Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Inviting Shade (the poet in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) to his place, Kinbote (Shade’s mad commentator who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) says that he is ready to share his favorite wine with his favorite poet:

The characters in Quercus, a novel that Cincinnatus, the main character in VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’ (“Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935), reads in the fortress, include three merry wayfarers, Tit, Pud, and the Wandering Jew:

Часы пробили семь, и вскоре явился Родион с обедом.

- Он, наверное, еще не приехал? - спросил Цинциннат.

Родион было ушел, но на пороге обернулся:

In a conversation at the faculty club John Shade (the poet in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) remarks that “kings do not die, they only disappear” and mentions Kinbote’s book on surnames:

Describing the death of Queen Blenda (in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962, the mother of Charles Xavier Vseslav), Kinbote (Shade’s mad commentator who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) mentions the unshaven dark young nattdett (child of night) and the drunk who started to sing a ribald ballad about "Karlie-Garlie:"

In her last note poor mad Aqua (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina) mentioned Nurse Joan the Terrible and Ruby Black (Van’s black wet-nurse who also went mad):

Onhava + Conmal + M’sieur Pierre + golos/Logos = Havamal + connoisseur + empire + gorlo

From Kinbote’s Index to Shade’s poem:

Onhava, the beautiful capital of Zembla, 12, 71, 130, 149, 171, 181, 275, 579, 894, 1000.

According to Vadim Vadimovich, the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Look at the Harlequins! (1974), his method of choosing and blending words could hardly be called a timesaving expedient:

In VN’s novel Look at the Harlequins! (1974) Other Books by the Narrator include Vadim’s collection of short stories Exile from Mayda (1947):

"I shall call this close friend of mine, whose case we are about to examine, Mr. Twidower, a name with certain connotations, as those of you who remember the title story in my Exile from Mayda will note."

In VN’s novel Look at the Harlequins! (1974) Other Books by the Narrator include The Red Top Hat (1934):

Telling Cincinnatus about his amorous prowess, M’sieur Pierre (the executioner in VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’, “Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935) uses the phrase sam s usam (I’m no piker myself) and mentions his pruzhina (a spring):