Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Describing the forty days between Queen Blenda's death and his coronation, 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 so-called patifolia (a huge, oval, luxuriously flounced, swansdown pillow the size of a triple bed) that Charles Xavier had installed in the middle of the Persian rug-covered floor:

In his Foreword and 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 Professor Hurley, the fine administrator and inept scholar who since 1957 headed the English Department of Wordsmith College:

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) calls himself "poor King, poor Kinbote:"

"And you, what will you be doing with yourself, poor King, poor Kinbote?" a gentle young voice may inquire.

At the dinner in Bellevue Hotel in Mont Roux Dorothy Vinelander (in VN's novel Ada, 1969, Ada's sister-in-law) tells Van that her brother (Andrey Vinelander, Ada's husband) is redchayshiy chelovek (a most rare human being):

The characters in VN's novel Ada (1969) include Yuzlik, the director of Don Juan's Last Fling, the film in which Ada played the gitanilla. Yuzlik is present at the dinner that Van has with Ada and her family in Bellevue Hotel in Mont Roux:

Describing his first visit to Villa Venus (Eric Veen's floramors), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions la gosse, trembling Adada:

I have frequented bordels since my sixteenth year, but although some of the better ones, especially in France and Ireland, rated a triple red symbol in Nugg’s guidebook, nothing about them pre-announced the luxury and mollitude of my first Villa Venus. It was the difference between a den and an Eden.

In VN’s novel Bend Sinister (1947) the soldier asks Krug (who just learned that his son David was sadistically murdered at the hospital) "Yablochko, kuda-zh ty tak kotishsa [little apple, whither are you rolling]:"

Krug was caught by a friendly soldier.

'Yablochko, kuda-zh ty tak kotishsa [little apple, whither are you rolling]?' asked the soldier and added:

'A po zhabram, milaĭ, khochesh [want me to hit you, friend]?' (Chapter 17)

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) mockingly calls Gradus (Shade's murderer) “Vinogradus” and “Leningradus” and repeats the word “squeeze” three times:

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), after line 274 of Shade’s poem there is a false start in the draft:

I like my name: Shade, Ombre, almost 'man'
In Spanish... (note to Line 275)

In VN’s novel Bend Sinister (1947) mouches volantes (“flying flies,” entoptic phenomena) are mentioned: