Bachmann (short Story) - Comments

Comments

The complex construction of the story shows a tension between the unfeeling and callous inner narrator who may well carry some responsibility for Mme Perov's death and Bachmann's madness, and the more sympathetic outer narrator who shows two unique individuals who find inner fulfillment in their relationship and transform themselves. The outer narrator has no direct involvement in the events but knows more than what Sack tells him. The portrait of the artist as a unique and vulnerable person who does not fit in and is eccentric and close to madness is later picked up in the figure of Luzhin in his novel The Defense. A reference to the famous contemporary pianist Pachmann is present in the name, but also in the early recording ("in wax") of the performances, and the use of gestures towards the audience. The description of the female character as a stabilizing and uplifting factor for the genius was written shortly after Nabokov met his future wife who in a way had a similar enhancing effect upon Nabokov's life. Vera, too, was always sitting in the front row when he was lecturing.