Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

In his Commentary to Shade’s poem 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 The Merman, a fine old melodrama which, according to Odon (a world-famous actor and Zemblan patriot who helps the King to escape from Zembla), had not been performed for at least three decades:

In the Russian version (1967) of VN’s novel Lolita (1955) “Silver Spur Court, Elphinstone” becomes pod znakom Serebryanoy Shpory, v Elfinstone:

Describing his stay with Lolita at Chestnut Court in Kasbeam, Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Lolita, 1955) quotes dear old Ronsard:

Describing his childhood notion of “Appalachian Mountains,” Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Lolita, 1955) mentions Felis tigris goldsmithi:

In a dialogue with the stranger on the porch of The Enchanted Hunters (a hotel in Briceland where Humbert and Lolita spend their first night together) Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Lolita, 1955) twice repeats the phrase “I beg your pardon:”

According to 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), Judge Goldsworth (Kinbote’s landlord) resembles a Medusa-locked hag:

In his Commentary to Shade’s poem Kinbote (who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) mentions Stella Lazurchik, an Americanized Kashube who married a son of Sinyavin, a Russian starover (Old Believer) who migrated from Saratov to Seattle:

Here is a slightly different (abridged and simplified) version of my previous post (that I may delete later). I trust this version reads better. Hope you'll enjoy it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

At the end of his Commentary to Shade's poem 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 bigger, more respectable, more competent Gradus" whom he will face sooner or later:

At the end of his Commentary to Shade's poem 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 bigger, more respectable, more competent Gradus" whom he will face sooner or later:

At the beginning of his poem John Shade (the poet in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) says that he was the shadow of the waxwing slain by the false azure in the windowpane:

I was the shadow of the waxwing slain
By the false azure in the windowpane;
I was the smudge of ashen fluff--and I
Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky. (ll. 1-4)