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

• "Lolita" - the most tragic novel of the XX century

April 22 - the birthday of the great Russian and American writer Vladimir Nabokov. The general reader is best known for his novel "Lolita" - a book about the tragic love of a teacher of the French language to the twelve year old girl. Roman regularly ranked in the ratings of the best books of the XX century, called the fourth in the list of a hundred novels of all time according to the Modern Library and into the list of the hundred best novels of the century, according to the magazine Time.

"Lolita," Nabokov wrote in English, traveling during the holidays of the United States of America. In the story, an intellectual middle-aged Humbert Humbert meets Dolores Haze, Lolita, in her mother's house, where it stops. Humbert falls in love with a girl has intercourse with her mother, and after the death of the latter is sent to Lolita on a long road trip across America.

27 years before the publication of "Lolita", in Berlin, Vladimir Nabokov wrote the poem "Lilith", also telling the passion for the young girl, and ends with the word "painful ... I spilled seed, and suddenly realized that I was in hell." In drevneiudeyskoy mythology Lilith - the first wife of Adam, which has turned into an evil demon. Humbert Humbert young girls called "nymphet" and attributed them to the demonic traits.

Vladimir Nabokov at his desk. Initially, for fear of scandal, the author planned to publish the book anonymously. Scandal indeed accompanied the publication of the novel, however, as the saying goes, bad publicity is not - "Lolita," Nabokov earned huge fame and income that allowed him to leave teaching in the United States and move to Switzerland.

The first edition of "Lolita." The book was published in Paris in the publishing house "Olympia Press", which specialized in the publication of erotic and avant-garde literature. Among other books published there - "Naked Lunch" by William Burroughs and "Story of O" Pauline Reazh, for example.

Many people believe that the basis for the story of the love of Humbert in Lolita a true story that occurred in the 40s in New Jersey: 50-year-old mechanic Frank La Salle intellectual fraud stole the 11-year-old Sally Horner.

Lasalle girl caught stealing notebooks and introduced an FBI agent, blackmail, forcing her to flee with him. 21 months they had spent traveling in a trailer across the United States, before the girl ran away from the thief and called the police.

In 1950, La Salle, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Subject to road travel and external similarity with the heroine of the novel Sally Nabokov indicate that this is the story served as the basis for a novel.

Covers novel "The Gift" and the novel "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 a long-lost love - a child Humbert Humbert was in love with a girl Annabel Lee, soon after they met dying of typhus. This, in turn, is an allusion to a poem by Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee."

Vladimir Nabokov in Montreux, Switzerland, where he lived from 1961 to 1977. Translation of the novel into Russian made Nabokov himself, it was published in New York in 1967, and in Russia the book was published only in 1989.

The novel was made into a movie twice. The first film adaptation - Anglo-American film "Lolita", filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962. The script was written Nabokov himself, but in the end it has been used only to a small extent.

Kubrick at work.

An American actress Sue Lyon as Lolita. At the time of filming, she was 14 years old. Humbert Humbert played by Brit James Mace.

Lyon candidacy for the role of Lolita Vladimir Nabokov himself approved.

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

The second film adaptation - "Lolita" Adrian Lyne, published in 1997. Tape released in limited edition and a big box office did not.

Photos from the premiere of "Lolita": Adrian Lyne with family and Dominique Swain, who played Lolita. Dominique at the time of the shooting was 15 years old.

On the role of Lolita originally invited Natalie Portman, but she refused for religious reasons, Portman - practicing Jewess. There are also reports that were made against the parents of the actress. Photo: Natalie Portman in 'Leon' film.

Humbert could have played Dustin Hoffman, but the role went to Jeremy Irons, and he, admittedly, well cope with it.

Many critics both adaptations note that none of Lolitas do not look really twelve - both actresses older.

role in "Lolita" is by far the best-known work Swain in the film.

In the intimate scenes between Humbert and Lolita Swain substitute for understudy.

The film was very controversial adopted in the US, and in Australia and was not allowed to hire, there it showed only two years later, with severe limitation.

The scenario of the second film adaptation was closer to the text of the novel than the script of "Lolita" Kubrick. Screenwriter Stephen Schiff said that the filmmakers did not want to do a remake of the tape Kubrick, and sought to "put a new adaptation of the great novel."