Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The ten best love stories in fiction

At the Observer, Kate Kellaway named the ten best fictional romances.

One romance on her list:
Ada and Van Veen

Ada by Vladimir Nabokov

“For supper Ada wore another dress, of crimson cotton, and when they met at night (in the old toolroom by the glow of a carbide lantern) he unzipped her with such impetuous force that he nearly tore it in two to expose her entire beauty…” Vladimir Nabokov specialises in forbidden fruit – think of Lolita – but perhaps his most erotic love story is about Ada and Van Veen who adore each other as cousins before discovering that they are actually brother and sister. It is a febrile, unsettling and unforgettable love story.
Read about another romance on the list.

Also see Esther Freud's top ten love stories.

--Marshal Zeringue