BANNED BOOK SUMMARY

Lolita BY Nabakov, Vladimir

"Unable to find an American firm willing to publish Lolita -- by 1954 four had refused -- Nabokov consented to the novel's being issued in Paris by Maurice Girodias' Olympia Press, publisher of Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, and William S. Burroughs, as well as hastily concocted sex novels with titles like "White Thighs", "With Open Mouth", and "The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe".

Although Lolita's first printing of 5,000 copies sold out, there were no notable reviews, and the book would likely have gone unnoticed for some time had not respected author and critic Graham Greene, in an interview published in the London Times, called it one of the best books of the year. Greene's statement outraged John Gordon, editor of the popular Sunday Express, who responded in print, calling "Lolita" "the filthiest book I have ever read" and "sheer unrestrained pornography." The British Home Office ordered customs officials to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom and pressured the French Minister of the Interior to ban the book. On December 20, 1956, the Paris police did just this, and Lolita remained banned in France for two years. "(by Jeff Edmunds - CNN)

From WikiPedia - Due to its subject matter, Nabokov was unable to find an American publisher for Lolita. After four refused, he finally resorted to the Olympia Press in Paris. Although the first printing of 5,000 copies sold out, there were no substantial reviews. Eventually, at the end of 1954, Graham Greene, in an interview with the (London) Times, called it one of the best novels of 1954. This statement provoked a response from the (London) Sunday Express whose editor called it "the filthiest book I have ever read" and "sheer unrestrained pornography." British Customs officers were then instructed by a panicked Home Office to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom. In December 1956 the French followed suit and the Minister of the Interior banned Lolita (the ban lasted for two years). Its eventual British publication by Weidenfeld & Nicolson caused a scandal which contributed to the end of the political career of one of the publishers, Nigel Nicolson. [1]

Novel Banned in Iran[citation needed] and Saudi Arabia for its content of pedophilia.

Banned as obscene in France (1956-1959), in England (1955-59), in Argentina (1959), and in New Zealand (1960). The South African Directorate of Publications announced on November 27, 1982, that Lolita has been taken off the banned list, eight years after a request for permission to market the novel in paperback has been refused.

Banned as obscene in France (1956-1959), in England (1955-59), in Argentina (1959), and in New Zealand (1960). The South African Directorate of Publications announced on November 27, 1982, that Lolita has been taken off the banned list, eight years after a request for permission to market the novel in paperback had been refused.

Challenged at the Marion-Levy Public Library System in Ocala, FL (2006). The Marion County commissioners voted to have the county attorney review the novel that addresses the themes of pedophilia and incest, to determine if it meets the state law’s definition of “unsuitable for minors.”

Lolita was published in September 1955, as a pair of green paperbacks "swarming with typographical errors".[31] Although the first printing of 5,000 copies sold out, there were no substantial reviews. Eventually, at the very end of 1955, Graham Greene, in the (London) Sunday Times, called it one of the three best books of 1955.[32] This statement provoked a response from the (London) Sunday Express, whose editor John Gordon called it "the filthiest book I have ever read" and "sheer unrestrained pornography."[33] British Customs officers were then instructed by a panicked Home Office to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom.[34] In December 1956, France followed suit, and the Minister of the Interior banned Lolita;[35] the ban lasted for two years. Its eventual British publication by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in London in 1959 caused a scandal that contributed to the end of the political career of one of the publishers, Nigel Nicolson.[36]
The novel then appeared in Danish and Dutch translations. Two editions of a [[Swedish language |Swedish]] translation were withdrawn at the author's request.[37][38]
Despite initial trepidation, there was no official response in the U.S., and the first American edition was issued by G. P. Putnam's Sons in August 1958. The book was into a third printing within days and became the first since Gone with the Wind to sell 100,000 copies in its first three weeks.[39]