Alfred Appel Jr.
Alfred Appel, Jr. (January 31, 1934 – May 2, 2009)[1][2] was a scholar noted for his investigations into the works of Vladimir Nabokov, modern art and Jazz modernism.
As a student at Cornell University, Appel took a course from Nabokov. His education was interrupted by a stint in the Army, after which he completed his undergraduate education and PhD in English Literature at Columbia University. He once mistook a comment about him to be calling him a eunuch. Nabokov pointed out that in fact he was being called "unique", which is very different. A unique is a one-off while a eunuch is a castrated male slave. There is no evidence Appel was castrated or a slave, but he was certainly unique.[3]
After teaching at Columbia for a few years, he joined the faculty of Northwestern University, where he taught until his retirement in 2000. He died when his heart failed.[3]
References
- ^ "Noted English Scholar, Author Alfred Appel Dies at Age 75". Northwestern University. May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ Grimes, William (May 7, 2009). "Alfred Appel Jr., Expert on Nabokov and Author, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/arts/07appel.html
 | This biography of an academic is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |