NYPL Researcher Spotlight: Anoushka Alexander-Rose

This profile is part of a series of interviews chronicling the experiences of researchers who use The New York Public Library's collections for the development of their work.

Anoushka Alexander-Rose is a PhD candidate in English at the Parkes Institute for Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton UK. Her thesis is titled ‘Vladimir Nabokov and the Jewish Question.'

When did you first get the idea for your research project?

I read Nabokov’s Pale Fire when I was 17, and then took an author module on him at the University of Toronto, where my professor, Leonid Livak, convinced me to learn Russian. He introduced me to some work he had done on the Jewish theme in Nabokov’s work, but I realized there was more to explore.

What brought you to the Library?

There was an International Nabokov conference happening in June at Wellesley, so I doubled up my trip with a visit to NYPL for my PhD research. The Berg has the most substantial collection of Nabokov papers. I spent about a month trawling through manuscript drafts, family correspondence, diaries, and notebooks—collecting literary references to Jewishness, commentary on accusations to his father’s antisemitism, and personal reflections on Jewish identity.

Describe your research routine.

I didn’t really have one! The Nabokov collection has over 15,000 documents. So I just went back and forth through the 155 page (!) finding aid, highlighting and ordering documents as I went. Semi-organized chaos.

What research tools could you not live without?

It hasn’t arrived yet—but some fellow researchers convinced me to buy a portable book scanner, which definitely looked more efficient than me trying to scan things through a phone app.

What’s the most unexpected item you encountered in your research?

I was surprised to find so much of interest! But amongst many valuable finds from a thesis perspective, my favorite unexpected encounters were Nabokov’s illustrated butterflies that were dotted throughout his letters and manuscripts.

How do you maintain your research momentum?

Changing up the kind of documents I was looking at, for example after reading a novella or play (looking out for Nabokov’s corrections and edits) in the morning, I used the afternoon to photograph some correspondence (either with family, in Russian, or letters in English with editors, publishers, or peers). During lunch break I would try to read a chapter of a Nabokov biography or monograph, to keep the analysis going in the background, and that helped to remind me of specific leads or texts to look at.

After a day of working/researching, what do you do to unwind? 

Especially when the sun was out, sitting on the grass in Bryant Park and listening to the live music there.

Who makes the best coffee in the neighborhood?

Joe’s Coffee in the park! And if you download the app, you can order in the lift down so it’s ready when you arrive, beating the 3:45pm rush just before they close. 

Have we left anything out that you'd like to tell other researchers?

It’s ok if you don’t have a plan when you arrive! Things fall into place, and the collection (and amazing archivists!) will lead you.