日本ナボコフ協会発足にあたって
富士川義之（日本ナボコフ協会会長、1999-2004）
ウラジーミル・ナボコフがロシアのサンクト・ペテルブルグで生まれたのは、1899年のことであります。つまり本年はナボコフ生誕100年にあたり、世界各地でそれを祝う行事や研究集会が開かれています。
たとえば、春にはニューヨークのギャラリーでナボコフ作品の初版本の 展示会があって盛況だったというし、7月初旬には彼の母校の英国ケンブ リッジ大学で大規模な国際研究集会が開かれます。
わが国でもナボコフ生誕100年を記念して、「日本ナボコフ協会 」を設立するはこびになりました。その発足大会が5月15日に東京 大学文学部で行われ、1936年にロシア語で書かれ、後にナボコフ自 身が英訳した短編「フィアルタの春」をめぐって記念シンポジアム が開かれたほか、ロシアで製作されたテレビ映画も上映されました。 一般のナボコフファンを含む約70名の研究者が参加して盛況でした。
ナボコフはまったくユニークな、まことに比類のない作家歴の持主です。ロシア革命をきっかけに亡命したベルリンやパリではロシア語（時にはフランス語）で、40年にアメリカへ移住してからは英語で執筆し、しかも見事な成功をおさめた稀有な作家であります。「一身にして二生を経る」という実に驚嘆すべき生き方を実現した人生の達人だったと言ってよいでしょう。
そのような他に類例のないバイリンガルな作家なので、ロシア語圏ではもっぱらロシア作家として、英語圏では英語作家として長い間遇されがちでした。言いかえれば、ロシア文学者は渡米以前のロシア語時代の作品を主に研究し、英米文学者は渡米後に英語で書かれた『ロリータ』や『青白い炎』や『アーダ』などを主要な研究対象としてきました。
しかしよく考えてみると、こうした研究上の役割分担というのは必ずしも好ましいあり方ではない。何よりもロシア語と英語を駆使して活発な執筆活動を行ったバイリンガルな作家ナボコフの全体像に迫るのに最もふさわしい研究態度とは思えません。そのような反省の上に立って、ナボコフを愛読する、英米文学者とロシア文学者が研究上の交流をはかり、情報交換の場をつくることを目ざす、日本ナボコフ協会がこのたび発足したのであります。
個人的なことを言えば、わたしがナボコフ文学の魅力に開眼したのは、ほぼ30年前、『セバスチャン・ナイトの真実の生涯』を読んだことがきっかけでした。70年には、英語で書かれたこの最初の小説を翻訳する機会に恵まれましたが、わたしがまず魅せられたのは、自分の心の奥底にこびりついた記憶のエッセンスを精妙きわまる文体によって喚起させ、手応えある確固たる実在に念入りに仕立て上げていくという、ほとんど魔術師にも似たナボコフの力業でした。そしてどの作品でも、その細部のひとつひとつがまるで宝石のように輝いていることを発見して感嘆せずにはいられませんでした。
この30年間に、ナボコフ文学は疑いもなく20世紀文学の古 典の位置を確保しました。しかし、古典作家として敬して遠ざけるのではなく、 数多くの作品の中にいまも生きている、そして現代に訴えかけてくるナボコ フに何より注目したいと考えています。さらに過去のロシア文学との、あるいは 英米文学との関連でも、まだほとんど未開拓の研究課題が山積しているように見えます。
そのようなナボコフ文学の魅力を一層深く味わい究めるために、ナボコフに関心を持つ研究者や一般読者がつどう場を設けようというのが、日本ナボコフ協会設立のそもそもの動機であります。会員の皆様のご支援を得ながら、日本ナボコフ協会の今後の活動を進めていきたいと念じているところなので、どうかよろしくお願い申し上げます。
The Inauguration Speech
May 15th, 1999
By Yoshiyuki FUJIKAWA
President of the Nabokov Society of Japan, 1999-2004
Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1899. That is, this year, 1999, is centennial of Nabokov’s birth, and events and workshops to celebrate its commemoration have been held all over the world.
For instance, it seemed that an exhibition on the first edition of his books was prosperous at a gallery in New York in spring. Moreover, at the beginning of July, a large-scale international conference is going to take place at Cambridge University which he was graduated from.
In commemoration of the one-hundredth year since his birth, the Nabokov Society of Japan was set up in our country as well. The inauguration of its convention was held at Faculty of Letters, the University of Tokyo, in May 15th. Furthermore, a symposium to commemorate Nabokov’s short story, “Spring in Fialta,” which was first written in Russian and then was translated into English by him, also took place. Besides, TV films made in Russia were screened as well. It was prosperous that about seventy people of scholars including his regular fans actively took part in the convention.
Nabokov is a truly unique and creative writer who has unparalleled history as a writer. Specifically, when he was sent into exile in Berlin and Paris due to Russian Revolution, he took advantage of the exile and wrote books in Russian (sometimes in French). Moreover, after immigrating to the U. S. in 1940, he wrote books in English and succeeded admirably. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the one who went his own way and achieved an astounding way of life as if one went through two lives in one’s own life.
Since he is such an incomparable, bilingual writer, he was likely to be regarded as a Russian writer in Russia and as an English writer in English speaking countries for a long time. In other words, scholars of Russian Literature mostly studied works written in Russian years before going to the U.S., and after coming to the U.S., scholars of English and American Literature mainly researched works written in English such as Lolita, Pale Fire, and Ada or Ardor.
On careful consideration, however, such a research division of rules is not necessarily a favorable way. Most importantly of all, I don’t think it is the best way of grasping the big picture of such a bilingual writer, Nabokov, who actively wrote books using Russian and English freely. Thus, based on reflection on the past like this, the Nabokov Society of Japan was launched in order to enliven research contacts between scholars of Russian Literature and scholars of English & American Literature who are all keen readers of Nabokov and to facilitate the exchanges of information among them.
Speaking of me, first of all, I was fascinated by reading a book called The Real Life of Sebastian Knight and was motivated to study literary works of Nabokov deeply. In 1970, I had an opportunity to translate this first novel written in English. What enchanted me first was that his works evoked my memories in the innermost depths of my mind because of his exquisite writing style. Besides, his works make me imagine as if he were a magician elaborating every object and character in his stories as real existence in a real world. What is more, I could not help but admire his works entirely when I discovered that every single detail in his works was shining just like diamonds.
In the past thirty years, it is no doubt that literary works of Nabokov have ensured the position of classical literature in 20th century. However, in my view, we should rather pay great attention to Nabokov as a writer who wrote appealing books to a modern world than as a classical writer whose works are too respectable and hard to read. Furthermore, it seems that a bunch of unexplored research projects still remain to be done concerning relations between the past Russian Literature and English & American Literature.
In conclusion, the primary reason for establishing the Nabokov Society of Japan is to make a place where sholars and general readers who are interested in Nabokov get together for the purpose of studying his literary works thoroughly. Therefore, we really appreciate your continuing support for our activities of the Nabokov Society of Japan from now on.