Wink, Wink; Nudge, Nudge Nabokov, Vladimir (1989) Despair. New York: Vintage. Nabokov wrote this little doppelganger mystery in the 1930’s then revised it in English in the 1960’s. The first two thirds are very slow going, as the pompous, self-aware, first-person … Continue reading
Wonderful Language, Dull Story Nabokov, Vladimir. (1955). Lolita. New York: Vintage 50th Anniversary Edition. This is a book whose reputation precedes reading. Everyone knows the story of a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession with a twelve-year-old girl. Humbert Humbert, a European gentleman, … Continue reading
An Early Sensitive Psychopath Fowles, John. (1963). The Collector. New York: Back Bay/Little Brown. This novel is often compared to Lolita because it involves an older man’s sexual obsession with a young girl, but the comparison is not apt. First, … Continue reading