Sarah Weinman – författare

“The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov’s masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness.” —David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon

Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.

Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.

Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.

An Anthony award–winning anthology of modern true-crime stories from authors like Pamela Colloff, Michelle Dean, Jason Fagone, Alice Bolin, and more.

An NPR Best Book of the Year

A New York Times New & Noteworthy Book

A People Best New Book of the Week

“This spine-tingling true crime anthology . . . [looks] beyond killers and victims and at systemic and institutionalized depravity.” —Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Sarah Weinman, acclaimed author of The Real Lolita, brings together an exemplary collection of recent true-crime tales by over a dozen of the most refreshing and exciting journalists and chroniclers of crime working today. Michelle Dean’s “Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom Murdered” went viral when it was first published and is the basis for the television show The Act, while Pamela Colloff’s “The Reckoning” is the gold standard for investigative crime journalism. With an introduction by Patrick Radden Keefe, this collection showcases true-crime writing across the broadest possible spectrum and reflects on why crime stories are so transfixing and irresistible to the modern reader.

“An excellent anthology. . . . Weinman has done more than create entertainment . . . she challenges the reader to use true crime as a lens to explore the world around us.” —BookPage

“Thoughtful and wide-ranging. . . . The superior quality of these essays begs for future volumes.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“With nuance and sensitivity, Weinman curates essays that consider the explosion of interest in true crime, stories from the perspectives of victims, and tales that present new information about notorious killers. . . . This enthralling volume insists that there can and should be humanity within true crime.” —Library Journal (starred review)

From Sarah Weinman, the award-winning editor of Unspeakable Acts, a groundbreaking new anthology showcasing the future of the true crime genre

True crime, as an entertainment genre, has always prioritized clear narrative arcs: victims wronged, police detectives in pursuit, suspects apprehended, justice delivered. But what stories have been ignored?

In Evidence of Things Seen, fourteen of the most innovative crime writers working today cast a light on the cases that give crucial insight into our society. Wesley Lowery writes about a lynching left unsolved for decades by an indifferent police force and a family’s quest for answers. Justine van der Leun reports on the thousands of women in prison for defending themselves from abuse. May Jeong reveals how the Atlanta spa shootings tell a story of America.

Edited by acclaimed writer Sarah Weinman, and with an introduction by attorney and host of the Undisclosed podcast Rabia Chaudry, this anthology pulls back the curtain on how crime itself is a by-product of America’s systemic harms and inequalities. And in doing so, it reveals how the genre of true crime can be a catalyst for social change. These works combine brilliant storytelling with incisive cultural examinations—and challenge each of us to ask what justice should look like. Evidence of Things Seen introduces the new classics of true crime.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Vladimir Nabokov''s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita restores Sally Horner to her rightful place in the lore of the novel''s creation. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.