The True Crime Behind Nabokov's Lolita

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5 жыл бұрын

Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is one of the most famous-and perhaps infamous-novels of all time. Yet very few of its readers know that the novel was inspired by a real-life criminal case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. In The Real Lolita, true-crime writer Sarah Weinman draws upon extensive investigations, interviews, legal documents, and public records to tell Sally Horner's complete story for the very first time. Weinman (author of Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s) will share what she believes Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case, and what level of effort he took to disguise the dark roots of his novel, as well as the more recent appeal of the true-crime genre as a whole, and what she sees as a writer’s responsibility in true-crime truth-telling.
This program was recorded on November 4, 2018.
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Пікірлер: 27

@deeliciousplum 5 жыл бұрын

What a priceless discussion on both the life of Sally Horner and on the author Vladimir Nabokov. I have not read the novel Lolita. I may read Sarah Weinman's book. Thank you to the fascilitators of this KZfaq channel for sharing this talk.

@axellaborde861 4 жыл бұрын

@the deeliciousplum: I quite agree with you, what a fantastic discussion! I definitely want to read her book too. It seems she has scanned so many archives, so her book looks well informed. Also, I am glad someone cared to tell the story of Sally Horner. Her life matters to me.

@adriaunaa5745 4 жыл бұрын

The breathing ☠️☠️☠️☠️

@mauriceortiz8817 Жыл бұрын

I recommend the fictional novel and film, The Lovely Bones. To me it read like a tribute to children who have been sexually assaulted and murdered by pedophiles and whose crimes are still unsolved.

@JackSaturday 5 жыл бұрын

I don't know if heavy breathing is suitable for this discussion, but really, are there no audio techs with basic skills? Aren't there mic checks before the event?

@bridget8586 5 жыл бұрын

I read Lolita at 14 lmao but yeah it’s a lot to take in

@lovenightcore9455 4 жыл бұрын

im 12 and i wanna read it

@nkazuyama2988 3 жыл бұрын

I only watched the movie when I was 14

@edw8889 11 ай бұрын

I read Lolita as a young teen it was fine I’m not damaged. I was more aware to protect myself

@WhitneyDahlin 3 жыл бұрын

Did this speaker write a book about this? And if so could someone link it?

@yoursubconscious 3 жыл бұрын

it may be too late, but: "The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World"

@pragjyotishbhuyangogoi8363 5 жыл бұрын

I don't think she understands the complexity of Nabokov's work. The book is written from the perspective of HH and not Nabokov. And he dissects his mentality with surgical precision. So whatever criticism she is doing, it is for a fictional character called HH, and not Nabokov. Anyway, even HH develops a guilty conscience and moral values are called upon near the end of the book, and one can not but feel excruciating heartache and be engulfed with sympathy for 'Lolita' reading the last few pages. One should read the book thoroughly first and then develop critical thoughts.

@Henry-dv8tw 3 жыл бұрын

literally doesn't matter

@Henry-dv8tw 3 жыл бұрын

literally doesn't matter

@settercrazy Жыл бұрын

Nabokov didn't not get inspired by a true incident. Lolita is an expansion of a shorter story he had written decades earlier. Not that it negates the story of Sally, just don't think one has to do with the other.

@danielrockmyer949 Жыл бұрын

Chapter 23 in the original book by Nabokov says that Dolly aka Lolita is in reality Humbert's real daughter. Although Dolly thinks Humbert is her step father, and Humbert thinks Dolly is his step daughter. Just putting this out because I never hear this detail on these videos.

@emanuelacomerio5334 Жыл бұрын

per capire Nabokov bisogna pensare ad un mostro. uno spettro. come una figura che quando dovesse pure specchiarsi e guardarsi in uno specchio non vedrebbe nulla, assolutamente nulla allo specchio. un collaudato praticante e fan di Proust, tutti i suoi rapporti con gli altri diversi da se' come rapporti positivi solo (solo sul piano spirituale tra anima e anima) e totalmente negativi a livello di pelle e ambiente. gli effetti sono tutti devastanti nel senso che non resta traccia alcuna del delitto. il rapporto anima anima (hummer hummer) cessa e fattualmente (di pelle e di luogo) si e' fortunati se si trova un ciuffo di peli di coniglio.

@lluvialeija8730 3 жыл бұрын

If I hear another mhm ima loss it!

@daniellerussell9360 5 жыл бұрын

Great discussion and amazing thought provoking topics, in very deep details. I really thouroughly enjoyed it. I do have to mention yes that the segway into the perfect white women victim and white male allusion were distracting as obviously a mostly white rather patriarchal society in the 1950s would normally produce a young white victim and a white man perpetrator. I suspect the littérature in societies where the majority have asian or black traits would comprise asian or black victim and perpetrator. Acute from this I do think our society what deeply affected by the Lolita narrative and I also think that as a people we had a wrong take on the archetypal storyline.