lo and behold

in 1955 vladimir nabokov's masterpiece of literature was published. the fact that the russian born novelist wrote this hymn of a dying man in english is noteworthy enough. the prose is heavenly and my heart smiles at the thought of someone reading it for the first time. banned, praised and going down in history as one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, it is best to remember that this story of love was narrated by a madman. i do not believe the author was entreating the reader to feel sympathy for the devil even when writing, 'look at this tangle of thorns.' the fact that nabokov went on to destroy many butterflies with his butterfly net has not come between me and this:

'she was lo. plain lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. she was lola in slacks. she was dolly at school. she was dolores on the dotted line. but in my arms she was always lolita.'

were i a teacher of creative writing i would suggest my students choose any being in their life and give their name and it's diminutives as much thought as this.