Nabokov on the first lines of Lolita. Read in English and Russian.
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.
Nabokov detests italicized passages in a novel ... canned music ... concise dictionaries ... journalistic cliches ... and the moment of truth
