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Lolita

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Lolita (1955) is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The novel was first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris, later translated by the author into Russian and published in 1957 in New York. The novel is both internationally famous for its innovative style and infamous for its controversial subject: the book's narrator and protagonist, Humbert Humbert, becoming sexually obsessed with a 12-year-old girl named Dolores Haze.

After its publication, Lolita attained a classic status, becoming one of the best known and most controversial examples of 20th century literature. The name "Lolita" has entered pop culture to describe a sexually precocious young girl. The novel has been adapted to film twice, once in 1962 by Stanley Kubrick starring James Mason as Humbert Humbert, with Sue Lyon as Lolita, and again in 1997 by Adrian Lyne, starring Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, and Dominique Swain as Lolita.
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One to Ten:		8.0

Written by Seabass - View all my reviews
#1 Reviewer

I read this novel a couple of years ago. It's a classic book that has been sublimated into pop culture with the word "Lolita" being synonomous with statutory deviance. It has also been widely used as a term for an underaged temptress. They've attempted to make film versions off of it. However, even Stanley Kubrick faced the problem of making a movie about a middle aged man having a sexual relationship with a 12 year old. It's kind of difficult to portray literally. As for the novel, it is wonderful in its dark humor. The most schocking thing about the novel is how enjoyable Humbert Humbert can be. It's true that he is a complete scumbag but at the same time..his attraction to young girls never completely dehumanizes him. The problem I have with this novel is that it is front loaded. You live through the suspense of knowing Humbert's lecherous intentions toward the "nymphet," Dolores Haze. You also go through the suspense of Dolores's mother possibly finding out. After that..it plays out like your average road novel, which isn't bad, but can't sustain the mesmerizing aspects of the initial chapters. Overall, I still highly recommend this book.

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