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Notes written by Nabokov about finishing Lolita“I have only words to play with!” That one quote continues to stick with me as my favorite line of the book as well as representative of so much within it. In the same declaration, Humbert Humbert bemoans the fact that he does not have Lolita to “play with,” […]
Picture source at FilmPosters.com Unfortunately I had to watch the movie in fits and starts over several days, but hopefully I won’t bungle any of the facts of the movie. There is a good overview and recap of the film at American Movie Classic’s filmsite.org. Two Views of Lolita, both of which are higher on […]
A geographical scrutiny of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolitaby Dieter E. ZimmerPicture source Part Two was somewhat of a disappointment to me, which I’ll try to explain as I go along. The wordplay and parodies continue, but some contradictions (or at it seems to me) ultimately undermine the book. The seductive language continues, lulling the reader […]
This cartoon originally appeared in The New York Times Book Review on September 14, 1958. The caption reads, “Go get your own copy of ‘Lolita.’” Picture source The book developed slowly, with many interruptions and asides. It had taken me some forty years to invent Russia and Western Europe, and now I was faced by […]
This is the first book covered in the online Shakespeare course I joined. Shapiro’s work goes into detail on Shakespeare’s achievements in 1599 (a remarkable output–Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and the first draft of Hamlet ), his business dealings, and the national scene within which he worked. The approach of […]
The vacant ice looked tired, though it shouldn’t have. They told him it had been put down only a few minutes ago following a basketball game, and after the hockey match it would be taken up again to make room for something else. But it looked not expectant but resigned, like the mirror simulating ice […]
Picture source So Humbert the Cubus schemed and dreamed—and the red sun of desire and decision (the two things that create a live world) rose higher and higher, while upon a succession of balconies a succession of libertines, sparkling glass in hand, toasted the bliss of past and future nights. Then, figuratively speaking, I shattered […]
So I’m behind in everything I wanted to do so far this year, and I’m probably going to sign up for more. I ran across an online course on Shakespeare being put together which I thought I would explore. It will be the first time it’s offered and while it sounds like it may have […]
I apologize for the lack of posting but I haven’t had a chance to read anything in the past month, much less write about it. Home and work are taking up all my time, with no time for anything else. Not to mention lots of turbulence at work (today’s fun is preparing a separation agreement […]
Vladimir Nabokov and his wife, Véra, 1966 Picture source Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. (The opening lines of Lolita) A note on […]