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by vishkk 575 days ago
Nabokov's recommendations: http://wmjas.wikidot.com/nabokov-s-recommendations

I love Dostoevsky too much and am quite happy in my bias and echo chamber of that—he was one of the writers that I read in my early days, and to date, I feel that he changed a lot in me or resonated so much that I can't explain.

I believe Nietzche said this about him "the only psychologist from whom I had something to learn."

And one of my favorite quotes by him:

For, after all, you do grow up, you do outgrow your ideals, which turn to dust and ashes, which are shattered into fragments; and if you have no other life, you just have to build one up out of these fragments. And all the time your soul is craving and longing for something else. And in vain does the dreamer rummage about in his old dreams, raking them over as though they were a heap of cinders, looking in these cinders for some spark, however tiny, to fan it into a flame so as to warm his chilled blood by it and revive in it all that he held so dear before, all that touched his heart, that made his blood course through his veins, that drew tears from his eyes, and that so splendidly deceived him!”

6 comments

Nabokov would have been an incredible online poster. What an incredible list. Thank you for sharing!
Someone should have A list for Gore Vidal, that would be interesting too.
Great song, thanks. I was also reminded of this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2kWUJkRvVs
to point out what you probably intended, this is appropriately an english version of an early twentieth century russian song.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Were_the_Days_%28song%29

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mMaz70bOd7w

There is a comment there with the lyrics (Cyrillic, yes) (@nickwilde9991)

hahah love it, thank you for sharing!
So he was a computer enthusiast?
Obviously a Hemingway fan.
Oddly, many of his favorites for young people were my favorites when I was young.
Amazing list by Nabokov, and "strong opinions" indeed
This deserves its own post!
Let me do that!