Tison's reimagining of Lolita to be published in France

A reimagining of Vladimir Nabokov’s classic Lolita, written from the child’s point of view, will be published in France this week.

Journal de L (Diary of L), by French journalist and writer Christophe Tison will be published on Thursday 22nd August by Editions Goutte d’Or.  

The fictitious diary, approved for publication by the Vladimir Nabokov Literary Foundation, revisits the teenager’s years with Humbert Humbert from 1947 to 1952.

Tison, who was sexually abused as a child, decided to rewrite the book from Lolita’s perspective because her silence in Nabokov’s 1955 original reminded him of his own.

He said: “I had to give her a voice, to speak, to finally hear Lolita. And what better than a diary where she would have confided herself fully, without shame. Where she would have told the truth. 

“Because after all, Nabokov's novel is presented as Humbert Humbert's confessions and he can say what he wants, disguise reality, show only part of it.”

Tison is the author of several previous books including 2004’s He Loved Me (Grasset), in which he discussed the sexual abuse he was subjected to, and novel Make You Happy (Gallimard).

Head of Editions Goutte d'Or Clara Tellier told The Bookseller that UK and Commonwealth rights are still available.

She said: "We have the brillant French-American translator Philippe Aronson preparing an English version of the book. The whole translation will be available by the end of September. We decided to have him translate the whole book because we're confident in the book's international dimension. We also have a big American producer reading the book for a possible serial adaptation."