether this account is just a smoking gun or whether there is stronger evidence.

[adre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Después de tres verano cogiendo este libro y volviéndolo a dejar en la estantería puedo decir que lo he acabado.

[Ivette Yanez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Te venden el libro como si fuera a redimir o edificar la figura de la esposa de Nábokov (no que yo supiera mucho de ella antes) y terminan con medio libro contado desde la voz de él y luego presentándote a una mujer medio histérica, celosa, controladora hasta la muerte (literal) y medio loca. Una doña sin talento pero de armas tomar... ok. Puede ser, pero ¿y su humanidad? ¿la retratan en el miedo que demuestra el haber cargado co un révolver a donde fuera? Nah. Lo terminé porque estaba cortito pero meh.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

No está mal, pero realmente la novela no se "centra en Véra Nabokov", sino en Véra orbitando alrededor de la figura de su marido, y después su hijo. Casi diría que habla más de Irina Guadagnini que de la propia Véra, y no me importaría si esto fuera una aproximación general a Vladimir Nabokov y sus relaciones amorosas, pero... se supone que no lo es, que se centra en Véra. Con lo cual, he tenido la impresión constante de que la promesa del libro no se terminaba de cumplir.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed how steely Vera was and also gleefully wrestled in armchair quarterback style whether keeping a wild bird in a cage as she seemed to have done to Vladimir is worth the self-sacrifice and vigilance.

Last, I found it thrilling to discover the impetus for the novel Lolita (you’ll be surprised!) as well as the eavesdropping Zgustova allows us to do on this complex, famous couple.

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good novel, and even readers unfamiliar with Nabokov would probably appreciate it. In the same way, years ago I thoroughly enjoyed Nabokov's (autobiographical) character Timofey Pnin, to the point of regaling friends with anecdotes about his understandable goofs with English as a second language (e.g., saying he'd been shot instead of fired).

I suppose Monika Zgustová gleaned much of the material for this story from correspondence and diary entries, which adds to my appreciation for what she has done. That sort of thing can be pretty dry on the surface, and imagination and extrapolation would be needed to turn it into the touching narrative she has given us.

Then there is the artful way she has arranged it.

Part I of the novel is mostly set in the spring of 1977, when Nabokov was 78 years old and living in Switzerland. His 43-year-old son Dmitri, a successful opera singer, goes out for the evening without the overcoat recommended by Véra, his mother and Nabokov's wife of 50+ years. Dmitri catches cold and while sick tries to keep apart from his elderly parents. Véra, however, insists on caring for him and she too falls ill. Then Volodia gets the bug, and it hits him particularly hard, leading several weeks later to his death.

But this sequence of events is broken up with multiple flashbacks. We see the young author, recently exiled from his native Russia, making his way in Berlin and other European cities. Even in 1923 he has already achieved renown as a poet. He is also something of a ladies man, having had at least one serious relationship before leaving Russia and another one that has just ended (because the girl's parents "did not look favorably on the courtship of a poor writer"). Véra, the story's main character, has had her eye on him, and now that he is unattached she makes her move.

There are brief glimpses of other times, suggesting random flashes of memory—of Nabokov's boyhood in Russia; of the almost-too-late departure from Europe he, Véra, and their little boy make in 1940 (Véra being Jewish); and of a strong attachment in the 1930s with another woman, named Irina. At that time he was more or less happily married, and a father, and there could be no good outcome for that affair. Nevertheless, the heartbreak of giving her up is still with him decades later.

Irina is the subject of Part II. It's told partly from her point of view, partly from Vladimir's, but the center of the action is with Véra. Upon learning that he is still corresponding with this other woman, "She was cold and dismissive. She addressed him as if he were trash." She gave the impression of not caring if he stayed or went. But she made damned sure the two of them could have no further contact.

I won't summarize the entire novel, but it's both an insightful look into the life of a very great author and a story that, as I said above, could work just as well as pure fiction. Véra is an exceedingly strong character. We learn she "had been ambitious from a very young age. She wanted to do something great with her life although she didn't know what. She knew she didn't have any artistic talent and lacked creative genius." So she made Vladimir's success her lifelong project, insisting for example that he write in English because doing so would ensure he had more readers.

I was reminded very much of a biography of Fritz Kreisler. Like Nabokov, Kreisler was a rare genius. Also like Nabokov, he had weaknesses that might have prevented him from achieving real fame had it not been for a hard-headed spouse who "saved him."

Was she overbearing and controlling? Looks that way. Still, in an interview at the end of his own life, Dmitri said, "My mother did more for my father as a person and a writer than anyone else in the world could have."

By the way, regarding the revolver in the book's title there's no Chekhovian rationale, by which I mean the gun is never fired or even brandished. However, I guess the fact that Véra did carry a loaded gun in her pocketbook is evidence that this gal did not intend to mess around.

[Patricia G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nabokov y Véra. Sería una historia bonita si no estuviera plagada de dolor debido a las infidelidades por parte de él.

“No voy a esconderlo -fueron las primeras palabras que le dirigió, no estoy nada acostumbrado a que alguien me entienda, pongámoslo así. Es algo tan poco habitual para mí, que en los primeros momentos pensé que se trataba de una broma, de un extraño truco producto del baile de disfraces.
En cambio luego... Hay cosas que cuestan de explicar, porque cuando las rozas con las palabras, desaparece su polen mágico. Sí, te necesito, mi cuento de hadas... Porque eres la única persona con la que puedo hablar sobre la sombra de una nube, sobre la melodía de una idea y sobre cómo hoy, mientras iba a trabajar, he mirado un girasol a la cara y él me ha sonreído con todas sus semillas”.

[Susana Ory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hubo un tiempo en que me leía todo lo de Nabokov que pillaba; hoy día se me ha olvidado todo lo que me leí, pero algo de curiosidad me debió de quedar para leerme éste sobre su relación con su esposa, tanto en lo artístico como en otras facetas, principalmente "vladimir, vera y sus cuernos reales e imaginarios". El problema de las novelas sobre personajes reales es la difusa frontera entre realidad y ficción.

[Adrián · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una mugre. Perdón por lo categórico, pero es casi una estafa. La contratapa dice que pertenece a una colección sobre mujeres del siglo xx y es justamente lo contrario, un libro que deja completamente de lado a Véra Nabokov. Incluso, se podría decir que la aparición de Véra es anecdótica.

En resumen: la contratapa cuenta más de Véra Nobokov que el libro mismo.

[Adriana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sentí que perdía fuerza conforme avanzaba. No logré conectar con Vera ni con Volodia. Al final sólo me quedó la imagen del hijo roto. Si la idea era dejar claro que Vera hacía todo por Vladimir, está lograda.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zgustova convincingly conveys the interaction of memory, art, and motivation whether or not it is historical. Her provocative, psychological portrait of a remarkable woman and the man she helped steer toward greatness is presented in just 150 pages, interspersed with a number of quiet scenes. It is an engrossing, subtle depiction of the life of Véra Nabokov, who devoted herself to furthering her husband's literary career and was instrumental in the composition of his best-known works.

In many ways, Véra Nabokov (1902–1991) was the quintessential wife of a great man: she was acutely aware of her husband's extraordinary talent and made his success her ultimate goal throughout their fifty-two-year marriage until his death in 1977. Véra worked as an editor and typist and was the first person to read his texts. She organized their life in exile, organizing trips to Berlin, Paris, Switzerland, and most importantly, the US, where she persuaded Vladimir to concentrate on writing novels in English. She managed the family's finances and contract negotiations, and she even went so far as to audit his classes.

Monika Zgustova immerses us in the everyday lives of this extraordinary couple in this rich, expansive book, providing insights into their intricate personal and professional relationships as well as the real people who lie behind characters like Lolita. Though Véra prided herself on being independent, was she really that much of an independent woman given how much room her husband occupied? Might Nabokov have emerged as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century without Véra?

[Iz Blank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detrás de todo gran hombre hay una gran mujer -- La biografía novelada de la esposa del autor de “Lolita”
En esta espléndida biografía novelada, nos adentramos en la vida y pensamientos de Véra y Vladimir Nabokov (autor de LOLITA). Juntos componen uno de los matrimonios literarios más famosos del siglo XX y Mónika Zgustova hábilmente explora sus diferentes perspectivas frente a los mismos acontecimientos, alternándolos como narradores. Y así descubrimos como Véra, nuestra protagonista, desarrolla un amor calculado, premeditado y controlador, pero a la vez lleno de entrega y comprensión, y vemos como ella decide dedicar su vida entera a convertir a su marido en el célebre autor que conocemos.

[UMS · Rating 3 out of 5]

No ha sido lo que esperaba. Probablemente error mío, ya que el libro es entretenido, por lo menos a ratos

[Reid Page-McTurner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average. How you can write about Nabokov with such passive detachment is a feat in itself

[Gudrun Palomino · Rating 2 out of 5]

No sé si era porque tenía muchas expectativas sobre el libro, pero a veces se me ha hecho lento. Mejora en el cuarto capítulo.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well basically Vera in this book thinks her husband (the guy who wrote Lolita) is an enlightened genius. She supports him in his writing career and has a gun in her purse to remind him who is boss. It didn't deter him from cheating. I'm not convinced her husband cared that much about she felt. I really liked the writing style. Many thanks to the translator!

[Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un llibre que ens aproxima la potent influència de Vera Slónim, en l'obra de Vladimir Nabokov. El matrimoni lliga el geni de l'escriptor amb una dona incansable i intel·ligent que abocarà tota la seva vida a vetllar pel seu èxit.
Vera controlarà de manera fèrria l'apassionament de Vladimir envers les dones i emprarà la coacció familiar per forçar el seu trencament amb l´Irina Guadagnini, l'amor inoblidable de l'escriptor.

La novel.la s'estructura en quatre parts que jugant aleatòriament amb el temps, reconstrueixen les biografies dels tres protagonistes principals: Vladimir, Vera i Irina. Els inicis, l'èxit i les renúncies tenen com a cloenda la fragilitat inexorable que porta el pas del temps malgrat la màscara de fortalesa amb què s'hi fa front:

(Vera) "(...)Només de tant en tant veia en alguna mirada un centelleig de comprensió per aquella reserva seva amb què mirava d'amagar la dona fràgil i vulnerable en la qual s'havia convertit per primer cop en la seva vida" (pàg 146).

(Dimitri, fill del matrimoni Nabokov) "(...) Va recordar que un dia el seu pare l'havia explicat que la paraula grega per és psyché, igual que per <ánima> i que els grecs antics creien que la psyché sortia volant de la boca de qui mor com una papallona (...) (pàg 66)

[Kendra Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was barely twenty I dated this guy and briefly we lived with his parents. They were nice people and exceptionally nice to me. His father was incredibly well educated (so was his mother but his father is the important one to this story) and loved to pass on his knowledge. I love and have always loved to learn and the more esoteric the better so this largely worked out well for me. The only issue was that my ex’s father would get on a subject that was related to but slightly off what the original topic was. For example once when he started talking about river systems in general he landed on levees. And he stayed in levees. For days. He gave me a book to read and we reconvened and talked about it and let me tell you I learned about levees. When Katrina happened I was able to talk about it all profusely and with ease. While Im grateful for that information and literally any knowledge this incredibly smart man wanted to pass my way I am also sad that my original question was never answered by him. That is what reading this book was like. I wanted to know about Véra and I got a lot of information about Vladimir Nabokov and his general impression of his wife.

[Manel Haro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela sencilla pero bastante emotiva sobre Nabokov y su esposa. A mí me ha gustado bastante, quizá quitaría alguna escena un tanto artificial, pero, en general, te acerca muy bien a la personalidad de Nabokov y a su relación con Vera.

[Dymbula · Rating 4 out of 5]

OPříjemné čtení, dobrá doplňková četba k Nabokovi. Jen Lolita prostě nestačí.