Nabokov Night

On Tuesday, June 9th we gathered 20 Hot Literati at LES Wine on the Lower East Side to discuss Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, and life.

Steven's Russian Space Dog Necklace

Each group put together their own take on Lolita as a love story, a horror story, and/or a comedy.

Here's what they said:

Our collective intellectual work

"The themes of Lolita seem overtly romantic, and those overtones paired with H.H’s position as the narrator and Nabokov's witty, immensely detailed writing style make it hard for readers to deny the book's romantic themes. When one strips what ‘love’ is to its core, Nabokov is able to isolate themes of reverence, sensuality, desire, etc, which make it compelling as a love story. However, H.H.'s position as the narrator also creates a dissonance between his internal perception of his fantastical romance and the reality of the situation. The novel additionally leans into some common psychological themes in its placement of H.H. as such an immoral and unreliable narrator and the distancing of Lolita’s perspectives throughout the narrative."

hailo's jacket and copy of Invitation to a Beheading

Showtime

Then, each group put together a skit based on Pnin, Invitation to a Beheading, and Pale Fire.

Morgan makes Nabokov-inspired t shirts at nabokoviandesigns.com

Hanging Out

Then we all hung out for a nice, long time.

Thank you to all the Hot Literatis around the world.

Amina hanging out like an angel

We have upcoming events in New York.

Big love to our friends at LES Wine, the only place you should be getting your wine and spirits on the Lower East Side. They are are wonderful hosts and venue partner.

More events elsewhere, soon.

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