Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Below is a brief addendum to my recent post "Lolita's traffic light." In VN's Russian translation (1967) of Lolita a line in Humbert's poem "Wanted," 'In the rain, where that lighted store is,' becomes Gde struitya noch', svetoforyas' (Where the night ripples, trafficlighting):

Патрульщик, патрульщик, вон там, под дождем,            

Где струится ночь, светофорясь...             

Она в белых носках, она - сказка моя,

Investigating the phenomena in the Haunted Barn, Hazel Shade (the poet’s daughter in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) asked the luminous circlet if it was a will-o-the-wisp:

After murdering Quilty, Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Lolita, 1962) decides to disregard the rules of traffic and passes through a red light:

In one of her letters to Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) written after Van left Ardis forever Ada says that she is coy and obscene:

[California? 1890]

The characters in VN's story Kartofel'nyi El'f ("The Potato Elf," 1929) include Zita and Arabella, the acrobat sisters:

Describing his life with Lolita, Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Lolita, 1955) says that he dwelled deep in his elected paradise - a paradise whose skies were the color of hell-flames - but still a paradise:

After the dinner in 'Ursus' and the debauch à trois in Van's Manhattan flat Ada calls Cordula Tobak (Van's former mistress, born de Prey) "a polecat:"

Describing a game of poker that he played at Chose (Van's English University), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) twice calls Dick C. (a cardsharp) "milord:"

In 1885, having completed his prep-school education, he went up to Chose University in England, where his fathers had gone, and traveled from time to time to London or Lute (as prosperous but not overrefined British colonials called that lovely pearl-gray sad city on the other side of the Channel).

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 million photographers:

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

Describing his first meeting with Shade (the poet in VN's novel Pale Fire, 1962), Kinbote (Shade's mad commentator who imagines that he is Charles the Beloved, the last self-exiled king of Zembla) mentions a bottle of good college ale with which he would content himself: