Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Describing the difference between Terra and Antiterra (aka Demonia, Earth’s twin planet on which Ada is set), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the deepest thinkers, the purest philosophers, Paar of Chose and Zapater of Aardvark:

In VN’s poem Slava (“Fame,” 1942) the author’s visitor mentions osobennyi privkus anisovyi (the particular anise-oil flavor) of those strainings when he happened to write in a foreign language:

В длинном стихотворении "Слава" писателя,

так сказать, занимает проблема, гнетет

мысль о контакте с сознаньем читателя.

К сожаленью, и это навек пропадет.

When Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) leaves Ardis forever, the word “inkog” pops up in his stream of consciousness:

The express does not stop at Torfyanka, does it, Trofim?’

‘I’ll take you five versts across the bog,’ said Trofim, ‘the nearest is Volosyanka.’

His vulgar Russian word for Maidenhair; a whistle stop; train probably crowded.

In VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’ (“Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935) Cincinnatus’ mother mentions netki (nonnons), a toy that was once popular:

In his poem “The Nature of Electricity” quoted by 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) in his Commentary Shade mentions “Shelley’s incandescent soul:”

The light never came back but it gleams again in a short poem "The Nature of Electricity," which John Shade had sent to the New York magazine The Beau and the Butterfly, some time in 1958, but which appeared only after his death:

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) Van Veen (the narrator and main character) receives an introduction to the Venus Villa Club (one hundred palatial brothels, or floramors, built all over the world by David van Veen, a wealthy architect of Flemish extraction, in memory of his grandson Eric, the author of an essay entitled ‘Villa Venus: an Organized Dream’) from Dick, a cardsharp with whom Van plays poker at Chose (Van’s and Dick’s English University):

Describing his last visit to Villa Venus (one hundred floramors, palatial brothels, built all over the world by David van Veen, a wealthy architect of Flemish extraction, in memory of his grandson Eric, the author of an essay entitled ‘Villa Venus: an Organized Dream’), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions a girl called Adora:

Describing Gradus’ suicide in prison, 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) says “Exit Jack Grey:”

Describing his performance as Mascodagama (Van’s stage name), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the Ladore, Ladoga, Laguna, Lugano and Luga papers:

At the picnic on Ada’s twelfth birthday Ada (the title character of VN’s novel Ada, 1969) and Grace dance a Russian fling to the accompaniment of an ancient music box, Greg puts on his sister’s blue skirt, hat and glasses and Van walks on his hands for the first time: