Lolita
2 journalers for this copy...
Amazon Synopsis:
"The story of Humbert Humbert, poet and pervert, and his obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze. Determined to possess his "Lolita" both carnally and artistically, Humbert embarks on a disastrous courtship that can only end in tragedy."
I also found one very interesting review on Amazon:
"I read this recently out of curiosity: I was wondering what all the fuss was about, and I was wondering how a child abuser saw his own actions, because something that is inexplicable to me is how anyone with a conscience can commit such crimes. What I found almost more terrifying than the book itself was the response to it (the edition I read had a small selection of critics' views at the back): so many people seem to have read it as a beautiful love story; indeed, one of the reviewers on this site has said "it tells you how to love". Perhaps the original reviewers were right in seeing this book as dangerous, for such mis-reading is worrying. It is masterfully written, but I think Nabokov knew what he was talking about. Unless you are determined to read it as the helpless love of an older man for a young minx, you will see his condemnation of Humbert's crimes, for it takes to new heights the fashion of writing in which a narrator artlessly reveals far more than he intended. Humbert may begin writing as if he is devotedly in love with his "nymphet", but a frightening pattern of control and abuse emerges, to the point where we realise that this child is not only being appallingly manipulated, she is also being repeatedly raped. And he still sees it as love. It is a gripping portrayal of a man with horrendous desires who manages to convince himself of their legitimacy, and maybe that is how the millions upon millions of men who are doing just this on a daily basis manage to evade their consciences. The frequent beauty and poetry of the writing only adds to the horror; at times I was unable to continue reading. There are also many touches of humour, black of course, and Humbert is, despite all this, a fascinating narrator. A brave and original look at a wide-spread problem which society still shoves under the rug, to be read carefully!"
"The story of Humbert Humbert, poet and pervert, and his obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze. Determined to possess his "Lolita" both carnally and artistically, Humbert embarks on a disastrous courtship that can only end in tragedy."
I also found one very interesting review on Amazon:
"I read this recently out of curiosity: I was wondering what all the fuss was about, and I was wondering how a child abuser saw his own actions, because something that is inexplicable to me is how anyone with a conscience can commit such crimes. What I found almost more terrifying than the book itself was the response to it (the edition I read had a small selection of critics' views at the back): so many people seem to have read it as a beautiful love story; indeed, one of the reviewers on this site has said "it tells you how to love". Perhaps the original reviewers were right in seeing this book as dangerous, for such mis-reading is worrying. It is masterfully written, but I think Nabokov knew what he was talking about. Unless you are determined to read it as the helpless love of an older man for a young minx, you will see his condemnation of Humbert's crimes, for it takes to new heights the fashion of writing in which a narrator artlessly reveals far more than he intended. Humbert may begin writing as if he is devotedly in love with his "nymphet", but a frightening pattern of control and abuse emerges, to the point where we realise that this child is not only being appallingly manipulated, she is also being repeatedly raped. And he still sees it as love. It is a gripping portrayal of a man with horrendous desires who manages to convince himself of their legitimacy, and maybe that is how the millions upon millions of men who are doing just this on a daily basis manage to evade their consciences. The frequent beauty and poetry of the writing only adds to the horror; at times I was unable to continue reading. There are also many touches of humour, black of course, and Humbert is, despite all this, a fascinating narrator. A brave and original look at a wide-spread problem which society still shoves under the rug, to be read carefully!"
On its way by post to Emmerlist in Roma, Italy.
Arrived this morning, thanks a lot alicef ;)
I didn't appreciate it a lot, i found it a little too much pathetic!
The movie by Stanley Kubrick is really better!
The movie by Stanley Kubrick is really better!
