Cover of Lolita

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Lolita

8.5

Vladimir Nabokov

Nabokov's 1955 novel — brilliant, morally appalling, impossibly well-written — the most famous unreliable narrator in world fiction and the apex of English prose style.

Year
1955 AD
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Novel
Work Type
Fiction
Pages
336
Designation
Major
Century
20th c.

GBM Assessment (Score: 8.5/10)

Lolita is a brilliantly written and morally challenging novels in the English language, a work whose dazzling prose style both seduces and implicates the reader. Vladimir Nabokov created in Humbert Humbert one of literature's most memorable unreliable narrators, a man of immense erudition and monstrous desire whose eloquence forces readers to confront the dangerous power of beautiful language. The novel's singular verbal artistry and moral complexity have secured its place among the supreme achievements of twentieth-century fiction.

Initially rejected by American publishers and first issued by the Olympia Press in Paris in 1955, Lolita provoked intense controversy that gradually gave way to critical recognition of its literary genius. The novel's exploration of obsession, manipulation, and the dark underside of mid-century American culture challenged the era's conventions, and Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film adaptation brought the story to an even wider audience, cementing its status as a core work of American literature.

Britain, 1954-1955

1954 AD – 1955 AD · 4 works from this era

Post-war Britain: austerity ending, empire receding. Tolkien publishes Lord of the Rings — creating modern fantasy. Golding's Lord of the Flies strips away Victorian optimism. Nabokov's Lolita appears in Paris. Rock and roll is born. Rosa Parks refuses to move.

Awards & Adaptations

Kubrick film (1962). Core in American lit.

Recommended Edition

Olympia Press, Paris (1955)

Subjects

erotic fictionromance fictionfictionlove storiesnovela

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Lolita written?
Lolita was composed in 1955. Initially rejected by American publishers and first issued by the Olympia Press in Paris in 1955, Lolita provoked intense controversy that gradually gave way to critical recognition of its literary genius.
Who wrote Lolita?
Lolita was written by Vladimir Nabokov, an American novelist.
Why is Lolita considered a great book?
Nabokov's 1955 novel — brilliant, morally appalling, impossibly well-written — the most famous unreliable narrator in world fiction and the apex of English prose style.
What language was Lolita originally written in?
Lolita was originally written in English.
How long is Lolita?
Lolita runs about 336 pages in standard print editions.
What's the best edition or translation of Lolita?
Recommended editions of Lolita: Olympia Press, Paris (1955).
ISBN-13: 9780307788085
ISBN-10: 0297858807
Editions: 228
Open Library: View