"Lolita": the most tragic novel of the XX century

In 1958 in the United States published a novel by Vladimir Nabokov "Lolita", which brought the writer great fame. The novel is regularly ranked in the ratings of the best books of the twentieth century, named fourth in the list of one hundred novels of all time by the Modern Library and is in the list of the hundred best novels of the century by Time magazine.

"Lolita" Nabokov wrote in English, travelling during the holidays in the United States of America. In the story, an intellectual, middle-aged Humbert Humbert meets Dolores haze, Lolita, in her mother's house, where he stops. Humbert falls in love with a girl who enters into a relationship with her mother, and after the death of the last departs from Lo on a long car trip across America.

For 27 years prior to the publication of "Lolita", in Berlin, Vladimir Nabokov wrote a poem, "Lilith", also a story about passion for a young girl and ending with "...painful I spilled seed, and I realized suddenly that I was in hell". In drevneevreyskoe mythology, Lilith is the first wife of Adam, turned into a evil demon. Humbert Humbert called the young girls as "jailbait" and attributed them to demonic features.

Vladimir Nabokov behind a Desk. Initially, for fear of scandal, the author planned to publish the book anonymously. The scandal is really accompanied the publication of the novel, however, as they say, bad publicity is not — "Lolita" Nabokov brought enormous fame and income that allowed him to leave teaching in the US and move to Switzerland.

The first edition of "Lolita." The book was published in Paris by the publishing house "Olympia Press", which specializes in the publication of erotic and avant-garde literature. Among other published books — "Naked lunch" by William Burroughs and "the Story Of" Polina Rear, for example.

Many believe that the basis of the book about the love of Humbert-lolita was a true story that occurred 40 years in the state of new Jersey: a 50-year-old intelligent mechanic Frank LaSalle deceit kidnapped 11-year-old Sally Horner.

LaSalle caught the girl stealing notebooks and introduced himself as an FBI agent, blackmail forcing her to run away with him. 21 months they spent traveling in the trailer in the States, before the girl escaped from her captor and called the police.

In 1950 LaSalle, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The theme with the car journey and the external similarity Sully with the heroine of the novel Nabokov suggests that this case formed the basis of the novel.

The cover of the novel "the Gift" and the story "the Wizard". Many experts on the works of Nabokov trace the analogy between these works and the novel "Lolita". In particular, the motive of the desire to rediscover long-lost love — as a child, Humbert Humbert was in love with a girl Annabel Lee, which soon after their meeting, died of typhus. This, in turn, an allusion to the poem of Edgar Allan PoE "Annabel Lee". (Photo: Roman Denisov / Russian Look)

Vladimir Nabokov in Montreux, Switzerland, where he lived from 1961 to 1977. The translation of the novel into Russian himself did Nabokov, it was published in new York in 1967, and the book was published only in 1989 (Photo: SNAP / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

The novel was filmed twice. The first film adaptation — the Anglo-American film "Lolita", filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962. The script was written by Nabokov, but in the end it was used only to a small extent.(Photo: News Ltd / Newspix / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

Kubrick at work. (Photo: SNAP / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

American actress sue Lyon in the role of Lolita. At the time of filming she was 14 years old. Humbert Humbert was played by Britain's James Maso. (Photo: SNAP / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

The candidature of Lyon for the role of Lolita was then approved by Vladimir Nabokov.(Photo: SNAP / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

The organization "the Catholic Legion" demanded that in the scene where the implied sex between Humbert and Lolita, seduction was shown only a hint.

The second film adaptation — "Lolita" by Adrian Lyne, was released in 1997. The tape was released in limited edition and the world did not.(Photo: DAVE LEWIS / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

Photos from the premiere of Lolita: Adrian Lyne with the family and Dominique Swain, who played lolita. Dominic at the time of the shooting was 15 years old. (Photo: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

On the Sand were invited to Natalie Portman, but she refused for religious reasons, Portman is a practicing Jew. There is also evidence that it was opposed by the parents of the actress. On the photo: Natalie Portman in "Leon". (Photo: Theo Kingma / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

Humbert Humbert could play Dustin Hoffman, but the role went to Jeremy Irons, and it is, admittedly, perfectly coped with it. (Photo: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

Many critics of both film adaptations, noted that none of the Lolita looks really twelve — both Actresses older. (Photo: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

Role in "lolita" at the moment, the most famous work of Swain in movie. (Photo: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

In intimate scenes between Humbert and Lolita Swain substituted understudy. (Photo: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

The movie was very ambiguously accepted in the United States, and in Australia and were not allowed to hire, where it showed only two years later, with hard limits. (Photo: DAVE LEWIS/ / Rex Features / Fotodom.ru)

The second adaptation was closer to the novel than the screenplay of "Lolita," Kubrick. Screenwriter Stephen Schiff said that the filmmakers didn't want to do a remake of the tape of the cockpit and sought "to put in a new adaptation of the great novel".