Lori’s Reviews > Strong Opinions > Status Update

IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: WHAT SCENES ONE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FILMED

Shakespeare in the part of the King’s Ghost. The beheading of Louis the Sixteenth, the drums drowning his speech on the scaffold. Herman Melville at breakfast, feeding a sardine to his cat...The Russians leaving Alaska, delighted with the deal. Shot of a seal applauding.

Mr. Nabokov does not like to talk off the cuff (or “Off the Nabocuff,” as he said).

What inspired you to dub Lolita’s aging inamorato with such engaging redundancy?
The double rumble is, I think, very nasty, very suggestive. It is a hateful name for a hateful person.

Be still my heart: A series of interviews, many from book tours, in which Nabokov talks about his life and work including the novels. Discusses Vera, which he didn't permit himself (for good reason) when writing Speak Memory. Includes interviews by Alfred Appel, a former student who did the definitive annotated Lolita and does best interviews, and Nab's opinions on others' work.