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Ilse's Reviews > Lolita
Lolita
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I insist the world know how much I loved my Lolita, this Lolita, pale and polluted, and big with another’s child, but still gray-eyed, still sooty-lashed, still auburn and almond, still Carmencita, still mine.
From prison, the confessions of Humbert Humbert, a 40- year old man with a weakness for 'nymphets', budding sirens 'between nine and fourteen', reach us. Looking for shelter in a sleepy American town, he discovers 12-year-old Dolores Haze - Lolita. To be able to stay near her, Humbert marries mother Haze. With sardonic pleasure, Nabokov leads Humbert and Lolita to the tragic denouement, taking them from one grubby motel to another in a compulsively hooking road movie. Lolita speaks of loss, exile and unfulfilled desire. It is the story of an impossible, ill-fated love: as she matures, the butterfly Lolita inevitably pupates into a caterpillar. Because of Nabokov's virtuoso prose, Lolita is inventive, brilliant, playful literature- nevertheless in my opinion not the ideal book as a first acquaintance with Nabokov, disconcerting it is because of the subject.
Nabokov himself was acutely aware of the difficulties in presenting his Lolita visually to the world:
After thinking it over, I would rather not involve butterflies. Do you think it could be possible to find today in New York an artist who would not be influenced in his work by the general cartoonesque and primitivist style jacket illustration? Who would be capable of creating a romantic, delicately drawn, non-Freudian and non-juvenile, picture for LOLITA (a dissolving remoteness, a soft American landscape, a nostalgic highway—that sort of thing)? There is one subject which I am emphatically opposed to: any kind of representation of a little girl.
In lieu of even trying to capture impressions by an illustration, here is a fascinating dedicated to 60 covers of the novel as published through the years in various countries. More covers can be found on .
I am partial to sobriety in the matter. Which cover would you choose?
***
Ik eis dat de wereld weet hoeveel ik hield van mijn Lolita, déze Lolita, bleek en bezoedeld, en zwanger van andermans kind, maar nog altijd grijsogig, nog altijd roetig gewimperd, nog altijd kastanje en amandel, nog altijd Carmencita, nog altijd van mij.
In 1958 verscheen de eerste Amerikaanse versie van dit schandaalboek in de Verenigde staten.
Vanuit de gevangenis bereiken ons de bekentenissen van Humbert Humbert, een 40-jarige Europeaan met een zwak voor ‘nimfijnen�, ontluikende sirenen ‘tussen negen en veertien�. Op zoek naar onderdak in een slaperig Amerikaans stadje ontdekt hij de 12-jarige Dolores Haze � Lolita. Om in haar buurt te kunnen blijven, trouwt Humbert met moeder Haze. In een beklemmende roadmovie voert Nabokov zijn personages via Amerikaanse motels naar de tragische ontknoping. Uit Lolita spreekt verlies, ballingschap en onvervuld verlangen. Het is het verhaal van een onmogelijke, noodlottige liefde: met het volwassen worden verpopt de vlinder Lolita zich onvermijdelijk tot rups. Dankzij Nabokovs virtuoze taal is Lolita een uniek boek dat de lezer ondanks de problematische thematiek zal verslinden: het is inventieve, briljante, speelse literatuur van de bovenste plank. Ook de sardonische kijk op het kitscherige Amerika van de jaren �50 zal menig lezer bekoren.
From prison, the confessions of Humbert Humbert, a 40- year old man with a weakness for 'nymphets', budding sirens 'between nine and fourteen', reach us. Looking for shelter in a sleepy American town, he discovers 12-year-old Dolores Haze - Lolita. To be able to stay near her, Humbert marries mother Haze. With sardonic pleasure, Nabokov leads Humbert and Lolita to the tragic denouement, taking them from one grubby motel to another in a compulsively hooking road movie. Lolita speaks of loss, exile and unfulfilled desire. It is the story of an impossible, ill-fated love: as she matures, the butterfly Lolita inevitably pupates into a caterpillar. Because of Nabokov's virtuoso prose, Lolita is inventive, brilliant, playful literature- nevertheless in my opinion not the ideal book as a first acquaintance with Nabokov, disconcerting it is because of the subject.
Nabokov himself was acutely aware of the difficulties in presenting his Lolita visually to the world:
After thinking it over, I would rather not involve butterflies. Do you think it could be possible to find today in New York an artist who would not be influenced in his work by the general cartoonesque and primitivist style jacket illustration? Who would be capable of creating a romantic, delicately drawn, non-Freudian and non-juvenile, picture for LOLITA (a dissolving remoteness, a soft American landscape, a nostalgic highway—that sort of thing)? There is one subject which I am emphatically opposed to: any kind of representation of a little girl.
In lieu of even trying to capture impressions by an illustration, here is a fascinating dedicated to 60 covers of the novel as published through the years in various countries. More covers can be found on .
I am partial to sobriety in the matter. Which cover would you choose?
***
Ik eis dat de wereld weet hoeveel ik hield van mijn Lolita, déze Lolita, bleek en bezoedeld, en zwanger van andermans kind, maar nog altijd grijsogig, nog altijd roetig gewimperd, nog altijd kastanje en amandel, nog altijd Carmencita, nog altijd van mij.
In 1958 verscheen de eerste Amerikaanse versie van dit schandaalboek in de Verenigde staten.
Vanuit de gevangenis bereiken ons de bekentenissen van Humbert Humbert, een 40-jarige Europeaan met een zwak voor ‘nimfijnen�, ontluikende sirenen ‘tussen negen en veertien�. Op zoek naar onderdak in een slaperig Amerikaans stadje ontdekt hij de 12-jarige Dolores Haze � Lolita. Om in haar buurt te kunnen blijven, trouwt Humbert met moeder Haze. In een beklemmende roadmovie voert Nabokov zijn personages via Amerikaanse motels naar de tragische ontknoping. Uit Lolita spreekt verlies, ballingschap en onvervuld verlangen. Het is het verhaal van een onmogelijke, noodlottige liefde: met het volwassen worden verpopt de vlinder Lolita zich onvermijdelijk tot rups. Dankzij Nabokovs virtuoze taal is Lolita een uniek boek dat de lezer ondanks de problematische thematiek zal verslinden: het is inventieve, briljante, speelse literatuur van de bovenste plank. Ook de sardonische kijk op het kitscherige Amerika van de jaren �50 zal menig lezer bekoren.
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August 7, 2013
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 61 (61 new)
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Steffi
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rated it 4 stars
Aug 11, 2018 07:52AM
... auch wenn ich mehr erahne als verstehe, was du schreibst ;)
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Danke sehr, Steffi, so kind of you to read what I wrote in Dutch :-) - I guess you understood well, seeing you have also read the novel :-).
I google-translated that. It came out quite well, I think. I liked your thought a lot as it never occured to me while reading it myself: "The sardonic view of kitschy America of the 1950s will also appeal to many readers".
Thank you for turning this through the translator and reading, Petra - that thought only came to my mind on the second reading of it, and after watching 'Psycho' :-) (likely this novel confirmed certain of my prejudices on the US, never having been there besides NY) - You are right on the google translation: even the reverse caterpillar development of Dolores got out pretty well.
Mooie recensie van een, volgens vele critici, mooi boek. Als vader van twee opgroeiende meiden kon ik het verhaal helaas niet zonder oordeel lezen.
Dankjewel Iwan, ik begrijp je terughoudendheid volkomen. Ik las het boek tweemaal, voor en na de geboorte van mijn dochter - en voor en na de zaak Dutroux - en die tweede keer was het een heel andere ervaring, het wekte heftige gevoelens van afkeer bij me op en kan me voorstellen dat dit nog meer het geval zou zijn als ik het nu zou lezen, ze is inmiddels veertien. Ik kan het nauwelijks over mijn hart krijgen om dit boek aan te bevelen, omdat Nabokov één van mijn lievelingsauteurs is vind ik het eigenlijk jammer dat velen hem enkel maar met dit boek associëren terwijl hij zo veel andere geweldige romans heeft geschreven die het verdienen gelezen te worden (laatst zag ik dat in de plaatselijke bibliotheek al zijn romans naar het magazijn zijn verhuisd/verbannen, zo een zonde!) maar lezers vaak geneigd zijn af te haken na het lezen van Lolita..
Fair enough, ik geef de man nog een kans :) Welk boek van Nabakov kun je aanbevelen?
De Nederlandse schrijver Thomas Verbogt is idolaat van het ritme in de tekst van Nabakov. Ik vond het daarom best jammer dat ik Lolita op de helft moest staken.
Iwan wrote: "Fair enough, ik geef de man nog een kans :) Welk boek van Nabakov kun je aanbevelen?"Blij dat te horen :-) - Pnin is grappig en aandoenlijk en nog steeds mijn favoriet boek van Nabokov (ik ben de tel kwijtgeraakt hoe dikwijls ik het cadeau gaf in mijn bekeringsijver ;p) - 'Bleek vuur' ongelofelijk qua compositie en Geheugen spreek ook een aanrader.
Iwan wrote: "De Nederlandse schrijver Thomas Verbogt is idolaat van het ritme in de tekst van Nabakov. Ik vond het daarom best jammer dat ik Lolita op de helft moest staken."Heel begrijpelijk, Iwan (ik vind het zelf heel erg moeilijk om een boek weg te leggen eens halfweg), maar niet getreurd: ritme, kleur, humor, opbouw...Nabokovs andere romans bieden zoveel moois dat Lolita ruimschoots compenseert. Dank je om me te herinneren aan Thomas Verbogt, ik had twee romans van hem als 'te lezen' aangemerkt, 'Hoe alles moest beginnen' en Als de winter voorbij is - je was van dit laatste niet zo onder de indruk?
From now on I'll abuse my female co-workers by telling them they've pupated into caterpillars. Thanks for being such a source of inspiration, ma douce.
Ah, the covers!. I read this in the 1990s, a long time after its controversy subsided. But I'm sure it's reputation was still around even then. I had one of those covers with the big swirling red title on in, making it obvious what I was reading if I was on a train or outdoors. The book made me flinch with discomfort constantly and the cover accentuated it. But the prose just kept me going. Fabulously written with the wonderful complexities of the human mind exposed for all to see. So that cover was just right for the job.
In the LitHub article, I think the Vintage 50th anniversary edition is the only acceptable cover from a design perspective, even though it doesn’t really represent the novel, and Nabokov might not have liked it� Funny how none of them meet his wishes.
Dmitri wrote: "Great book, questionable character!"A perfect pitch for this complex novel, Dmitri! Nabokov masterly keeps the reader in his grip, eliciting mixed feelings, awe and disgust.
Wonderful review Ilse, I am looking forward (I think) to reading this despite the subject matter as I hear it's so well written and your 5-stars and review confirm this. So hopefully before the end of the year - regarding the covers, my preference is any without a female image on the cover. So just text and/or a picture of the author - great review!!
Wonderful review, Ilse, and thanks for translating it for us. I chose the simple plain cover with just the title and author's name so I don't feel like a pervert if someone sees me reading it :). I think that generally, men are uncomfortable being seen with, talking about, or saying they liked this book. I've read it a decade ago and I recall thinking about how well Nabokov writes in English and how well he captured the American spirit through his interpretation of the landscape. It must have been so challenging for the writer to convincingly describe the thoughts and feelings of a pedophile without him actually being one?
Fede wrote: "From now on I'll abuse my female co-workers by telling them they've pupated into caterpillars. Thanks for being such a source of inspiration, ma douce."Oh ma très chère, you are very welcome, how you make me laugh :D. Thank you :)). As long as you don't eat your co-workers, or celebrate their 50th birthday by decorating their desk with giant balloons (they really don't want to be reminded of that fact, it is worse than turning into a caterpillar). I had been thinking of Lolita again because I wanted to reread a novel on which I'd actually love to hear your thoughts (Netsuke by Rikki Ducornet; the protagonist reminded me somewhat of Humbert Humbert).
Great article of the covers! I read the orange-and-white, Penguin Classics paperback. :-) It's always an interesting topic to think about what book of an author you like, you should recommend to a friend who asks for a recommendation. Which Nabokov do you think would fit the bill?
Ilse wrote: "Fede wrote: "From now on I'll abuse my female co-workers by telling them they've pupated into caterpillars. Thanks for being such a source of inspiration, ma douce."Oh ma très chère, you are very ..."
Another H.H.? Sounds intriguing...!
As to these characters' kinks and fancies, I'm a bit biased for my opinon to be reliable, ma douce. Thank God I wasn't born with a penis.
For sure a true classic and it remains such a controversial novel, even more so today. I had to smile when I recently read that Nabokov said that after the publication and uproar over his novel no-one ever named daughters ‘Lolita� anymore, only dogs.
That collection of covers is amazing.
agreed, What an array of images of different times of looking at her in different ways.
Nick wrote: "Ah, the covers!. I read this in the 1990s, a long time after its controversy subsided. But I'm sure it's reputation was still around even then. I had one of those covers with the big swirling red t..."Discomfort and magnificent prose, I couldn’t agree more, Nick. I read it twice, once before and once after my daughter was born (and after the Dutroux case). The second time was like reading a different book. I removed the jacket of the book (a drawing of a girl in starting puberty with transparant underwear), the content was troubling enough. Those red letters...you make me wonder how strong people still feel about the book when spotting someone reading the book (can you imagine it is no longer on the shelves of our local library, you have to explicitly ask for it to get it, just like for every other book by Nabokov?). Your feelings on the book and the cover reminded me of my daughter, who asked me to wrap up a novel I was reading in case we would have a visitor, Datumloze dagen.
Ilse wrote: "Dmitri wrote: "Great book, questionable character!"A perfect pitch for this complex novel, Dmitri! Nabokov masterly keeps the reader in his grip, eliciting mixed feelings, awe and disgust."
I still like the 1997 Random House (Vintage) B&W photo with the saddle shoes. It gets the point across without undue artistic license. The 1984 Milan B&W woodcut of Nabokov is pretty attractive too.
Ilse wrote: "Nick wrote: "Ah, the covers!. I read this in the 1990s, a long time after its controversy subsided. But I'm sure it's reputation was still around even then. I had one of those covers with the big s..."Dutroux, the Belgian dungeon. Let me say briefly, we visited Paris in 2008. At the airport, I went to buy a train ticket with my 7yo son. He disappeared and I spent the next 30 mins in a panic. I confess I imagined him in a Belgian dungeon. After asking someone at a desk in poor French, I found him happily waiting among very tall well-armed soldiers (or gendarmes).
Your daughter was right to hide that book.🤣
Noel wrote: "In the LitHub article, I think the Vintage 50th anniversary edition is the only acceptable cover from a design perspective, even though it doesn’t really represent the novel, and Nabokov might not have liked it� Funny how none of them meet his wishes.A strong opinion that Nabokov would have liked, Noel :) - that 50th anniversary edition cover to me comes across as acceptable and not offensive, in general however I like more sober book covers, and if with a picture, rather with a drawing or painting on them than a colour photograph. I assume it was/is not easy to meet Nabokov's wishes :)- I often wonder about how much voice authors get into the choice of the covers of their books, regularly spotting some downright hideous ones :D.
Mark wrote: "Wonderful review Ilse, I am looking forward (I think) to reading this despite the subject matter as I hear it's so well written and your 5-stars and review confirm this. So hopefully before the end of the year - regarding the covers, my preference is any without a female image on the cover. So just text and/or a picture of the author - great review!!Mark, thank you so much for your lovely comment on this non-review, I just translated the few lines I once wrote for a friend who wanted short reviews for a free magazine to encourage people to read because I wanted to share that tantatizing article on the cover art :D. On Nabokov, would this be your first one?I might be not the person to say so as Nabokov is so much my favourite writer that any advice on him coming from me would sound silly and his writing is indeed fabulous, in Lolita as well as in his other novels, but if so, please consider reading his Pnin before reading Lolita, it is brief and shows the more gentle side of Nabokov :). I love that we seem on the same page on the cover art, fortunately I could turn my copy into such a sober one by removing the jacket ;). I would love to hear your thoughts on Lolita whenever you would get to it!
Orhan wrote: "Wonderful review, Ilse, and thanks for translating it for us. I chose the simple plain cover with just the title and author's name so I don't feel like a pervert if someone sees me reading it :). I..."Thank you very much, Orhan � I translated this non-review because I was enthralled by the article on the book covers (I now wonder which other novels can rejoice in such a variety of covers and are equally debatable?) You raise an interesting point, do men feel (even) more uncomfortable in the company of this book than women and are they more reluctant to say they liked it because of that fear of being seen as a pervert? (besides, do you also have that habit of trying to figure out what people on the train with their nose in a book are reading ;p?) I don’t think many readers would mention Lolita at their favourite book ever, for the reasons you mention : ).You remind me that ‘Lolita� is one of the books the protagonist of Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Bookshop brought to the sleepy English coastal town, bringing modernity. I have been lazy not reading it in English but in a Dutch translation but share your admiration for Nabokov’s writing and the way he evoked the American spirit (or what I imagine is such, knowing little to nothing about the US). Challenging indeed to enter so deeply into the mind of that hideous character, but maybe this showcases the unique skill of a great author,the ability to move into a character far removed from themselves as a person and make the character come alive on the pages? I liked this observation of Simon Freud I came across in an essay of Siri Hustvedt: ‘The creative writer does the same as the child at play. He creates a world of phantasy which he takes seriously � that is, which he invests with large amounts of emotion � while separating it sharply from reality�. Not sure I would apply this to a writer like Nabokov, though ;p.
Junta wrote: "Great article of the covers! I read the orange-and-white, Penguin Classics paperback. :-) It's always an interesting topic to think about what book of an author you like, you should recommend to a ..."Glad you liked the article, Junta! The first I would recommend is Pnin, because I loved the protagonist and particularly how a more gentle side of Nabokov shows here , that was the book I used to give to friends to try to convert them to Nabokov. Despair, Pale Fire, Laughter in the Dark and Speak, Memory are not to be missed either :). And because of � there would be a copy of The Luzhin Defense especially for you of course :).
Ilse wrote: "Mark wrote: "Wonderful review Ilse, I am looking forward (I think) to reading this despite the subject matter as I hear it's so well written and your 5-stars and review confirm this. So hopefully b..."Yes, my first one IIse - so I've taken your sage counsel and added Pnin - I've read the summary and it looks interesting with a fascinating lead character!!! Onto it :))
An unsettling story but so beautifully written. I think I would need to be in the right mind space to read this one. Wonderful review, Ilse and your appreciation of literature is so enlightening.
I don't think I'll ever get around to reading this, but reviews like this make me realize that I'm really missing something.
To answer your first (perhaps rhetorical :)) question, not many, Ilse, as Nabokov's 'Lolita' is a one of a kind. As the external facade topic of 'Lolita' is pedophilia, some men who are socially conscious on how such topics are depicted in the public will be cautious to confess with a smile and exhibit pleasuring emotions on how they liked the book. The reason for that is they don't want to be misinterpreted for a concealed pedophile or pervert. I can imagine you purposely choosing to sit diagonally behind the reader you spotted on your way to your seat on the train while pretending to look beyond the reader as if you're viewing the outside landscape, perhaps even tilt your head to see clouds (I hope it's not an underground metro) all in order to get a glimpse of their book and satisfy your reading curiosity :). I hope to soon get on the Siri Hustvedt, Penelope Fitzgerald, and Simon Freud "train" as you made them sound very intriguing. You know what just came to my mind, remember Kropotkin in his 'Memoirs', the wonderful book you recommend to me, he shared a story that he was told by Turgenev in which the Germans and French characterized the relationship between a father and his stepdaughter in a play as a type of pedophilia but Turgenev and the Russians as an act of sincere love. But of course, this story was not comparable to 'Lolita' but more on the mentality of the different cultures ;)
Fede wrote: Fede wrote: "another H.H.? Sounds intriguing...! As to these characters' kinks and fancies, I'm a bit biased for my opinon to be reliable, ma douce. Thank God I wasn't born with a penis.Ducornet's protagonist came across as another obsessive mind thriving on self-delusion, also leading to abuse...I see similarities with H.H...
Whether reliable or not, your opinion never fails to fascinate me, ma très chère, as your eloquently expressed views ever make me think and broaden my horizon which is pretty constricted in comparison to yours :)). I was wondering how you would situate Ducornet, as I am curious about her influences, which I think you would discern and appreciate interestingly from your previous reads, philosphical and others.
Hanneke wrote: "For sure a true classic and it remains such a controversial novel, even more so today. I had to smile when I recently read that Nabokov said that after the publication and uproar over his novel ‘Lolita� anymore, only dogs.Hanneke, interesting point, how would the novel be received if published today? Poor, poor extant Lolita’s! It must be no fun to see your name getting stained like that (thinking of the many men named Adolf before the war � no parent can foresee such happening ( - the last paragraph reminded me of a fellow student who was named Kain, ‘after the first murderer�).
Craig wrote: "That collection of covers is amazing."Excellent! Glad you also enjoyed the collection, Craig. I wasn’t so wild about the cover of the Dutch edition that I read, but it was published in a wonderful series of Nabokov hardbacks that I found in a second hand bookshop, so no regrets :).
David wrote: "agreed, What an array of images of different times of looking at her in different ways."Fascinating those views are indeed, David. Thinking of your review of Suite Française, I wonder if anyone ever ventured into publishing a graphic novel adaptation based on Lolita.
I have no idea, but I suspect someone will do that, as the approach to this story is so perversely compelling, but I think it would be a real challenge, as the center of Lolita is language, all those words he uses to (try to?) seduce us into believing he is actually in love with her. And then, so much of it has this hallucinatory quality to it. There are passages that seem surreal, nightmarish. How to communicate that through images and not words? But as one who is a great lover of (visual) art, of course you know it can be done and so will be done at some point. My fear is that it might be done with someone who just wants to tell the sensationalistic story of a pedophile. That obscures the real brilliance of Humbert (and Nabokov!) as gorgeously manipulative magician of language. Deliciously, wickedly perverse. Shows us the potential of language to ensnare us.
Dmitri wrote: "I still like the 1997 Random House (Vintage) B&W photo with the saddle shoes. It gets the point across without undue artistic license. The 1984 Milan B&W woodcut of Nabokov is pretty attractive too.That black and white picture is powerful without sexualising the young girl, which is a plus. I hadn't seen the woodcut before, interesting! It meets my proclivity to sobriety here :).
I love the discussion of the covers here. The cover of mine has a young girl and a blurb proclaiming it “one of the greatest love stories of all time�. I can’t facepalm hard enough for this. It’s a confusing enough read for many people without poisoning the water with bad covers and horribly misleading statements. My kids are all in their teens and the two oldest have wanted to add Lolita to their reading piles. I want them to watch the Yale lectures on it to get some context first but also they are NOT reading that copy. I can only delay them from reading it for so long but I am definitely going to have a copy with a better cover on the bookshelf. Several of my all time favourite novels are by Nabokov and I hope to pass on that admiration of his works but again, not with one of these misleading covers.
Nick wrote: Dutroux, the Belgian dungeon. Let me say briefly, we visited Paris in 2008. At the airport, I went to buy a train ticket with my 7yo son. He disappeared and I spent the next 30 mins in a panic. I confess I imagined him in a Belgian dungeon. After asking someone at a desk in poor French, I found him happily waiting among very tall well-armed soldiers (or gendarmes).Your daughter was right to hide that book.🤣
Nick, what an awful experience! The relief must have been immense! Yes, next to lace, beer and chocolate it alas is Dutroux who makes a mental picture of Belgium…As the discoveries were made 25 years ago, the newspapers at the moment extensively remind us the horror these days (I guess many people still remember the moment Dutroux hit the news, and where they were, like some have such memories on the news of the murder of Kennedy, or the twin towers) � we were abroad at that moment, and found out at the airport, the newspapers � shocking.
The daughter doesn’t like nudity in art either � she doesn’t understand its appeal (yet :)?) When she was smaller she used to put something in front of the postcards with classical statues on the shelf to hide them if we were to have visitors ;).
Every time I read a review of Lolita on social media I cringe beforehand, fortunately, your review did not disappoint, Ilse. Most of the covers underline the abuse of Lolita and that's sad because this novel is something else entirely: they seem to miss the allusions, the linguistic playfulness, the questionable unreliable narrator who pulls you into the narrative mesmerized by Nabokov's use of language. My edition is the Penguin annotated Lolita, with a grey cover and a butterfly. To me, it's the most apt cover of all. I always recommend this edition. This is not a book for speed readers, it's too rich for that kind of reading and I believe many readers miss the finer points of the novel.
Mark wrote: Yes, my first one IIse - so I've taken your sage counsel and added Pnin - I've read the summary and it looks interesting with a fascinating lead character!!! Onto it :)) I so hope you will enjoy your first foray into Nabokov's writing when you would get to it, Mark! I'd love to hear how you got along with the protagonist!
Nice review, Ilse. I agree with respect to Pnin. Nabokov is one author I'd like to explore completely - that I cannot say for most. As for book covers, just give me plain text, without the art.
Ilse! So refreshing to approach Lolita through her covers and avoid the endless discussion on its morality that has reached incredible heights recently - although you don't seem to have avoided the inevitable in the comment thread :))The cover I liked more was the 7th from the top, the dark leather-bound one with only her red heart-shaped glasses as its adornment. Very elegant.
Thank you for the article and for omitting the polemics ;-)
" ...a non-Freudian picture for Lolita ".. Interesting this angle. Btw, Ilse, do you think that in Houellebecq's " The Elementary Particles " - can we talk about that Freudian imprint ?
Peter wrote: "An unsettling story but so beautifully written. I think I would need to be in the right mind space to read this one. Wonderful review, Ilse and your appreciation of literature is so enlightening."Thank you very much, Peter! Your sense of timing make me wonder if it is possible to brace oneself before embarking on certain books of which one knows they will be disturbing reads (thinking of Jonathan Littell's Les Bienveillantes) - I think it helps, like you rightly intuit with Lolita, not to go in entirely unaware.
Left Coast Justin wrote: "I don't think I'll ever get around to reading this, but reviews like this make me realize that I'm really missing something."If you wouldn’t have read Nabokov yet, I can only recommend giving him a chance, Justin - even if it comes with a price: each time I read a book by him whatever novel I picked next tasted bland and pale.
Orhan wrote: "To answer your first (perhaps rhetorical :)) question, not many, Ilse, as Nabokov's 'Lolita' is a one of a kind. As the external facade topic of 'Lolita' is pedophilia, some men who are socially conscious on how such topics are depicted in the public will be cautious to confess with a smile and exhibit pleasuring emotions on how they liked the book."Orhan, I seriously wonder if that notorious ‘external façade topic� of Lolita as you word it so well, isn’t making the novel even more ‘socially problematic� than in the days it was published (thinking of the discussion in France on the author Gabriel Matzneff,
for instance –� apparently the tables turned for this author accused of defending and justifying child sexual abuse through his many books and public appearances � he continued to win acclaim for years.) even if the context is entirely different (in Nabokov’s case I cannot imagine many readers identify Humbert Humbert with the writer, but perhaps I am wrong?). I have the impression the minds on what is harmful for children haved changed over time - regardless of the fact that Nabokov makes it pretty clear how HH’s abuse destroys Lolita’s life (for instance the convention on the rights of the child dates only from 1989).
(recently a poet in Belgium stirred quite a discussion on pedophilia and sexual abuse of children, I dislike her provocative style - she is a little too keen on getting attention by for instance defending men accused in the wake of me too and ridiculizing their victims - but the topics and distinctions she raises at least invite those who are better informed on the subject to bring more nuance to the debate).
As big as the temptation is to try to find out which book a fellow traveller is reading, I confess I mostly don’t manage to satisfy my curiosity, as I am too shy to ask and too clumsy a spy to read the title upside-down or wriggle myself in a position I can read it ;p). You touch on a very interesting point culturally, I had entirely forgotten that statement of Turgenev in Kropotkin’s memoirs, thank you for rekindling it! I confess I hadn’t thought about the stepfather and stepdaughter relationship in such terms before reading Lolita � let alone about the possible threat a mother’s relationship with a new partner could mean to a daughter (I guess I am naïve but it is such a chilling thought!) � this despite the awful case of the Pandy murders in Belgium.
