A Book Review: Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita

The following book review is written by Srishti Yadav, a member of the Interviews team in Yamuna 2010-11.


Lolita. The very title of the novel set my expectations zooming skywards. Whether those were realized or not is a different story.

The novel is definitely audacious as there is no room for bashfulness in its rather articulate tone. The author knows his centre of gravity and doesn't try to digress or shift his focus in the least. The protagonist, Humbert Humbert ( yes, that's his name) is slightly disillusioned; He mistakes his acute and incorrigible lust for young, pre-pubescent girls to be love.

Then comes Lolita with her beautiful name, and is often disregarded as she is merely the flighty and frivolous, twelve year old 'nymphet,' to use the author's own word. She is shallow and brash, crude and undeserving- all at the same time. She is certainly a character unlike any other in classic fiction.

However, putting the characters aside, the author himself comes across as rather strange. Or, perhaps, "unconventional" might be the better word, because who would fall in convention if the theme of their work is lust for a girl a quarter of one's age? The male character also happens to be highly self centered and pompous to a large extent. For him, his lust, his insatiable, limitless and unthinking hunger is a pain. And this pain is also greater than any agony that mankind has ever seen.

It's only been a few days since I finished the novel, and I am already confusing the author with the character.

But that is a virtue; the author is very convincing. He portrays exactly what he wants to portray, and portrays it in a way that leaves a strong impression on the reader. Also, had he not been so, one would not have felt any disdain towards him. He is also a very creative writer. Not a phrase can be predicted and he achieves the feat with such apparent ease that it is difficult not to feel jealous of his storytelling ability. He is very spontaneous and comes off as a gentleman seeped in convention, with the amount of grace and substance found in his writing.

Also in his favour is the fact that he is immensely well read and has a thorough knowledge of multiple languages which he puts into effective, though not overbearing use. To conclude, one could say that his prose has fine elements of poetry in it and he is capable of making words flow with the ease and poise that belongs to a past generation.

As for the novel, well, those who wish to plunge into this bog must be prepared to be dazed and disturbed by this unforgettable 'classic'.