Brian Boyd
Encyclopedia
Brian Boyd is known primarily as an expert on the life and works of author Vladimir Nabokov
and on literature and evolution. He is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Auckland
, New Zealand
.
Boyd emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1957.
Boyd's latest book, On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition and Fiction, was released by Belknap Press, HUP, in late May, 2009.
, in the context of Nabokov’s epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics. That year he took up a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Auckland (on New Zealand novelist Maurice Gee
) before being appointed a lecturer in English there in 1980. Véra Nabokov
, Nabokov’s widow, in 1979 invited Boyd to catalog her husband’s archives, a task he completed in 1981. That year he also began researching a critical biography of Nabokov.
Nabokov’s Ada: The Place of Consciousness (1985; rev. 2001), “an instant classic” examined Ada in its own terms and in relation to Nabokov’s thought and style. Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian Years (1990) and Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years (1991) won numerous awards and widespread acclaim and have been translated into seven languages.
In the 1990s Boyd edited Nabokov’s English-language fiction and memoirs for the Library of America
(3 vols., 1996) and, with lepidopterist Robert Michael Pyle
, Nabokov's writings on butterflies (Nabokov's Butterflies
, 2000). He also began a biography of philosopher Karl Popper
, and work on literature and evolution.
Boyd’s 1999 book, Nabokov’s Pale Fire: The Magic of Artistic Discovery, attracted attention both for the novelty of Boyd’s reading of Pale Fire
and for his rejecting his own influential interpretation of the notoriously elusive novel in Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years.
In 2009 he published On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition and Fiction. Often compared in scope with Northrop Frye
’s Anatomy of Criticism
(1957), On the Origin of Stories proposes that art and storytelling are adaptations and derive from play
. It also shows evolutionary literary criticism in practice in studies of Homer
’s Odyssey
and Dr. Seuss
’s Horton Hears a Who!
.
Boyd continues to work on Nabokov, including ongoing annotations to Ada (1993- ), collected in a website (http://www.ada.auckland.ac.nz/AdaOnline, 2004- ), an edition of Nabokov’s verse translations (Verses and Versions, 2008), and forthcoming editions of his letters to Véra, and his unpublished lectures on Russian literature, and also especially on Shakespeare, Jane Austen
, Art Spiegelman
, and Popper.
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
and on literature and evolution. He is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Boyd emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1957.
Boyd's latest book, On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition and Fiction, was released by Belknap Press, HUP, in late May, 2009.
Academic and publishing history
In 1979 Boyd completed a PhD at the University of Toronto with a dissertation on Vladimir Nabokov’s most complex novel, Ada or Ardor: A Family ChronicleAda or Ardor: A Family Chronicle
Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov published in 1969.Ada began to materialize in 1959, when Nabokov was flirting with two projects: "The Texture of Time" and "Letters from Terra." In 1965, he began to see a link between the two ideas, finally composing a unified novel...
, in the context of Nabokov’s epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics. That year he took up a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Auckland (on New Zealand novelist Maurice Gee
Maurice Gee
Maurice Gee is a New Zealand novelist.-Awards and honors:Gee was awarded the 1978 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel Plumb...
) before being appointed a lecturer in English there in 1980. Véra Nabokov
Vera Nabokov
Véra Nabokova was the wife, muse, editor, and translator of Vladimir Nabokov.-Early life and immigration:...
, Nabokov’s widow, in 1979 invited Boyd to catalog her husband’s archives, a task he completed in 1981. That year he also began researching a critical biography of Nabokov.
Nabokov’s Ada: The Place of Consciousness (1985; rev. 2001), “an instant classic” examined Ada in its own terms and in relation to Nabokov’s thought and style. Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian Years (1990) and Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years (1991) won numerous awards and widespread acclaim and have been translated into seven languages.
In the 1990s Boyd edited Nabokov’s English-language fiction and memoirs for the Library of America
Library of America
The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
(3 vols., 1996) and, with lepidopterist Robert Michael Pyle
Robert Michael Pyle
Robert Michael Pyle is a lepidopterist and author who has published twelve books and hundreds of papers, essays, stories and poems. He has a Ph.D. from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. He founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1974...
, Nabokov's writings on butterflies (Nabokov's Butterflies
Nabokov's Butterflies
Nabokov’s Butterflies is a book edited and annotated by Brian Boyd and Robert Michael Pyle that examines and presents Vladimir Nabokov’s passion for butterflies in his literary presentation....
, 2000). He also began a biography of philosopher Karl Popper
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
, and work on literature and evolution.
Boyd’s 1999 book, Nabokov’s Pale Fire: The Magic of Artistic Discovery, attracted attention both for the novelty of Boyd’s reading of Pale Fire
Pale Fire
Pale Fire is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is presented as a 999-line poem titled "Pale Fire", written by the fictional John Shade, with a foreword and lengthy commentary by a neighbor and academic colleague of the poet. Together these elements form a narrative in which both authors are...
and for his rejecting his own influential interpretation of the notoriously elusive novel in Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years.
In 2009 he published On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition and Fiction. Often compared in scope with Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye
Herman Northrop Frye, was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century....
’s Anatomy of Criticism
Anatomy of Criticism
Herman Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays attempts to formulate an overall view of the scope, theory, principles, and techniques of literary criticism derived exclusively from literature...
(1957), On the Origin of Stories proposes that art and storytelling are adaptations and derive from play
Play (activity)
Play is a term employed in ethology and psychology to describe to a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment...
. It also shows evolutionary literary criticism in practice in studies of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
’s Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
and Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
’s Horton Hears a Who!
Horton Hears a Who!
Horton Hears a Who! is a 1954 book by Theodor Seuss Geisel, under the name Dr. Seuss. It is the second Seuss book to feature Horton the Elephant, the first being Horton Hatches the Egg...
.
Boyd continues to work on Nabokov, including ongoing annotations to Ada (1993- ), collected in a website (http://www.ada.auckland.ac.nz/AdaOnline, 2004- ), an edition of Nabokov’s verse translations (Verses and Versions, 2008), and forthcoming editions of his letters to Véra, and his unpublished lectures on Russian literature, and also especially on Shakespeare, Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
, and Popper.
Major works
- Nabokov's AdaAda or Ardor: A Family ChronicleAda or Ardor: A Family Chronicle is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov published in 1969.Ada began to materialize in 1959, when Nabokov was flirting with two projects: "The Texture of Time" and "Letters from Terra." In 1965, he began to see a link between the two ideas, finally composing a unified novel...
: The Place of Consciousness (1985; rev.2001) - Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian Years (1990)
- Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years (1991)
- Nabokov's Pale FirePale FirePale Fire is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is presented as a 999-line poem titled "Pale Fire", written by the fictional John Shade, with a foreword and lengthy commentary by a neighbor and academic colleague of the poet. Together these elements form a narrative in which both authors are...
: The Magic of Artistic Discovery (1999) - Nabokov's Butterflies: Unpublished and Uncollected Writings. (2000) Edited by Brian Boyd and Robert Michael PyleRobert Michael PyleRobert Michael Pyle is a lepidopterist and author who has published twelve books and hundreds of papers, essays, stories and poems. He has a Ph.D. from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. He founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1974...
- Verses and Versions: Three Centuries of Russian Poetry Selected and Translated by Vladimir Nabokov (2008) Edited by Brian Boyd and Stanislav Shvabrin
- On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction (2009)
External links
- Staff homepage
- Ada Online - Annotations to Nabokov's novel by Boyd.
- "Shade and Shape in Pale Fire" - A somewhat controversial essay on Nabokov's novel.
- A 2000 interview - Conducted by Thomas Bolt.
- "ON THE ORIGIN OF STORIES: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction"-Harvard University Press 2009
- Verses and Versions' companion website - Provides Russian originals in both Cyrillic and transliterations.