Wine pairs with food. A good book pairs with music too.
This weekend I’ve been hypnotized by Nabokov’s Lolita (for academic purposes, thank you). It’s strange, obsessed and beautifully written—like something dark wrapped in silk.
It goes too well with Szymanowski’s Myths (Op 30). The music is dreamy, intense, and just a little unsettling. It feels like it mirrors the book’s mood—especially in the first half, when everything still seems elegant, restrained on the outside. Like Szymanowski doesn’t just compose music—he dissolves you into it. Those sliding but dissonant harmonics in the grand glissandi are sensual chaos that’s not just beauty but intoxication. Like Humbert’s monologue—obsessions when it tips past the point of control:
What music do you pair with your favorite novels? But do it carefully. Some books bite back.