"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.
Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."

--Oscar Wilde
Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray

Lolita by: Vladimir Nabokov

Writing about his highly-controversial book, Vladimir Nabokov said there were only three taboos left in America in 1955, "a Negro-White marriage which is a complete and glorious success resulting in lots of children and grandchildre; and the total atheist who lives a happy and useful life, and dies in his sleep at the age of 106." The third taboo is the subject of his book.

Lolita is the story of aging Humbert Humbert who is enchanted and obsessed with twelve year old Dolores Haze. Naturally, the book was the subject of immediate controversy when it was published in 1955. It was tagged "obscene" and "pornographic" by the narrow-minded, most of whom probably never sat down to read it. The controversy no doubt fueled its sucess, and it has become a enduring classic.

Anyone who read this with the hopes of reading a "dirty" novel will be very disappointed. The subject-matter is definately mature, and Nabokov does not sugar-coat any of it, but he handles it in such an artistic way that it can no way be called pronographic.

Nabokov, whose native language is Russian, writes with a command over English that very few native speakers has been able to. At some points it seems to be a giant prose poem. The passage flow with a lyrical beauty that is unmatched by any other 20th century novelist.

The irony of Lolita is that although the passion Humbert feels for Lolita is forbidden, it is also genuine and consuming. Humbert is possessed with thoughts of Lolita, and would go to any lengths to get her. He is fascinated by every little part of her, her armpits, the way she serves a tennis ball. It is a passion and a dedication that has been lacking in literature and art for years. It was the passion Zeus felt for Leda, that Lancelot felt for Guinevere. Also like these other examples, it is a forbidden love.

Lolita is a very difficult book to tackle. There are puns running rampant, and passages in several foreign languages. I would not think it is the type of book that the average reader would pick up. As a matter of fact, the more essays I read, the more I realize I missed. Next to the works of James Joyce, this may be the most complex book in the English language. However, for the brave and tenacious, this book is an enriching and wonderful experience to read.

Xanadu8503@aol.com

Visitors: 03106

Page Updated Wed May 3, 2000 3:41am EDT