Apr 21, 2012

Crucial Books (#14) Lolita



Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955.



*About fifteen or so years ago, my friend, Hannah, was hosting a Women's Book Club.  And when they read Lolita, Hannah asked me to sit in on the discussion.  She knew how fond I am of the novel, how I think it might be the greatest novel about America, ever.  (Written by a Russian, Nabokov's first book in English!)  It was like walking in to the lion's den.  Some of the women stopped reading at a certain point or refused to read the book, period.  I tried my best to talk about the parodic structure, all the puns, the twins, the butterfly references, the Poe allusions, etc, ... But I doubt I won any converts that night.






All my love,
Michael

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