On August 18, 1958, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was published in the United States by G.P. Putnam & Sons. The controversial novel is included on Time's 100 best English language Novels from 1923 to 2005, and is fourth in Modern Library's 1998 list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century. Nabokov wrote the novel from 1949 to 1955; it was published in France in 1955. It was banned in Paris from 1956-1958.
The review that appeared in September 1958 in The Atlantic Monthly can be found here.
The novel sold 100,000 copies in the first three weeks, the first novel to do so since Gone With the Wind.
Nabokov wrote the screenplay that Stanley Kubrick directed in 1962, starring James Mason as Humbert Humbert. Adrian Lyne directed an adaptation in 1997, starring Jeremy Irons.
Nabokov, who was born in 1899 in St. Petersburg, Russia, died in Switzerland in 1977.
Kathleen - Ah, yes, Lolita. It's so interesting, too, that such a controversial book should now be considered great literature. Interesting how our perspectives change when we look back at something...
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting, Margot! Wild stuff...
ReplyDelete