{"id":6248,"date":"2025-07-19T16:03:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T16:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/6248\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T16:03:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T16:03:19","slug":"vladimir-nabokovs-entire-backlist-is-getting-a-brand-new-redesign-literary-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/6248\/","title":{"rendered":"Vladimir Nabokov\u2019s entire backlist is getting a brand new redesign. \u2039 Literary Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\"Emily<\/p>\n

July 18, 2025, 10:14am<\/p>\n

There have been a few great covers for Vladimir Nabokov\u2019s Lolita<\/a>. There have also been a lot of bad ones<\/a>. It makes sense: it\u2019s a difficult book to represent\u2014which means that when it\u2019s done right, there\u2019s a special kind of magic in it.<\/p>\n

So butterfly collectors and those that love them will be pleased to learn that beginning this summer, in advance of Lolita\u2019s 70th anniversary on September 15th, Vintage is reissuing all of Nabokov\u2019s books, complete with new covers designed by Lit Hub favorite<\/a> Na Kim, who is the art director of The Paris Review and a Creative Director at FSG.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting tasked with redesigning the Nabokov backlist is a dream project, albeit a daunting one,\u201d Kim said in a statement.<\/p>\n

I wanted to come up with a design that felt new and classic at the same time, while remaining cohesive across the board.<\/p>\n

The designs aim to mimic the mysterious effortlessness in Nabokov\u2019s writing that, to me, feels absolutely right yet defies analysis and dissection. I\u2019ve always found there to be a playful aspect to the way Nabokov writes. It\u2019s as though he\u2019s inserted all this buoyancy, inside jokes, and little easter eggs for his own amusement, so I wanted to bring a lightness to the covers to aim at the quality in his writing.<\/p>\n

She also sought to honor \u201cNabokov\u2019s personal taste,\u201d by delving into the archives to find the author\u2019s own correspondence around the original designs for Lolita:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I did want to retain from the last redesigns is the tactile element, and using thick chunks of paint to sit on,\u201d Nabokov explained.<\/p>\n

I want pure colors, melting clouds, accurately drawn details, a sunburst above a receding road with the light reflected in furrows and ruts, after rain. And no girls. If we cannot find that kind of artistic and virile painting, let us settle for an immaculate white jacket (rough texture paper instead of the usual glossy kind), with LOLITA in bold black lettering.<\/p>\n

The covers, while honoring Nabokov, are also very Kim, who is also a painter<\/a>, and whose recent covers often experiment with thick hand-painted lines. It must also be said that we here at the blog factory officially approve of the choice of background color: Long live Lit Hub beige. Here are the first four redesigns in the series, which are now available wherever you buy books:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Vintage Books; cover design by Na Kim
\n\"\"<\/a> Vintage Books; cover design by Na Kim
\n\"\"<\/a> Vintage Books; cover design by Na Kim
\n\"\"<\/a> Vintage Books; cover design by Na Kim
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