Category Archives: 2015 Press: reviews / interviews / features
“Lolita’s Lepidoterist” Fine Lines in Literary Review
Review by Nigel Andrews. 
Fine Lines in Vogue
Smithsonian Magazine reviews Fine Lines
Vladimir Nabokov might be best known as a novelist, specifically as the author of Lolita, but what many might not know is that one of his deepest passions was studying butterflies.
Now, a new book from Yale University Press honors his dedication to the delicate creatures. The book, Fine Lines, is a collection of more than 150 of his scientific illustrations of butterflies, rivaling John James Audubon in their detail.
Fine Lines in The Lepidopterists’ Society News
“…The book also shed light on Nabokov’s confusing legacy with regard to mimicry…Seasoned experts on various aspects of Nabokov’s legacy weigh in on the tricky questions about his dual pursuits in science and arts. Victoria Alexander of the Dactyl Foundation addresses Nabokov’s understanding of nature in light of more current ‘post-Darwinian’ views of evolutionary processes….”
Tonstant Weader Reviews Fine Lines
“….I also enjoyed Victoria Alexander’s Chance, Nature’s Practical Jokes, and the ‘Non-Utilitarian Delights’ of Butterfly Mimicry… While some of the science is quite technical, her writing is clear and also lyrical.” Continue reading
VN Alexander on WAMC Roundtable with Joe Donahue
In our Ideas Matter segment we take time just about every week to check in with the state humanities councils in our 7-state region.
Today we’ll be speaking with New York Council for the Humanities Public Scholar Victoria Alexander about the relation between art and science – and the novelist and lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov.
In addition to being a Council Public Scholar, Victoria is the Director of the Dactyl Foundation, where she facilitates interaction between artists and scientists. See more.