Welcome to Slate's Audio Book Club.

I'm Megan O'Rourke, a culture critic for Slate.

And joining me today are Troy Patterson, Slate's TV critic.

Welcome, Troy.

Hi, Megan.

And Katie Roifey, Slate contributor and NYU professor and author of many books, including Still

She Haunts Me. Welcome, Katie.

Hi.

Hi.

Today we have the perhaps thorny, but perhaps not thorny, task of discussing Vladimir Nabokov's, the

original of Laura.

And I'll just note that we've been sitting here disagreeing about the pronunciation of Mr. N's name, which maybe we'll talk about later.

I'm sticking to Vladimir Nabokov.

Vladimir Nabokov. Okay. We think Russians might say it Nabokov, but then perhaps, but Troy

has evidence that, Troy maybe just tell your evidence, tell your evidence about why he,

why you think it's Nabokov.

In interviews, he says that the Vladimir should rhyme with Redeemer.

And I think I'm remembering correctly a poem that he gave to students at Wellesley, I think,

to remember how to pronounce his name, which is the query of the squawk of the heron at night prompts Nabokov to write.

Okay.

But we welcome the corrections of any listeners who think they know better than us.

So we may have a motley assortment of pronunciations here.

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