The BAS Book Club

Lo**ta — a discussion that didn’t hold back 🔥📚

Our session on "Lo**ta" by Vladimir Nabokov was, as expected, dynamic—but also far more nuanced than many anticipated.

The novel’s reputation preceded it. For some, it remains synonymous with something sleazy or taboo, and a few participants even hesitated to read it at all. After all, attitudes have shifted: what was once left unspoken is now rightly recognised as a serious crime, and no one wants to appear to excuse it.

And yet, this tension is exactly what made the discussion so engaging. Does "Lo**ta" romanticise something deeply wrong—or does it force us to confront it? We questioned whether Nabokov should have chosen such a subject at all, but gradually a shared view emerged: literature must be free to explore every corner of the human condition, even the most disturbing ones. Understanding is not the same as condoning.

One of the most thought-provoking strands of the evening was our attempt to define Humbert’s feelings. Can we call it love? In the end, many felt that it is—albeit a deeply flawed, self-centred kind, blind to the wellbeing of the other. Only toward the end does Humbert begin to grasp the harm he has caused, but this late awareness offers no redemption. The story remains, from beginning to end, a tragedy.

We also touched on uncomfortable ambiguities—how power, perception, and self-justification can distort reality. These are not easy questions, but they are precisely the kind that make for meaningful conversation.

What surprised many, however, was the book itself. Far from being explicit or sensational, "Lo**ta" is written in extraordinary, almost hypnotic prose—rich, allusive, and often breathtakingly beautiful. Its true power lies not in shock, but in its ability to draw readers into the complexity of desire, illusion, and moral conflict.

✨ This was one of those evenings that remind us why we read—and why discussing books with others is so enriching.

Our latest book club meeting, "Mrs Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf, turned out to be far more animated than expected. I’ll admit—I was a little apprehensive beforehand. It’s easy to dismiss this novel as a relic of the highly intellectual, socially narrow Bloomsbury world, and hardly the kind of book one might call “unputdownable.”

But I was wrong.

What emerged instead was a lively, thoughtful discussion, with many of us struck by the sheer beauty of Woolf’s writing—its imagery, lyricism, and sensuality. Readers were especially drawn to the way she captures the inner lives of her characters, weaving together thought and reality into a seamless whole.

In Mrs Dalloway, the past is never truly past. Memories surface constantly, blending with present sights and sounds, reshaping each moment as it unfolds. Time itself becomes a character—marked by the steady tolling of Big Ben—as the novel moves from morning to evening, mirroring both the passing day and the deeper passage of life.

We found ourselves agreeing that the novel is less about plot or even character, and more about something far more ambitious: an exploration of what it means to experience life. From immediate sensory impressions to memory and, ultimately, to the search for meaning, Woolf shows us a reality that is subjective, layered, and always in flux.

Of course, questions remain. How much of Clarissa Dalloway reflects Virginia Woolf herself? The hints of hidden desires, the shadow of suicide—these echo the author’s own life. But does Woolf identify with Clarissa? Does she ask us to admire her, or simply to observe her?

A hundred years on, these questions are still open—and perhaps that’s exactly why the novel continues to provoke such rich discussion.

✨ If you’ve ever been curious (or even intimidated) by Virginia Woolf, this is proof: the experience is worth it. Come and see for yourself at our next meeting!

Next in our Club: "Lo**ta" by Vladimir Nabokov on Monday 16 April. ✨