Cover of Lolita

Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov, 1955

American novelist, 1899–1977.

Lolita is a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1959.

All-Time Canon
  • Critics' Darling
  • Stood the Test of Time

On 11 of the 17 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Vladimir Nabokov
First published
1955
Length
336 pages (UK paperback)
Awards
Genre
Literary fiction, Psychological, Postmodern

Is Lolita worth reading?

11 of the 17 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them 100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library) and 100 books of the century (Le Monde).

ListPlaceOriginal
100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library, 1998)No. 4See the list
100 books of the century (Le Monde, 1999)No. 27See the list
100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.co.uk, 2014)ListedSee the list
100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009)No. 54See the list
All-Time 100 Novels (Time, 2005)ListedSee the list
Bokklubben World Library (Norwegian Book Clubs, 2002)ListedSee the list
National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 1959)ShortlistSee the list
Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026)No. 46See the list
The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026)No. 25See the list
The 100 best novels written in English (The Guardian / Observer, 2015)ListedSee the list
The 100 greatest novels of all time (The Observer, 2003)ListedSee the list

Best edition of Lolita

The edition we link to is the Penguin Classics paperback (2000), 336 pages.

Publisher
Penguin Classics (paperback, 2000)
Pages
336
ISBN
9780141182537

How critics, prizes and readers rate Lolita

Critics rate it most highly: it earned 80% of the points available on critics' lists, against 34% on readers' and booksellers' lists and 33% on prize lists.

Critics
80%
Prizes
33%
Readers and booksellers
34%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like Lolita

If you liked Lolita, try Pale Fire, Ulysses or Atonement.

Lists used on this page