"You Tickle My Brain": The Literary Pretensions of Mette-Marit and Epstein's Correspondence
Beneath the scandalous headlines, Mette-Marit and Epstein's emails reveal a relationship built on literary one-upmanship, Nabokov references, and mutual intellectual flattery.
Last Updated: March 2026
A Literary Relationship
For a relationship defined by its shocking revelations, much of the Mette-Marit-Epstein correspondence is surprisingly... literary.
Between the Palm Beach visitations and the "wife hunt" discussions, the Crown Princess and the convicted sex offender found common ground in books, ideas, and the kind of intellectual flattery that characterizes certain types of intense correspondence.
"You Tickle My Brain"
"You tickle my brain"
— Crown Princess Mette-Marit to Jeffrey Epstein
The phrase appears in the context of exchanges about literature and ideas. Mette-Marit, writing to Epstein, used the expression to describe the mental stimulation of their conversations—a formulation that suggests both intimacy and intellectual attraction.
The sentiment was mutual. Epstein, in turn, described Mette-Marit as "twisted not typical royalty"—a compliment that positioned her as exceptional precisely because she defied the conventions of her position.
The Reading Lists
Their exchanges are peppered with literary references and book recommendations that reveal the self-image each party cultivated:
Mette-Marit's Recommendations to Epstein:
- The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The inclusion of Lolita—Nabokov's novel about a middle-aged man's obsession with a 12-year-old girl—has drawn particular attention given Epstein's criminal history.
Mette-Marit's recommendation of this specific text to a convicted sex offender, framed as a shared literary interest, requires no elaboration.
Epstein's Responses:
- References to "seeing later" and continued intellectual engagement
- Flattery about her "twisted" nature versus typical royalty
- Ongoing invitations to discuss ideas and literature
These exchanges served multiple purposes: they created a sense of intellectual compatibility, provided plausible deniability for the true nature of their relationship, and reflected each party's self-conception as above social norms.