An Auckland academic says "everything about Epstein is icky", having been named in the latest tranche of files released by the US Justice Department, after the disgraced financier offered to fund a book he was wanting to write.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Brian Boyd, former University of Auckland English professor and expert on novelist Vladimir Nabokov, said his brief interaction with Jeffery Epstein was limited to a single meeting and emails relating to a possible book project that never went ahead.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Boyd said he first met Epstein while visiting Harvard University for a workshop on literature and evolution.
Boyd said Epstein, who was reportedly "obsessed" with Nabokov, invited him to brunch the following day.
"That was the only time I met him," Boyd said.
"He then Skyped me and said he'd like to fund a book, the next book that I was working on."
At the time, Boyd was working on a biography of philosopher Karl Popper, when Epstein asked what book Boyd most wanted to write after that.
Boyd said he mentioned a long-planned literary analysis of Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita.
"His ears pricked up," Boyd said, adding he did not understand Epstein’s interest at the time.
Lolita details the story of a middle-aged professor who forms an obsession with a 12-year-old girl.
A brief email exchange between Epstein and Boyd discussing the book was included in the latest files released by the US Justice Department.
“You suggested a while back we should work out the details of the money transfer,” Boyd wrote in a 2012 email to Epstein.
"Can we go back over things, first? When you asked me how long I would need to write the book on Lolita that’s the top of my wishlist, I said a year," Epstein responded.
"You asked me how much money would that take. Being naturally antigrabbity, I said $50k ... you promptly said that’s not enough and counter-proposed $75k."
Boyd said the proposed book funding ultimately "came to nothing", and that he was not worried about his name being released in the latest charge of emails.
"There's nothing to worry about. I didn't do anything except respond with pleasure to the possibility of getting a year off teaching to write a book that I've been that I was really wanting to work on."
He described Epstein, who died while awaiting trial in 2019, as a "smooth psychopath and narcissist".
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including the New Zealander named in the Epstein files, Iran’s warning to the US, and a strip club brawl ended by friendly fire. (Source: 1News)
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