The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World
The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman tells the true story of Sally Horner, a young girl kidnapped and abused for nearly two years by a 50-year-old man, which inspired Vladimir Nabokov's creation of Lolita. The book delves into the tragic events surrounding Sally's abduction, her travels with her abductor, and the parallels between her story and the characters in Nabokov's novel. Weinman's narrative includes biographical information on various individuals tied to the case, the publication of Lolita, and the impact of Sally's story on the novel.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
High content warnings are applicable due to themes of sexual abuse, kidnapping, and trauma.
From The Publisher:
"The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov's masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness." -David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon
Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner's full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
Sally Horner's story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel's creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
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