Lolita is turning fifty . I know that her character died, but I can’t help but imagine her with a few varicose veins, a thicker waistline and some peach fuzz on her upper lip. She probably married a guy 20 years her senior who is no longer paying attention to her and who is now trying to get in the pants of a cute, 12 year-old neighbor.
Now a middle-aged woman’s name.
Everybody gets old(er). Heh heh…
For more on Lolita’s 50th, visit NPR’s special section with film excerpts and readings by Nabokov and Jeremy Irons.
Moorishgirl pointe vers un site o� on peut entendre Nabokov r�citer un extrait en fran�ais. Je vais aller �couter �a ce soir…
« Lolita, Light of My Life, Fire of My Loins »
Merci Hugo! J’ai ajout� des hyperliens tir�s de NPR, en particulier la lecture (audio) de « Lo Li Ta » par Jeremy Irons que j’avais en t�te quand j’ai �cris ce billet.
Howdy!
I also got a kick out of this op-ed piece by Stacy Schiff from today’s New York Times.
Thanks Chris, great piece by Schiff.
I learned in there that Lolita was relieved from obscurity by Graham Greene, whom I recently discovered by reading Travels with my aunt witch I absolutely loved.
Here is a good combo for a week-end at the cabin: a tragic book about a 12-year-old Lolita and another super funny one about 75-year-old Aunt Augusta. They cancel out and your soul is safe.
Interesting combo… and I’m leaving tomorrow for a week in a cabin! I might give it a try.
I loooved The End of the Affair, by Graham Greene. I also read The Quiet American. (I’m fascinated by the adaptation process so I like to read books before I go see the films.)
But be warned that Mr Greene divided his works in two categories (like Mini Wheats): serious stuff vs entertaining stuff. You know his serious side, Aunt Augusta is on the sweet side of things! But still great writting. And really funny. Here are the first words we hear from Aunt Augusta: « I was present once at a premature cremation. »
Bonne semaine!
Martine si tu ne l’as pas encore lu, je t’encourage � le faire. Ce qui est d’autant plus �tonnant avec Nabokov et comme pour Pale Fire, c’est sa ma�trise de l’anglais. non pas �tonnant, d�primant en fait ;)
That’s the worst book I have ever read. I renamed it: « Adventures of a Pedophile ».
By the way, I am sorry that my first comment ever in your blog is a negative one.
I just can’t stand pretentious literature. Most people pretend to like Nabokov because they are supposed to.