Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010924, Sat, 15 Jan 2005 18:57:02 -0800

Subject
Fwd: Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace
Date
Body
EDNOTE. If memory serves.....Byron's asserted fling was with his half-sister.
Was Ada her child? I firget.
----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 18:34:57 -0800
From: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Dear Don,

There is no speculation about Byron and his relationship with his daughter.
Her parents separated when she was little more than one month of age, and
thereafter they never met.

I don't think the character or the novel is named after her, but there is
one definite reference to her:


"Ada was transformed into a sort of graceful computing machine, endowed,
moreover, with phenomenal luck, and would greatly surpass baffled Van in
acumen, foresight and exploitation of chance..."


Ada was not allowed to meet her father or to read his writings. She did once
travel to a part of Switzerland with which he was associated, Lake Geneva
(Leman) but this was after his death.

Carolyn

----- End forwarded message -----
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