Speak, Memory
An Autobiography Revisited
by Vladimir Nabokov · first published 1951
43% recommend57% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Lyrical, precise memoir known for its sensory prose and the author's command of English. It stands as a pinnacle of the form and offers a good entry point into Nabokov's work.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Speak, Memory is an autobiographical memoir by writer Vladimir Nabokov. The book includes individual essays published between 1936 and 1951 to create the first edition in 1951. Nabokov's revised and extended edition appeared in 1966. (Wikipedia)
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Thanks for sharing this. I'll never forget reading Speak Memory. (!) The opening sentences or somewhere near the opening ones concerned Nabokov's meditation on death and birth and how alike they are. He talked about how strange it is that before we are born, we aren't…
on “A forgotten theory of dreams that inspired Vladimir Nabokov” ↗Off the top of my head: The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by D.F. Wallace Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov Anything by John McPhee Edit: formatting
on “Ask HN: Non fiction books in English well-written?” ↗…any of his books? I read a lot of Nabokov beginning in high school and continuing into my university studies (when I was initially a Russian language major). Nabokov is very interesting to read. I like Speak, Memory http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Memory-Everymans-Library-Cloth/d... and his essays on literary criticism (which I'm not turning up just now as I do an Amazon search, but which you should be able to find…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗River-Horse, William Least-Heat Moon. It's a wonderful account of a classically idiosyncratic journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through the waterways of North America. Speak, Memory, Vladimir Nabokov. The pinnacle of the memoirist's art. I find it nearly uncreditable, Nabokov's facility with English, his 5th language. Lyonesse, Jack Vance. Vance is the greatest stylist in 20th century…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…reading Nabokov. You expect to read a story and you are entirely bowled over by the sensory aspect of his language. Even though Lolita is his most popular work, he has written so much more. Pale Fire, Speak, Memory, Real life of Sebastian Knight.. 2. My second thought is that authors who are non native English speakers/writers have remarkably rich vocabulary that is super descriptive. English is not a voluptuous…
on “How to Be a Professional Author and Not Die Screaming and Starving” ↗…Fire", but perhaps does not stress sufficiently that, like Dick's novels, it is very, very funny (and tragic); if you haven't read it (and others like "Lolita" and "Pnin" and his autobiographical work, "Speak Memory"), you owe it to yourself to do so! At the least, you will have some laughs.
on “2049 and the dreams of Philip K. Dick” ↗The first paragraph of Nabokov’s memoir Speak, Memory. “The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Although the two are identical twins, man, as a rule,…
on “Ask HN: What do you think is all this? (this reality, existence, space-time, us)” ↗His criticisms of Dostoyesky do not sit well. I've read several of Nabokov's books -- Lolita, Pale Fire, Speak Memory, The Defense, and Invitation to a Beheading. The last 2 are highly recommended and in general the works originally written in Russian are underrated. Nabokov's character development and psychological…
on “The Meanest Things Vladimir Nabokov Said About Other Writers” ↗…the impression that the only meaningful interpretation of dreams has to be made by the dreamer I don't believe that is the case. Jung himself made a delicious mis-interpretation of his dream -- it's in Speak Memory -- that fully exposed his blindspot in terms of self assessment. (In the dream, Jung enters the center of the circle and lectures (lol) the white haired dude in the center. I always found that very amusing…
on “Dreamore AI, the #1 dream interpretation app” ↗…He's at his best when the cleverness and the romanticism are equally matched and the tension between them has the most energy. People say the sentimental side comes through more strongly in his memoir (Speak, Memory) but I haven't read that one.
on “By the book: reflections on an Indian childhood reading Soviet hardbacks” ↗His writing is fine. It ain't Speak, Memory but it's pleasantly spare and there's no awkwardness. I don't see Paul Graham or SSC expounding novel ideas. I enjoy SSC more too, mainly because it's funnier and I'm interested in the same kind of…
on “An interview with Paul Graham on writing” ↗LLMs totally do, and the fact can be confirmed by experiment. See "Speak, Memory: An Archaeology of Books Known to ChatGPT/GPT-4": https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00118
on “Please don’t upload my code on GitHub” ↗For detailed investigation of this phenomenon, see Speak, Memory: An Archaeology of Books Known to ChatGPT/GPT-4: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00118
on “Japan Goes All In: Copyright Doesn’t Apply to AI Training” ↗It is sandwiched between Pnin and Speak, Memory But I really love Invitation to a Beheading. he wrote in three languages!
on “Don't be terrified of Pale Fire” ↗I did not know that, I have not read The Gift, will do now. I read Nabakov's biography (my version Speak, Memory) and do not remember him mentioning Chernyshevsky there either. I will re-read. Thank you.
on “What Is To Be Done? The book that helped spark the Russian Revolution” ↗