First of all you accent the 2nd syllable of both his names ~ vlah-DEE-mir nah-BOA-kov ~ Vladimir Nabokov. Yeah, and the delightfully high holy name Lolita should be said like he says it should be said: ** One of the most limpid and luminous letters is "L". The suffix "-ita" has a lot of Latin tenderness, and this I required too. Hence: Lolita. However, it should not be pronounced as you and most Americans pronounce it: Low-lee-ta, with a heavy, clammy "L" and a long "o". No, the first syllable should be as in "lollipop", the "L" liquid and delicate, the "lee" not too sharp. Spaniards and Italians pronounce it, of course, with exactly the necessary note of archness and caress. ** Lolita ... Lolita ... I've been reading Lolita. Nabokov's foreword begins with that word, then it opens the first sentence & paragraph, and finally the whole darn kickass thing ends triumphantly with her name again. This book is pretty so pretty!
