Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Describing the torments and suicide of poor mad Aqua (the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions the Dr Froit of Signy-Mondieu-Mondieu and a Dr Sig Heiler, spanker of girl bottoms and spunky spittoon-user:

At the picnic on Ada's twelfth birthday Greg Erminin (in VN's novel Ada, 1969, Grace's twin brother) puts on his sister’s blue skirt, hat and glasses, all of which transforms him into a very sick, mentally retarded Grace:

One of the three main characters in VN’s novel Pale Fire (1962), Jakob Gradus (Shade’s murderer) is a son of Martin Gradus, a Protestant minister in Riga:

Describing the torments of poor mad Aqua (the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions a half-Russian, half-dotty old doctor who quoted a poem by Guido Cavalcanti:

At the beginning of VN's story Time and Ebb (1944) the narrator mentions his dear friends Norman and Nura Stone:

In the first floriferous days of convalescence after a severe illness, which nobody, least of all the patient himself, expected a ninety-year-old organism to survive, I was admonished by my dear friends Norman and Nura Stone to prolong the lull in my scientific studies and relax in the midst of some innocent occupation such as brazzle or solitaire.

Describing his meetings with Ada (now married to Andrey Vinelander) in October 1905, in Mont Roux, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions the arbors of Rufomonticulus:

According to Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969), in her last note poor mad Aqua (the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina) called herself "poor Princesse Lointaine:"

In October 1905, in Mont Roux, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) and Ada (now married to Andrey Vinelander) meet in Bellevue (the Vinelanders' hotel) and make love in Les Trois Cygnes, Van's luxurious hotel:

arriving mont roux bellevue sunday

dinnertime adoration sorrow rainbows

In VN's story Time and Ebb (1944) the narrator mentions the savage vulgarity of Hitler or Alamillo:

Telling Van to stop his affair with Ada, Demon Veen (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van’s and Ada’s father) says that he believes in Van and his common sense: 

Demon regained his composure (if not his young looks) and said:

‘I believe in you and your common sense. You must not allow an old debaucher to disown an only son. If you love her, you wish her to be happy, and she will not be as happy as she could be once you gave her up. You may go. Tell her to come here on your way down.’