Subject
Barney Rosset & Pia Pera's "Lo's Diary"
Date
Body
EDITOR's NOTE. Zooberries@aol.com reports the folowing from "Salon"
----------------------------
Under legal pressure from Dmitri Nabokov, Farrar, Straus & Giroux backed
down from its plan to publish an English translation of "Lo's Diary," a
retelling of Vladimir Nabokov's classic "Lolita" from the nymphet's point
of view. Nabokov Estate lawyer termed the Italian novel "esthetic and
literary vampirism." The suit raised rich questions about ownership rights
to literary characters
Barney Rosset, whose legendary Grove Press (1951-1986) published much
avant-garde literature, now says he wants to publish Pera's novel and that
he's ready to brave legal challenges from Dmitri Nabokov and the Nabokov
estate.
"Am I willing to fight it out? The answer is yes," says Rosset, who has
retained Leon Friedman, the lawyer who represented FSG in its aborted tussle
over "Lo's Diary," and has notified the book's Italian publisher he's
interested in publishing an American edition. "We'll see what happens," says
Friedman.
----------------------------
Under legal pressure from Dmitri Nabokov, Farrar, Straus & Giroux backed
down from its plan to publish an English translation of "Lo's Diary," a
retelling of Vladimir Nabokov's classic "Lolita" from the nymphet's point
of view. Nabokov Estate lawyer termed the Italian novel "esthetic and
literary vampirism." The suit raised rich questions about ownership rights
to literary characters
Barney Rosset, whose legendary Grove Press (1951-1986) published much
avant-garde literature, now says he wants to publish Pera's novel and that
he's ready to brave legal challenges from Dmitri Nabokov and the Nabokov
estate.
"Am I willing to fight it out? The answer is yes," says Rosset, who has
retained Leon Friedman, the lawyer who represented FSG in its aborted tussle
over "Lo's Diary," and has notified the book's Italian publisher he's
interested in publishing an American edition. "We'll see what happens," says
Friedman.