Vladimir Nabokov's last drama,
The Waltz Invention(
Izobretenie Val'sa), written in Southern France in the autumn of 1938 and published in November in the Russian émigré journal
Russkie zapiski(“Russian Notes”), built on the success of his previous play
The Event(
Sobytie, April 1938). In contrast to the latter,
Izobretenie Val'sawas never staged by any of the Russian émigré theatres in Paris. A disagreement in December 1938 between the proposed director, Iurii Annenkov, and the management of the “Russkii teatr” (“Russian Theatre”) put paid to any plans for its production. Although Nabokov, presumably in expectation of his move to America, had the play translated for an English-speaking audience, it was staged neither in America nor in England and the translation itself…
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Citation: Frank, Sigrun. "Izobretenie Val'sa". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4433, accessed 22 November 2024.]