----- Original Message -----
From: alex
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 2:07 PM
Subject: a bit of nonsense about the nun

Dear Pale Fire admirers,
 
the rumor of the king escaping disguised as a nun is no doubt a reference to the widely-circulated rumors (merrily supported by the Soviet propaganda) of Alexander Kerenski's escape from the Winter Palace in a nun's disguise. Kerenski was a contradictory political figure, who was often compared to a hysterical woman not only by his political opponents, but also by other liberals, but the sense of historical justice compels me to say that the bit about the nun is merely a rumor. Nabokov would know it from Kerenski himself, who was deeply hurt by the persistency of those rumors, especially in Russia.
 
Alexey