Lolita in the Afterlife: On Beauty, Risk, and Reckoning with the Most Indelible and Shocking Novel of the Twentieth Century Audiobook

In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita was published in the United States to immediate controversy and bestsellerdom. More than sixty years later, this phenomenal novel generates as much buzz as it did when originally published. Central to countless issues at the forefront of our national discourse— art and politics, race and whiteness, gender and power, sexual trauma—Lolita lives on, in an afterlife as blinding as a supernova. With original contributions from a stellar cast of prominent twenty-first century writers and edited by the daughter of Lolita’s original publisher in America, Lolita in the Afterlife is a vibrant collection of sharp and essential modern pieces on this perennially provocative book.

Audiobook Table of Contents:

Witness for the Defense: My Father and Lolita - by Emily Mortimer, read by the author

Véra and Lo - by Stacy Schiff, read by Marisol Ramirez

On the Road with Humbert and Lolita - by Ian Frazier, read by Paul Bellantoni

Ugly Beautiful - by Roxane Gay, read by the author

Badge of Honor - by Susan Choi, read by Rebecca Lowman

Watching the Detective - by Laura Lippman, read by the author

Lolita Diary - by Alexander Chee, read by Vikas Adam 

Delectatio Morosa - by Lauren Groff, read by Rebecca Lowman

Lolita, #MeToo, and Myself - by Morgan Jerkins, read by Marisol Ramirez

Lolita, Chamonix, France, 2018 - by Andre Dubus III, read by the author

The Showgirl Who Discovered Lolita - by Sarah Weinman, read by the author

Fashion’s Lolita; Fragile, Subversive, and a Paean to White Femininity - by Robin Givhan, read by Marisol Ramirez

Lolita and the Empathetic Imagination - by Jim Shepard, read by the author

How Lolita Freed Me from My Own Humbert - by Bindu Bansinath, read by the author

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury - by Christina Baker Kline, read by Rebecca Lowman

Charmed - by Victor LaValle, read by Vikas Adam 

They Stay the Same Age - by Sloane Crosley, read by the author

Dear Sugar - by Cheryl Strayed, read by the author

What We Talk About When We Talk About Lolita - by Lila Azam Zanganeh, read by Marisol Ramirez

Nabokov’s Rocking Chair: Lolita at the Movies - by Tom Bissell, read by the author

Lo and Behold - by Jill Kargman, read by the author

Acquiring Lolita’s Language - by Aleksandar Hemon, read by Paul Bellantoni

Charlotte’s Complaint - by Jessica Shattuck, read by the author

Lolita in the Time of Trigger Warnings - by Erika L. Sánchez, read by Marisol Ramirez

Maison Nymphette - by Kate Elizabeth Russell, read by the author

A Living Story of Lolita in Iraq - by Zainab Salbi, read by the author

The Lollipop Room - by Kira von Eichel, read by Rebecca Lowman

The Anti-Monster - by Claire Dederer, read by Marisol Ramirez

Lolita in Lockdown - by Dani Shapiro, read by the author

I Cannot Get Out Said the Starling - by Mary Gaitskill, read by Rebecca Lowman

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"In the six decades since its publication, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita continues to fascinate and disgust. Editor Quigley’s father took the risk in 1958 of publishing Lolita in the United States despite backlash and censorship threats. The 30 essays in this work present various aspects of Lolita, including a profile of the showgirl who first introduced the book to the American publishing world, its two film adaptations, its influence on modern music, and online message boards devoted to “nymphet culture” inspired by the novel. . . . The superb essays found in this book demonstrate the enduring impact of this novel. Highly recommended for readers interested in Lolita and Nabokov."

— Library Journal (starred review)