Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2012

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 classic is just as disturbing today as it was when it was first published. The novel is narrated through the eyes of literature professor Humbert Humbert, a man obsessed with girls, or what he calls "nymphets." Humbert's fixation finds an outlet in 12-year-old Lolita. What follows is a twisted love affair, including a marriage between Humbert and Lolita's mother (so Humbert can stay close to his Lo), sexual relations between Humbert and the young girl, and later, the addition of another older man who longs for Lolita, which leads to a violent confrontation between the man and Humbert. The novel is one of the giants of 20th century fiction, and 60 years later, it's still shocking.