Who wrote the novel "Lolita", adapted by Kubrick?

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Who wrote the novel "Lolita", adapted by Kubrick? Vladimir Nabokov wrote it. The novel was first published in Paris in 1955 by Olympia Press and is narrated by Humbert Humbert, a literature professor whose ornate language attempts to disguise his abuse of Dolores Haze, whom he calls Lolita.

The book was controversial from the start because of its subject matter and was initially rejected by several American publishers. Its literary reputation eventually grew, and it became one of the most discussed novels of the 20th century. Nabokov completed the manuscript in 1953 after developing the idea over several years.

Stanley Kubrick adapted the novel into his 1962 film, with James Mason as Humbert and Sue Lyon as Dolores. Nabokov also wrote a screenplay, but Kubrick and producer James B. Harris substantially reshaped it. The film raised Dolores's age and softened or omitted some of the novel's most disturbing elements, partly because of censorship rules then affecting Hollywood productions.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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