Lolita

Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This book tells the story of an affair between a middle-aged man and an underage girl, Lolita. Humbert, who earns a living by teaching French at university, has always harbored a gentle yet lecherous nightmare since the death of his first love in childhood. Those teenage girls exert an irresistible magic-like attraction on him. He keeps this secret desire hidden, merely whispering to those shallow and frenzied sprites with a trembling soul. By chance, he becomes the lodger of Charlotte (Lolita's mother). He falls madly in love with Charlotte's 14-year-old daughter, Lolita. This book is a classic in the field of psychiatry. As an artistic work, it transcends aspects of atonement; to readers, what matters more than its scientific significance and literary value is the moral impact it should have on serious readers. Because in this profound personal study, there lies a universal lesson: the willful child, the selfish mother, the breathless madman—these characters are not only vivid figures in a unique story; they remind us to be vigilant of dangerous tendencies; they point out the powerful influence of evil. This book should inspire all of us—parents, social service workers, educators—to strive with greater alertness and foresight to cultivate better individuals in a safer world.