My only grudge against nature was that I could not turn my Lolita inside out and apply voracious lips to her young matrix, her unknown heart, her nacreous liver, the sea-grapes of her lungs, her comely twin kidneys.
Vladimir NabokovRead
As far as I can recall, the initial shiver of inspiration [for Lolita] was somehow prompted by a newspaper story about an ape in the Jardin des Plantes, who, after months of coaxing by a scientist, produced the first drawing ever charcoaled by an animal: this sketch showed the bars of the poor creature's cage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how inspiration can arise from unusual and profound sources, such as the creativity of an animal in captivity.
Vladimir Nabokov's quote highlights the unexpected nature of inspiration, suggesting that even the simplest or most unconventional events can ignite a profound creative idea. In this case, the sight of an ape drawing the bars of its own cage serves as a metaphor for entrapment and the yearning for freedom, demonstrating that creativity often stems from personal experiences and observations of confinement.
Themes
InspirationArtCreativityImprisonmentFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in an art class to illustrate how diverse sources of inspiration can inform creative work.
More from Vladimir Nabokov
All quotes →Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
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...in my dreams the world would come alive, becoming so captivatingly majestic, free and ethereal, that afterwards it would be oppressive to breathe the dust of this painted life.
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I believe the poor fierce-eyed child had figured out that with a mere fifty dollars in her purse she might somehow reach Broadway or Hollywood - or the foul kitchen of a diner (Help Wanted) in a dismal ex-prairie state, with the wind blowing, and the stars blinking, and the cars, and the bars, and the barmen, and everything soiled, torn, dead.
Vladimir NabokovRead
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