published in france and then there was quite a furor ever it in england and u.s., and finally graham greene gave it credibility by choosing it as one of the best books he had read that year. >> is nabokov still alive? >> no, he died in switser -- switzerland in 1977. >> where was he from? >> originally he was from russia, and he was born on the last year of 19th century, 1899. and he claimed that according to one russian calendar, his birthday was the same as shakespeare's, 23rd of april. >> what was the story of lolita about? >> the story of lolita is about this very sophisticated, articulate european man, 38, who in his childhood falls in love with this girl who was 13, an a bell lee, and she dies, and their love is never consummated, and ever since then he becomes obsessed with the image of annabelle lee, and when he meets lolita years later, he tries to turn that little girl into his dead annabelle lee, and he seduces and rapes her and keeps her under his yolk for two years, until she finally dies. >> she was how old again? >> she was 12. >> does that have any relationship to the fact t

he profiles members of the service which include authors graham greene and somerset maugham. keith jeffery discusses his book at an hour-long event hosted by politics and prose bookstore in washington, d.c..