Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Short summary

5 seconds

A thirty-seven-year-old literature teacher, Humbert is attracted to pretty girls between the ages of nine and fourteen. He marries Lolita’s mother so that nothing will prevent him from communicating with her.

1 minute

A thirty-seven-year-old literature teacher, Humbert is partial to pretty girls ages 9 to 14, whom he calls nymphets. This inclination arose in him as a result of childhood experiences, after which he could not look at adult girls. The novel is a confession written by the incarcerated Humbert.

Ten years ago he was living in Paris with his wife. His wife left him for a Russian emigrant colonel at a time when Humbert was about to move to America. There he participated in research projects and was treated in sanatoriums.

One day, Humbert rents the house of Mrs. Geis, who had a 12-year-old daughter, Dolores — Lo, Lolita. She reminds the hero of a childhood crush, the loss of which caused him to acquire an unhealthy disposition.

In his diary, Humbert describes his lust for Lolita. The girl’s mother confesses her love for Humbert in a letter. The hero responds to her feelings and marries her so that nothing will prevent him from communicating with his stepdaughter. The woman finds her husband’s diary and exposes him.