Rhiannon Ingle
The deadline is looming for files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, including documents on the investigation into his death in a US prison in 2019, to be released after a very lengthy political saga.
By the end of today (19 December), the US Department of Justice must make all files related to its investigation into Epstein public to comply with a legal deadline set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act which was signed by President Donald Trump last month.
The latest update in the case came yesterday (18 December) when 68 images from Epstein's estate were released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.
While some of the images have been partially redacted, with some faces blanked out, they feature diagrams of building plans, passports and photos of Epstein himself, along with high-profile faces like Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon and intellectual Noam Chomsky.
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The images in question were shared without context, aside from the following statement from House Democrats: "Oversight Dems are releasing additional photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate to the public.
"We will continue releasing photographs and documents to provide transparency for the American people. It’s time for the Department of Justice to release the files."
Now, several of the photos show handwritten messages on different parts of a person's body, with the writing appearing to be quotes from the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - a copy of which can be seen in the background of one of the photographs.
One message, which is written on a foot, reads 'she was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock'.
Another message says 'she was Lola in slacks', while a third says 'she was Dolly at school'.
For context, the 1955 book is about a man named Humbert Humbert's obsession and sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl, Lolita.
The full quote from the Nabokov book reads: "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
"She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line.
"But in my arms she was always Lolita."
Now, the quote effectively highlights different levels of familiarity when it comes to the 'Lolita' character as the surrounding context describes the different names she goes by in different situations.
'Slacks' literally means trousers - or pants if you're American - and indicate a casual or relaxed state, likely at home hence why the nickname 'Lola' is the chosen moniker for this situation.
Meanwhile, a 'dotted line' is the place where you sign on a legal document, meaning a higher level of formality, hence why the character's government name 'Dolores' makes sense here.
'Lo' at the very start is even more casual than 'Lola' and echoes a more infantile state.
So, Humbert is basically listing the different nicknames and formal names she might go by in different contexts, but to him personally she is 'always Lolita' as the 'ita' is a diminutive suffix in Spanish.
Epstein's plane became known among the press as the 'Lolita Express' as it carried young women between New York and Epstein’s primary residence in Palm Beach, Florida, where many of his alleged acts of sexual abuse are said to have taken place.