Nabokov's Lolita is incredibly complex and layered and poetic, but I also think it's so interesting to go back to it and consider how the cultural idea or concept of a "Lolita" differs from the actual literary one. Or many just look at all the different covers? The New Republic has a slide show tracing the covers both over time and in different countries. Here are just a couple of the ones that struck me.
(1969 IT Mondadori, Rome (Poster))
Lots of covers with grown women (well over Lo's age) with popsicles and lollipops.
(1988 LEB Dar Al-Adab, Beirut)
Is Lolita an Alice lost in wonderland? This cover makes me think so.
(1995 GB Penguin, London)
I love this painting by Balthus, but Nabokov had said that he didn't want to have a girl on the cover of his book. Does this one count?
(2001 FR Gallimard (Du monde entier), Paris)
Has anyone else noticed how often books aimed at women show body parts on the cover especially legs? A couple of Lolita covers go that way too, but at least these are legs belonging to a girl (Though I think of Lolita as having scabby knees).
(2005 JAP Shinchosha, Tokyo)
I think this is a great photo. It's open to interpretation as to who is doing the looking. So many of these covers of girls/women are presented as if we're looking through Humbert Humbert's eyes. Here - it depends on the viewer on how you read the image.
I love this image - it's cartoony and retro. I think it captures the way Nabokov mixes pop culture references in with the high literary stuff.
All these cover plus more found on Covering Lolita)
Crazy! I love looking at them all together.
ReplyDeletewhat a great post!! i love the red bikini one!
ReplyDeleteAmazing post!
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