But all seriousness aside, first of all shouldn't that be cryptamnesia? We know that VN was not above stealing (perhaps cryptamnesially) a good joke - remember we discussed the "next swan" joke that he took from the famous Wagnerian tenor, Leo Slezak? If he did it once (but where? I've forgotten) why not twice? If it is so unimportant why did so many get into such a snit over Maar's discovery of the von Lichberg Lolita? It matters a lot for the understanding of Nabokov, to understand how his mind worked. It may be "somehow secondary" but at this point is there much primary left to discuss? I think it behooves us to remember that Vladimir Nabokov was not some super human being and could very well have forgotten something he read, that still lingered somewhere in his mind and re-emerged years later as Dolores Haze. It happens with butterflies, after all.

Since both "Lolitas" (Nabokov's and Parker's) were published in '55 it doesn't seem possible that there could be a question of plagiarism there. Remember that Nabokov's novel first appeared in Paris in English by means of a French publisher of pornography and so was not exactly on the best-seller list of the day. If you are suggesting that VN plagiarized from Parker, there simply wasn't enough time.

I find that the possibility that VN did read the von Lichberg story can't be dismissed but that Parker plagiarized from VN or he from her makes no sense at all. 

Carolyn