"Lolita" is the most famous of Nabokov's books.
Published in 1955, Nabokov almost used his pseudonym Vivian Darkbloom (anagram of Vladimir Nabokov) because of the sensitive content.
After meeting only refusal from American publishers, he found the Parisian publishing house "Olympia Press" who was known for mainly pornography.
Despite its disturbing content, it quickly became a success in the literary world.
And after reading the first pages, it becomes clear why:
"Lolita" is a literary masterpiece.
Nabokov lets his protagonist use language as a tool of persuasion.
Humbert Humbert (pronounced French) is an unreliable protagonist who writes his own story retrospectively from prison.
And he does that so brilliantly, you catch yourself rooting for him, wanting him to get his way and not wanting him to get into trouble, before you quickly remember that he is the villain in the story.
In his mind he is telling a love story, and how he does so stands in contrast to the horrendous thoughts he has and deeds he commits.
He becomes obsessed with a 12 year-old girl named Dolores.
Lolita is just a pet name he has for her.
In a perverse way of chance, he becomes her stepfather and only legal guardian (although never officially on paper) and abuses the power he has over her.
We only get to know the circumstances and characters from his point of view.
Character descriptions, especially of his nemesis Clare Quilty (most of all his outward appearance), cannot be believed when considering the outcome of the story.
That in mind, I asked myself the whole time reading:
Is Lolita likeable?
In the beginning, she isn't really likeable but at the same time she is just a kid who cannot foresee the consequences of her behaviour which makes you feel incredibly sorry for her as the story goes on.
When it comes to the point where she cant back out any more, it gets from cringy to sinister.
The first months of their acquaintance, she admires him, even has a poster of a movie star that looks like him and is actively looking for physical contact (at least that's what we are made to believe by Humbert Humbert).
Soon after they begin a physical relationship, she begins to hate him and to despise his touch.
It is unclear if she never wanted it in the first place or if she regrets having wanted what she cannot make undone (which is perfectly understandable given her age because how could she have foreseen the proceedings).
She cries every night, insults him regularly, takes every chance to be alone and away from him or at least in a public space and becomes extremely irritable.
Although I didn't like her personality, I could not help but feel incredibly sorry for her.
Because she knows that this isn't normal and that she's missing out on the normal life her peers have.
Because you can feel her sorrow and helplessness.
However irritated I am, I understand why it's singled out amongst Nabokov's work and can definitely see myself reading it again in the future.
Fun Fact at the end: For the longest time, I thought "The Enchanter" is actually just a different title to the same story (the edition I have is titled in the Russian Волшебник/Volschebnik). But compared to Lolita, this is a cozy bedtime story.
So if you're looking for a lighter version, I can recommend The Enchanter.
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