PREPUB BUZZ: Inspired by 'Lolita'

Judy Quinn -- Publishers Weekly, 6/28/1999

In an unusual royalty-sharing agreement with the estate of Vladimir Nabokov, publisher Barney Rosset can now release Pia Pera's Lo's Diary, a retelling of Lolita from the nymphet's point of view that was previous canceled by FSG over copyright concerns, under his Foxrock imprint this October (see News, June 21).

But his isn't the only book that has had to contend with its connections to Nabokov's classic. Crown has under contract a first novel by Nancy Jones, now entitled Molly; its Lolita-like plot concerns a young girl's trip across the country with her stepfather after the death of her mother.

It's also set during the same era as Lolita, but is told from the point of view of the girl's best friend.

"This is not a story told from the point of view of any character in Lolita," said Crown counsel Steve Weissman. "This is not a retelling of the Lolita story."

In its promotion of the book, however, Crown will acknowledge that it is "inspired" by the Nabokov classic. And author Jones is a Nabokov scholar who has compiled an annotated bibliography on the English-language scholarship and criticism of Lolita.

But Russell & Volkening agent Jennie Dunham, who reps Jones, said the author has a much more personal inspiration for her book.

"The novel has many sources. One of these is Nancy's teenage niece, whom Nancy has seen undergo the turbulent teenage years that many people experience," Dunham explained.

The book was originally set for October publication, but is now scheduled for release in March 2000. The delay comes partly from a rewrite after Crown's legal review of the book, prompted in part by the publicity surrounding the Nabokov estate's objections to Lo's Diary. Changes include the dropping of the original title, Dolly Blaze (in Nabokov's novel, Lolita's full name is Dolores Haze).

Weissman is now assessing the rewritten manuscript. "We certainly would not publish a book that would infringe on the Nabokov copyright," Weissman said. He also noted, however, that he has had no communication yet with the litigious Nabokov estate. Stay tuned.