Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) Ada compares her letter to Van to a document in madness or the herb of repentance:

At the beginning of his Commentary Kinbote (in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962, Shade’s mad commentator who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) mentions a crested bird called in Zemblan sampel ("silktail"), closely resembling a waxwing in shape and shade:

VN’s story Lik appeared in the émigré review Russkiya Zapiski in February, 1939, in Paris. The stage name of its title character brings to mind Lika Mizinov (1870-1939), a friend of Chekhov’s family who died on Feb. 5, 1939, in Paris. In a letter of Dec.

Describing King Alfin’s passion for flying apparatuses, Kinbote (in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962, Shade’s mad commentator who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) mentions King Alfin’s constant "aerial adjutant" Colonel Peter Gusev:

Describing King Alfin’s passion for flying apparatuses, Kinbote (in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962, Shade’s mad commentator who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) mentions King Alfin’s constant "aerial adjutant" Colonel Peter Gusev:

Describing the library of Ardis Hall and the Ivanov affair, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions a progressive poet in residence at Tennesee Waltz College:

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) John James (or James Jones, a man who represents a famous international agency, known as the VPL, which handled Very Private Letters) hands Van the second letter from Ada in the Louvre right in front of Bosch’s Bâteau Ivre:

After Van’s and Ada’s death Ronald Oranger, old Van’s secretary and the editor of Ada, marries Violet Knox, old Van’s typist whom Ada called ‘Fialochka’ (little Violet):

Offering Ada a ride in the park, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions two horses, Pardus and Peg:

‘Now let’s go out for a breath of crisp air,’ suggested Van. ‘I’ll order Pardus and Peg to be saddled.’

Leaving Ardis after his first summer there, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) asks Bouteillan (the French butler at Ardis) not to quote Delille to him:

Van’s black trunk and black suitcase, and black king-size dumbbells, were heaved into the back of the family motorcar; Bouteillan put on a captain’s cap, too big for him, and grape-blue goggles; ‘remouvez votre bottom, I will drive,’ said Van — and the summer of 1884 was over.