Reading Groups

Lolita with Nicola Maye Goldberg

Once a week Sundays, 1:00 pm EDT - 2:30 pm EDT July 16 to August 6, 2023

The Center for Fiction

The ‘With Book’ option includes a copy of Lolita at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6
In Person at The Center for Fiction

Sixty-eight years after its original publication, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita remains one the most controversial novels ever written. An early review dismissed it as “sheer pornography.” It has been named one of the 100 greatest novels ever written by Time magazine, Le Monde, and the Modern Library. Vanity Fair called it “the only convincing love story of our century.” Mary Gaitskill, however, wrote that “Lolita is about obsession, which is never, ever love.” The difference between love and obsession is central to the novel, and in this reading group, we will try to unravel it. We will also focus on Nabokov’s singular prose style, and his creation of one of literature’s most unreliable narrators. In addition, we will discuss the novel’s considerable pop culture legacy, from Stanley Kubrick to Lana Del Rey.

Before the first session, participants should read Chapters 1-15.

What to expect from this reading group: This reading group will mostly be conversational, with some additional info and optional background reading provided by the instructor.

Led by

Nicola Maye Goldberg

Nicola Maye Goldberg

Nicola Maye Goldberg is the author of Other Women and Nothing Can Hurt You. Her work has appeared in New York Tyrant, Vogue, Joyland, the Drunken Canal, and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn and teaches at Columbia University.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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