Should Nabokov’s final manuscript be destroyed?

Ron Rosenbaum, who has thought deeply and written lengthily about his obsessions and insights regarding the work of Vladmir Nabokov has a piece in Slate where he weighs in on the dilemma facing Nabokov’s son Dmitri as to whether he should follow his father’s wishes and destroy the notes made for a never finished novel called “The Original of Laura” OR leave them for posterity. After revealing his own mixed feelings on the subject, and Dmitry Nabokov’s own inclination to destroy them, Rosenbaum opens it up to the audience to make their own choice, here.

My own vote is to preserve the mansucript — if Nabokov had wanted to destroy the manuscript he should have done so. Too late now. Will it in any way diminish the master’s oeuvre? I doubt it. Will, as Dmitry fears, give fodder for a bunch of Nabokov parasites to declaim about the work — no doubt. So what?

Kafka wanted Max Brod to burn his manuscripts. Thank goodness he didn’t.

This is no longer Vladmir Nabokov’s decision. I would argue that it isn’t even Dmitry’s anymore (although I know, legally, it is) — the manuscript exists. Let it go.

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