Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

When Oks (Osip Lvovich Oksman) shows to Vadim Vadimovich (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Look at the Harlequins!, 1974) his lending library, Vadim recognizes – among the people who have a business meeting there – his friend Morozov and Boyarski (a sycophant of the critic Basilevski):

Describing his life in Paris, Vadim Vadimovich (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Look at the Harlequins!, 1974) mentions Adam Atropovich, the unforgettable leader of the talented, illiterate, intuitive new critics:

Describing his meeting with Lucette (Van’s and Ada’s half-sister) in Paris, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the aureate backcloth of a sakarama screen:

Describing the family dinner in “Ardis the Second,” Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the cannibal joy of young gourmets tearing ‘plump and live’ oysters out of their ‘cloisters’ in an unfinished canto of Eugene Onegin:

According to Ada, her husband called Demon Veen (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van’s and Ada’s father, the son of Dedalus Veen) Dementiy Labirintovich:

‘My upper-lip space feels indecently naked.’ (He had shaved his mustache off with howls of pain in her presence). ‘And I cannot keep sucking in my belly all the time.’

At the dinner in Bellevue Hotel in Mont Roux Dorothy Vinelander (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Ada's sister-in-law) mentions dear Aunt Beloskunski-Belokonski, a delightful old spinster (“a vulgar old skunk,” according to Ada), who lives in a villa above Valvey:

It went on and on like that for more than an hour and Van’s clenched jaws began to ache. Finally, Ada got up, and Dorothy followed suit but continued to speak standing:

According to Ada (the title character of a novel, 1969, by VN), the servants called Ben Wright (the English coachman in “Ardis the First” who is associated with farts) “Bengal Ben:”

Nonchalantly, Van went back to the willows and said:

‘Every shot in the book has been snapped in 1884, except this one. I never rowed you down Ladore River in early spring. Nice to note you have not lost your wonderful ability to blush.’

Describing the picnic on Ada’s sixteenth birthday, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the muscat wine:

The muscat wine was uncorked. Ada’s and Ida’s healths drunk. ‘The conversation became general,’ as Monparnasse liked to write.

Count Percy de Prey turned to Ivan Demianovich Veen:

‘I’m told you like abnormal positions?’

According to Marina (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van’s, Ada’s and Lucette’s mother), the Zemskis were terrible rakes (razvratniki), one of them loved small girls, and another raffolait d’une de ses juments:

The dog came in, turned up a brimming brown eye Vanward, toddled up to the window, looked at the rain like a little person, and returned to his filthy cushion in the next room.

‘I could never stand that breed,’ remarked Van. ‘Dackelophobia.’

Telling Van about strange visitors at the Agavia Ranch (where she lives with her husband Andrey Vinelander), Ada uses the phrase vsyu kompaniyu (the entire company):

‘My upper-lip space feels indecently naked.’ (He had shaved his mustache off with howls of pain in her presence). ‘And I cannot keep sucking in my belly all the time.’