English language
Published Jan. 15, 1984 by Berkley.
Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather. "Lolita" is his private nickname for Dolores. The novel was originally written in English and first published in Paris in 1955 by Olympia Press. Later it was translated into Russian by Nabokov himself and published in New York City in 1967 by Phaedra Publishers. Lolita quickly attained a classic status. The novel was adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and another film by Adrian Lyne in 1997. It has also been adapted several times for the stage and has been the subject of two operas, two ballets, and an acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful, Broadway musical. …
Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather. "Lolita" is his private nickname for Dolores. The novel was originally written in English and first published in Paris in 1955 by Olympia Press. Later it was translated into Russian by Nabokov himself and published in New York City in 1967 by Phaedra Publishers. Lolita quickly attained a classic status. The novel was adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and another film by Adrian Lyne in 1997. It has also been adapted several times for the stage and has been the subject of two operas, two ballets, and an acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful, Broadway musical. Many authors consider it the greatest work of the 20th century, and it has been included in several lists of best books, such as Time's List of the 100 Best Novels, Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century, Bokklubben World Library, Modern Library's 100 Best Novels, and The Big Read.
The silence of Dolores is ear-splitting. Well, except for the bit about everyone hating all that fucking French. I choose to believe that was an authentic thought untinged by Humbert's narration.
uh im 90% through the book. its at the part where he's starting to reflect on how poorly he treated dolly and how traumatizing her childhood was, and unfortunately i am a pissbaby and cannot go any further. so lets just say i finished it ok? :] i dont really want to see this book ever again.
nabokovs writing is funny and charming. but this subject is difficult for me and strikes a bad chord in my heart . i feel sick to my stomach, no offence.
You spend the first half thinking "what the heck is this?" and the second half thinking "how the heck can anyone write so well?"
Probably the most cleverly written book that I’ve ever read, but I don’t know why it had to be about such a vulgar topic. It was the epitome of awful taste, but great execution. Fortunately the most lurid scenes are only alluded to or described in metaphor. I’m looking forward to reading Nabokov’s other books which I hope will keep the same level of wit while having a plot that can’t possibly be as indecent as “Lolita”.
A good book is always the type you have to read many times. It's not always, but it's usually the case.
Lolita is a marvelous product of prose-writing. More than that, however, is the soul of a love story "crossed by the stars". It's not an easy read, as the images melt so seamlessly it gets one lost on occasion. That's the point. That's what writing is supposed to be, I guess, for the purposes of the great Vladimir Nabokov. The walls of creative writing broke down in his prose, and, as a millenial, I have only discovered it.
No, it's not an easy read, but for the reader itself, it's a test of character of gaining substance amid a meticulous style. Humbert's meditations on love, life, and his darling Lolita looks, at first, a prelude to erotic adventures. But no, no, mistaken was the reader for such perceptions that …
A good book is always the type you have to read many times. It's not always, but it's usually the case.
Lolita is a marvelous product of prose-writing. More than that, however, is the soul of a love story "crossed by the stars". It's not an easy read, as the images melt so seamlessly it gets one lost on occasion. That's the point. That's what writing is supposed to be, I guess, for the purposes of the great Vladimir Nabokov. The walls of creative writing broke down in his prose, and, as a millenial, I have only discovered it.
No, it's not an easy read, but for the reader itself, it's a test of character of gaining substance amid a meticulous style. Humbert's meditations on love, life, and his darling Lolita looks, at first, a prelude to erotic adventures. But no, no, mistaken was the reader for such perceptions that the world has posed on books like this!
Was it a love story? Was it, for all intents and purposes, a classic? That is for you to decide. Because however phantasmal the phallic fantasies of a 40-something metafictional character, - ladies and gentlemen of the jury - the judgment remains into your hands.
This was a very interesting read, and quite different from what I'd expected.
The book isn't nearly as explicit as I'd feared, and it is very intelligently written.
For a more in-depth discussion of Lolita, stop by my blog: outsideofacat.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/reading-lolita/ and outsideofacat.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/final-thoughts-on-lolita-nabokov/
I CANNOT BELIEVE I BOUGHT THIS ABOUT SOME PERVERT!! I HATE PERVERTS! I KNOW TOO MANY PERVERTS!!! I should have come to goodreads like I had planned and reviewed the book. I heard it was an excellent piece of literature but on a personal level I don't know if I can read it. I don't know if I can. I could not read The Lovely Bones for the same reason. That book sent me into a tailspin of horrific memories and I haven't picked it back up. PLEASE someone tell me this book has some redeeming qualities or I've just wasted $15.
Everybody seems to rave about how good this book is; I just didn't see it.
It is many things, but mostly, it is a love story.(50)
A deeply unsettling book, all the more so for being so well-written. I had originally given it 5 stars; on a reread (with, admittedly, a lot of skimming), I wasn't as blown-away by it as all that. Maybe I'm less swayed by shock value now, but you have to admit it's wildly successful at what it sets out to do.
Everything you've heard it is except dirty. The best thing I've read about it is what Nabokov wrote in an afterword to it. Lolita, he wrote, was about his love affair with the English language.
