How’s Our Library Doing? Part 5, Reading Lolita in Knox

Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM Weekly On-Line 1 - 7 June 2006Issue No. 797 Special.
2 young women reading about the Iranian parliamentary election of February 2000 in the leading reformist newspaper Mosharekat

My title above is a not-so-subtle reference to “Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books” (2003) by Azar Nafisi available in the Starke County Public Library’s Knox branch, the Schricker Library.

First let’s talk about “Lolita”, (1955) a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. This book provoked a storm when finally published by Olympia Press (Paris) after being turned down by the major the American Publishers. It was banned in Great Britain and France. When Putman published the book in 1958 in America it sold 100,000 copies in 3 weeks (the best seller since "Gone with the Wind" in 1936). Because Lolita has become firmly entrenched in American Culture, I assume all my readers over 40 years old have at least a vague idea about the book. And that will suffice for our purpose today. Younger readers might go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita and read all about it. The book is widely considered one of the finest novels of the 20th century. Good news: our library has it plus the other major works of Nabokov.

Now let’s talk about “Reading Lolita in Tehran”. In 1995 a brave lady, Azar Nafisi , started a secret mostly English language Literature class, just for young women, teaching the banned works of authors like Jane Austen, Henry James, Vladimir Nabokov, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Teaching this class put both the students and teacher at great peril from very violent Iranian censors. This book is a delightful read because it combines a gripping memoir with very inspiring literary criticism. And I happen to be very fond of literary criticism.

Now let’s talk about literary criticism. One wouldn’t really expect the Knox library to have much in the way of literary criticism. Books like “Lolita” hardly ever get checked out so it would be difficult for a librarian to justify buying interpretations and criticism of the text. My argument for having literary criticism on the shelf is, most would say, elitist. However I think that “Reading Lolita in Tehran” supports my point of view on this matter and I would hope that my readers would read this book and consider this point.

Wonder-of-wonders! The Knox library has an excellent little literary criticism on Lolita, “Lolita : A Janus Text” (1995) by Lance Olsen, a Twayne's masterwork study. And herein lies the point of writing all the above which, after all, has little to do with my mission to write about Knox, Indiana. There is a bookplate inside the front cover of this fine little book of scholarly literary criticism. It reads, “This Young Adult Collection Is Funded By Lilly Endowment Inc And The Starke County Community Foundation Thru [sic] a Grant To Friends Of the Library 1999”. Ah ha! So there is a story as to how we have come to have this book in our library.

Evidently in 1999 the Friends of the Library applied for and got a $15,000 grant to improve our Young Adult book collection. This windfall must have presented a difficult but pleasant problem for the librarian. After all, it is a rather narrow area of interest. As I searched the shelves I noticed that there were multiple examples of literary criticism, usually the sole text on a particular subject, that were purchased with this grant. In my opinion these particular books make our library rather exceptional in a good way.


Now for the sad part of this literary tale: The Friends of the Library no longer exists. They ceased being earlier this year, the official reason: lack of interest in the leadership positions. However, there was a great deal of interest in membership as there was no problem whatsoever getting people to join and pay their dues. So what really happened? Most libraries would fight like crazy to keep a Friends of the Library group going. The $15,000 Young Adult book grant is a great example of why. The library is a governmental unit. Organizations like the Lilly Endowment and Starke County Community Foundation to not give money to governmental agencies. They want to see non-governmental entities grow and thrive. I strongly agree with Lilly. (This idea is brilliantly expressed by Francis Fukuyama’s idea that the unique strength of our society is in its voluntary associations like churches, fraternal orders, charities, and axilluary organizations of hospitals, colleges, and even libraries. refer to, “Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity”)

So what really happened? The Friends of Starke County Public Library System met with irrational and terrible hostility from the then President of the Board of Trustees, Marilyn Swanson. She pretty much soured anybody from wanting to be a leader of the group. Happily for us not so happy for Culver Schools Ms. Swanson was off the Library Board for a couple of years when she got an appointment to the Culver School Board to fill an open spot. When she failed to get elected to that position in the following election she went back on the Library Board. So the enemy of the Friends (sounds odd doesn’t it? Well it sure as Hell is odd!) is back on the Library’s Board of Trustees. Goodbye Friends of the Library.

P.S. Those geniuses on the Knox School Board appointed Marilyn Swanson. Thanks.

Question to the Librarian and the Library Board: Why don't you get the Friends going again? Publicize and truly support it. Swanson is only one vote. Your lack of support is shameful.