Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov

I read the book after watching Kubrick’s film. I really enjoyed the movie, and I wasn’t really that disturbed by Humbert’s attraction for a 16-year old(ish) Lolita, but hell, in the book she’s twelve!

Many consider this an erotic novel, but it’s actually so much more than that and it upsets me to see it considered as such (supposed masterpieces of world literature like Lady Chatterley’s Lover, on the other hand, can be considered just erotic novels for me). The biggest quality of the book, I believe, is that Humbert (unlike Quilty) is actually likeable. Sure, every reader has to condemn his actions, but I am sure that most wanted him to sort out his issues and live happily ever after with a girl aged 18 or more.

And this may be a silly point, but I think that the fact that in the book Humbert is the only one addressing Dolores as “Lolita” gives the entire novel a slightly different spin.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover – David H. Lawrence

Back in the day, my granduncle hid my grandma’s copy of the book on top of their kitchen cupboard (and cheekily ended up reading it). At that time the book was hot stuff. Nowadays, its erotic tones no longer causing uproar, the book is just quite boring.

I don’t really care about Lady Chatterley’s love for her gamekeeper – not from a psychological, and even less from a physical and erotic point of view. And I’m tired of inter-class forbidden loves where the poor always ends up being the charmingly mysterious figure who ends up being manipulated (happily or unhappily) by his or more often her partner.

And I’ve got nothing left to say about this book, something which, incidentally, says a lot...