Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

The characters in VN’s novel Ada (1969) include the twin sisters Durmanov, Aqua and Marina (Van’s, Ada’s and Lucette’s mother):

According to Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969), his published works include Compitalia (1921):

On Demonia (aka Antiterra, Earth’s twin planet on which VN’s novel Ada, 1969, is set) Whitehorse (a city in NW Canada) is known as Belokonsk:

Describing the Night of the Burning Barn (when he and Ada make love for the first time), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions a cigar in Uncle Dan’s teeth:

Describing Flavita (the Russian Scrabble), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) says that at chess Ada is not as good as at Flavita and mentions one of those anti-dandruff color-photo ads that show a beautiful model (made for other games than chess) staring at the shoulder of her otherwise impeccably groomed antagonist across a preposterous traffic jam of white and scarlet:

In his Lectures on Russian Literature VN tells an anecdote about old Tolstoy starting to read a book at random and not recognizing his own stuff:

Describing Flavita (the Russian Scrabble), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) says that at chess Ada was not as good as at Flavita and mentions Lalla Rookh chessmen:

Describing his verbal nightmare that he had a few days before he his mother for the last time, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the musky smell in the Miramas (Bouches Rouges-du-Rhône) Villa Venus:

After Van's and Ada's beastly, but beautiful, tryst at Forest Fork Ada mutters about gipsies stealing their jeeps:

Describing his verbal nightmare that he had a few days before he saw Marina for the last time, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the musky smell in the Miramas (Bouches Rouges-du-Rhône) Villa Venus: