In 1942, Vladimir Nabokov wrote a poem about Superman's sex life.
March 14, 2021 5:18 AM Subscribe
... and here it is (scroll down). As the article explains, Nabokov's eight-year-old son was a big Superman fan, and used to demand his dad read him stories from the comic at bedtime. The poem arose out of that little family ritual but, when Nabokov submitted it to the New Yorker, they rejected it. Famous and acclaimed author as he was, the editors feared the mag's erudite readers simply wouldn't "get" the poem - and also that the bedroom stuff might make it a bit too racy for them.
Here's the Superman cover which inspired the poem's final verse - Superman #16 from May 1942. And here's the famous Larry Niven essay on Superman's sex life which Nabokov anticipated by nearly 30 years.
Here's the Superman cover which inspired the poem's final verse - Superman #16 from May 1942. And here's the famous Larry Niven essay on Superman's sex life which Nabokov anticipated by nearly 30 years.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Paywalled link -- travelingthyme
The poem is behind a paywall, at least for me.
posted by Beholder at 5:34 AM on March 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Beholder at 5:34 AM on March 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Sorry - I didn't realise there was a paywall issue. The link worked fine for me, but I was until very recently a TLS subscriber, so maybe that's that's why they let me in. Mods: Without a working link to the poem this whole thread is kind of pointless, so please just delete it if you think that's best.
posted by Paul Slade at 6:05 AM on March 14, 2021
posted by Paul Slade at 6:05 AM on March 14, 2021
I'm thrilled to know this poem exists, even if I can't read it. Thanks!
posted by EinAtlanta at 6:28 AM on March 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by EinAtlanta at 6:28 AM on March 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I was able to read it by opening the link in incognito mode. Hopefully that works for others?
posted by steerpike at 6:32 AM on March 14, 2021
posted by steerpike at 6:32 AM on March 14, 2021
Also found on Twitter
"The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." -- John Gilmour
posted by blob at 6:34 AM on March 14, 2021
"The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." -- John Gilmour
posted by blob at 6:34 AM on March 14, 2021
Is this the appropriate place to link to Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex?
posted by adamrice at 6:47 AM on March 14, 2021
posted by adamrice at 6:47 AM on March 14, 2021
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Unfortunately, I seem to be paywalled off from reading the poem.
posted by Kattullus at 5:23 AM on March 14, 2021 [1 favorite]