Lolita

Author: Vladimir Nabokov (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The first complete Chinese translation of Nabokov's famous and controversial novel in fifty years since its original publication. A brand-new authoritative annotation edition by the veteran translator, Mr. Zhiwan. As a case history, Lolita will undoubtedly become a classic in the field of psychiatry. As an artistic work, it transcends the aspects of atonement. In our view, what is more important than its scientific significance and literary value is the moral impact it should have on serious readers, because in this profound personal study, there is implied a universal lesson. As a case history, Lolita will undoubtedly become a classic in the field of psychiatry. As an artistic work, it transcends the aspects of atonement; and in our opinion, what is more important than its scientific significance and literary value is the moral influence it should exert on serious readers, for in this profound personal study, there lies a universal lesson: the willful child, the selfish mother, the panting madman—these characters are not only vivid figures in a unique story; they remind us of dangerous tendencies; they point to the powerful influence of evil. Lolita should make us all—parents, social workers, educators—strive with greater vigilance and foresight to cultivate a better person in a safer world. I believe that every serious writer, holding in his hands one or another of his published books, always feels it as a source of comfort. Its small, ever-burning flame continues to smolder underground, and as soon as his psychological thermostat is touched, a familiar wave of warmth immediately surges forth quietly. This comfort, the light this book casts from an ever-present distance, is a very friendly feeling; the more the book matches the preconceived characteristics and colors, the brighter and softer its light becomes. However, even so, there are still some places, byways, favorite valleys, where you recall more eagerly and appreciate more deeply than in other parts of the book. Since reading the proof copy in the spring of 1955, I have not reread Lolita, yet this book has given me a sense of pleasure, because it quietly accompanies me in the room, as if in a summer day when you know the mist has dispersed, it is a bright and clear scene.