Lolita
(Vladmir Nabokov)

Vladmir Nabokov grew up in Russia and moved to England in his early adult years. He was fluent in Russian, French, and English from early on in his life, though he did not write in English until he moved to the United States when he was forty-one years old in 1940. Nabokov taught at Wellesley and Cornell Universities in the United States and dreamed of writing a best-selling novel in English.

Though he was not a proponent of Freudian ideals he did see the appeal of Freud’s concepts for the sake of literature and thus came up with “Lolita”, a story that centers on a professor who develops sexual feelings for his preteen stepdaughter. “Lolita” was turned down by multiple American publishers because of its racy and controversial subject matter but was eventually published in France.

After becoming immensely popular on the French underground and receiving critical acclaim Penguin finally published “Lolita” in 1958. Many countries have banned “Lolita” because of its content and the nature of the sexual relationships, though it has become a best-selling American novel.

At the time “Lolita” was written it was considered seriously taboo and ahead of its time. Many countries and critics found it extremely scandalous, though Nabokov was not so concerned with writing a realistic story so much as creating a postmodern piece of literature that concentrated more on the use of sophistic language, evocation of emotion, and skilful use of literary devices.

Despite the mixed reviews and controversial content, “Lolita” has managed to stand the test of time and emerge as one of the most successful and well-known novels of all time.