Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

According to Dorothy Vinelander (in VN's novel Ada, 1969, Ada's sister-in-law), Demon Veen (Van's and Ada's father who in March 1905 perishes in a mysterious airplane disaster above the Pacific) resembled a Russian aristocrat much more than he did an Irish Baron:

According to Dorothy Vinelander (in VN's novel Ada, 1969, Ada's sister-in-law), Demon Veen (Van's and Ada's father who perishes in a mysterious airplane disaster above the Pacific) resembled a Russian aristocrat much more than he did an Irish Baron:

Describing the family dinner in "Ardis the Second," Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the Great Lake of Slaves:

In VN's novel Ada (1969) Andrey Vinelander's postscript to Ada's letter to Van begins with the words Dushevno klanyayus’ (I sincerely bow):

In a letter to Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) Ada (now married to Andrey Vinelander) calls herself "a petite fille modèle practicing archery near a vase and a parapet:"

At the beginning of VN's novel Ada (1969) Van Veen (the narrator and main character) speaks of his ancestors and mentions Macedonian and Bavarian settlers who enjoy a halcyon climate under the American Stars and Stripes:

Describing the beginning of Demon's affair with Marina, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions Belokonsk, the Russian twin of ‘Whitehorse’ (city in N.W. Canada) on Demonia (Earth's twin planet also known as Antiterra):

Marina’s affair with Demon Veen started on his, her, and Daniel Veen’s birthday, January 5, 1868, when she was twenty-four and both Veens thirty.

When Greg Erminin comes to Ardis (soon after the picnic on Ada's twelfth birthday), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) is reading Ada’s copy of Atala:

At the beginning of VN's novel Ada (1969) Van Veen (the narrator and main character) speaks of his ancestors and mentions ‘Russian’ Canady, otherwise ‘French’ Estoty, where not only French, but Macedonian and Bavarian settlers enjoy a halcyon climate under the American Stars and Stripes:

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) quotes Arnor’s poem about a miragarl (mirage girl), for whose "careful jewels" a dream king in the sandy wastes of time would give tri stana verbalala (three hundred camels) ut tri phantana (and three fountains):