Describing Lucette's visit to Kingston (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van's American University), Van Veen mentions the malheureux Pompier’s cheap novel La Condition Humaine:
Wincing and rearranging his legs, our young Vandemonian cursed under his breath the condition in which the image of the four embers of a vixen’s cross had now solidly put him. One of the synonyms of ‘condition’ is ‘state,’ and the adjective ‘human’ may be construed as ‘manly’ (since L’Humanité means ‘Mankind’!), and that’s how, my dears, Lowden recently translated the title of the malheureux Pompier’s cheap novel La Condition Humaine, wherein, incidentally, the term ‘Vandemonian’ is hilariously glossed as ‘Koulak tasmanien d’origine hollandaise.’ Kick her out before it is too late. (2.5)
La Condition Humaine ("Man's Fate," 1933) is a novel by André Malraux. The action in it takes place in Shanghai, China. In Ilf and Petrov's novel Zolotoy telyonok ("The Golden Calf," 1931) Ostap Bender says that it is much more difficult to find a person in China than in the Soviet Russia:
Паниковский был послан в «Геркулес», Балаганов — на квартиру Александра Ивановича. Сам Остап бросился на вокзалы. Но миллионер-конторщик исчез. В «Геркулесе» его марка не была снята с табельной доски, в квартиру он не возвратился, а за время газовой атаки с вокзалов отбыло восемь поездов дальнего следования. Но Остап и не ждал другого результата.
— В конце концов, — сказал он невесело, — ничего страшного нет. Вот в Китае разыскать нужного человека трудновато: там живет четыреста миллионов населения. А у нас очень легко: всего лишь сто шестьдесят миллионов, в три раза легче, чем в Китае. Лишь бы были деньги. А они у нас есть. (Chapter XXIII: "The Heart of the Chauffeur")
Pompier is French for "firefighter." A character in Ilf and Petrov's novel, Panikovski wears a firefighter's uniform:
Первый километр жулики тяжело дышали. Дороживший своей красотой Балаганов рассматривал в карманном зеркальце малиновые царапины на лице, полученные при падении. Паниковский дрожал в своем костюме пожарного. Он боялся мести командора. И она пришла немедленно. (Chapter VII: "The Sweet Burden of Fame")
The malheureux Pompier makes one think of Les Malheurs de Sophie ("Sophie's Misfortunes," 1858), a novel for children by Countess de Ségur. Describing the Night of the Burning Barn (when Van and Ada make love for the first time), Van mentions Les Sophismes de Sophie by Mlle Stopchin in the Bibliothèque Vieux Rose series:
A sort of hoary riddle (Les Sophismes de Sophie by Mlle Stopchin in the Bibliothèque Vieux Rose series): did the Burning Barn come before the Cockloft or the Cockloft come first. Oh, first! We had long been kissing cousins when the fire started. In fact, I was getting some Château Baignet cold cream from Ladore for my poor chapped lips. And we both were roused in our separate rooms by her crying au feu! July 28? August 4?
Who cried? Stopchin cried? Larivière cried? Larivière? Answer! Crying that the barn flambait?
No, she was fast ablaze — I mean, asleep. I know, said Van, it was she, the hand-painted handmaid, who used your watercolors to touch up her eyes, or so Larivière said, who accused her and Blanche of fantastic sins.
Oh, of course! But not Marina’s poor French — it was our little goose Blanche. Yes, she rushed down the corridor and lost a miniver-trimmed slipper on the grand staircase, like Ashette in the English version. (1.19)
Darkbloom (‘Notes to Ada’): Mlle Stopchin: a representative of Mme de Ségur, née Rostopchine, author of Les Malheurs de Sophie (nomenclatorially occupied on Antiterra by Les Malheurs de Swann).
au feu!: fire!
flambait: was in flames.
Ashette: ‘Cendrillon’ in the French original.
In "The Golden Calf" Voron'ya slobodka ("A Crow's Nest") is destroyed by fire. The inhabitants of “A Crow's Nest” include nich'ya babushka (nobody's grandmother) who is afraid of electricity and uses a kerosene lamp in her entresol apartment. Kerosin is the word that Ada's letter form at the beginning of a game of Flavita (the Russian Scrabble). Flavita is an anagram of alfavit (alphabet). One of the chapters in Ilf and Petrov's novel Dvenadtsat' stuliev ("The Twelve Chairs," 1928) is entitled Alfavit - zerkalo zhizni ("The Mirror of Life Index").
Mankind (L’Humanité means ‘Mankind’!) brings to mind vera v chelovechestvo (faith in humankind) that Ostap Bender loses after studying Koreyko's biography:
— За что же вы хотите получить деньги? Я их заработал, а вы…
— Я не только трудился. Я даже пострадал. После разговоров с Берлагой, Скумбриевичем и Полыхаевым я потерял веру в человечество. Разве это не стоит миллиона рублей, вера в человечество?
— Стоит, стоит, — успокоил Александр Иванович.
— Значит, пойдем в закрома? — спросил Остап. — Кстати, где вы держите свою наличность? Надо полагать, не в сберкассе?
— Пойдем! — ответил Корейко. — Там увидите.
— Может быть, далеко? — засуетился Остап. — Я могу машину.
Но миллионер от машины отказался и заявил, что идти недалеко и что вообще не нужно лишней помпы. Он учтиво пропустил Бендера вперед и вышел, захватив со стола небольшой пакетик, завернутый в газетную бумагу. Спускаясь с лестницы, Остап напевал: «Под небом знойной Аргентины…» (Chapter XXII: "I will Command the Parade")
"But the millionaire refused the car and stated that it wasn't far at all, and that they should avoid any unnecessary pomp."
Ne nuzhno lishney pompy (we don't need any unnecessary pomp) brings to mind the malheureux Pompier. Going down the stairs, Ostap hums the tango tune Pod znoynym nebom Argentiny (‘Neath sultry sky of Argentina). As Mascodagama (Van's stage name), Van dances tango on his hands to the same tune:
Neither was the sheer physical pleasure of maniambulation a negligible factor, and the peacock blotches with which the carpet stained the palms of his hands during his gloveless dance routine seemed to be the reflections of a richly colored nether world that he had been the first to discover. For the tango, which completed his number on his last tour, he was given a partner, a Crimean cabaret dancer in a very short scintillating frock cut very low on the back. She sang the tango tune in Russian:
Pod znóynïm nébom Argentínï,
Pod strástnïy góvor mandolinï
‘Neath sultry sky of Argentina,
To the hot hum of mandolina
Fragile, red-haired ‘Rita’ (he never learned her real name), a pretty Karaite from Chufut Kale, where, she nostalgically said, the Crimean cornel, kizil’, bloomed yellow among the arid rocks, bore an odd resemblance to Lucette as she was to look ten years later. During their dance, all Van saw of her were her silver slippers turning and marching nimbly in rhythm with the soles of his hands. He recouped himself at rehearsals, and one night asked her for an assignation. She indignantly refused, saying she adored her husband (the make-up fellow) and loathed England. (1.30)
Pod sladkiy lepet mandoliny (To the sweet murmur of mandolina), as Bender puts it, the Polish priests Kushakovski and Moroshek try to make a good Catholic of their compatriot, Adam Kozlevich (the driver of the Antelope Gnu car):
– Охмуряют! – крикнул Остап, спускаясь с лестницы. – Самый охмуреж идет! Под сладкий лепет мандолины. (Chapter XVII: "The Prodigious Son Returns Home").
Vandemonian (as Lucette calls Van) is a play on pandemonium. In "The Twelve Chairs" the engineer Bruns asks Father Fyodor not to cause a pandemonium in his house:
Поп залопотал что-то непонятное, но, видно, умилительное… Только после долгих расспросов удалось понять, что он как особой милости просит продать ему гарнитур из двенадцати стульев, на одном из которых он в настоящий момент сидит.
Инженер от удивления выпустил из рук плечи отца Федора, который немедленно бухнулся на колени и стал по-черепашьи гоняться за инженером.
— Почему, — кричал инженер, увертываясь от длинных рук отца Федора, — почему я должен продать свои стулья? Сколько вы ни бухайтесь на колени, я ничего не могу понять!
— Да ведь это мои стулья, — простонал отец Федор.
— То есть как это ваши? Откуда ваши? С ума вы спятили? Мусик, теперь для меня все ясно! Это явный псих!
— Мои, — униженно твердил отец Федор.
— Что ж, по-вашему, я у вас их украл? — вскипел инженер. — Украл? Слышишь, Мусик! Это какой-то шантаж!
— Ни боже мой, — шепнул отец Федор.
— Если я их у вас украл, то требуйте судом и не устраивайте в моем доме пандемониума! Слышишь, Мусик! До чего доходит нахальство. Пообедать не дадут по-человечески!
The priest began burbling something incoherent, but apparently deeply moving. It was only after lengthy questioning that they were able to gather that he was asking them to do him a special favour and sell him the suite of twelve chairs, one of which he was sitting on at that moment.
The engineer let go of Father Theodore with surprise, whereupon the latter immediately plumped down on his knees again and began creeping after the engineer like a tortoise.
"But why," cried the engineer, trying to dodge Father Theodore's long arms, "why should I sell my chairs? It's no use how much you go down on your knees like that, I just don't understand anything."
"But they're my chairs," groaned the holy father.
"What do you mean, they're yours? How can they be yours? You're crazy. Moosie, I see it all. This man's a crackpot."
"They're mine," repeated the priest in humiliation.
"Do you think I stole them from you, then?" asked the engineer furiously. "Did I steal them? Moosie, this is blackmail."
"Oh, Lord," whispered Father Theodore.
"If I stole them from you, then take the matter to court, but don't cause pandemonium in my house. Did you hear that, Moosie? How impudent can you get? They don't even let a man have his dinner in peace." (Chapter XXXVII: "The Green Cape")
One of the chapters in The Golden Calf is entitled "Homer, Milton and Panikovski" (Homer and Milton were blind, Panikovski simulates blindness). In Milton's Paradise Lost Pandemonium is the capital of Hell.
On the other hand, Vandemonian hints at Van Diemen's Land, the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. In The Golden Calf Bender asks Shura Balaganov if Panikovski is the Governor of the island of Borneo:
Остап долго еще развивал бы свои взгляды на жизнь, если бы его не перебил Балаганов.
— Смотрите, — сказал он, указывая на зеленые глубины Бульвара Молодых Дарований. — Видите, вон идет человек в соломенной шляпе?
— Вижу, — высокомерно сказал Остап. — Ну и что же? Это губернатор острова Борнео?
— Это Паниковский, — сказал Шура. — Сын лейтенанта Шмидта. (Chapter I)
In a conversation with Balaganov Bender mentions the Charleston U moey devochki est' odna malen'kaya shtuchka ("My Little Girl has one Little Thing"):
Остап бросил на стол лист, вырванный из книги.
— Это вырезка из «Малой советской энциклопедии». Вот тут что написано про Рио-де-Жанейро: «1360 тысяч жителей…» так… «значительное число мулатов… у обширной бухты Атлантического океана…» Вот, вот! «Главные улицы города по богатству магазинов и великолепию зданий не уступают первым городам мира». Представляете себе, Шура? Не уступают! Мулаты, бухта, экспорт кофе, так сказать, кофейный демпинг, чарльстон под названием «У моей девочки есть одна маленькая штучка» и… о чем говорить! Вы сами видите, что происходит. Полтора миллиона человек, и все поголовно в белых штанах. Я хочу отсюда уехать. У меня с советской властью возникли за последний год серьезнейшие разногласия. Она хочет строить социализм, а я не хочу. Мне скучно строить социализм. Теперь вам ясно, для чего мне нужно столько денег? (Chapter II: "The Thirty Sons of Lieutenant Schmidt").
According to Lucette, she imitated all Ada's shtuchki (little stunts):
‘By the way,’ he said, ‘let’s-fix the date of your visit. Her letter changes my schedule. Let’s have dinner at Ursus next weekend. I’ll get in touch with you.’
‘I knew it was hopeless,’ she said, looking away. ‘I did my best. I imitated all her shtuchki (little stunts). I’m a better actress than she but that’s not enough, I know. Go back now, they are getting dreadfully drunk on your cognac.’
He thrust his hands into the warm vulvas of her mole-soft sleeves and held her for a moment on the inside by her thin bare elbows, looking down with meditative desire at her painted lips.
‘Un baiser, un seul!’ she pleaded.
‘You promise not to open your mouth? Not to melt? not to flutter and flick?’
‘I won’t, I swear!’
He hesitated. ‘No,’ said Van, ‘it is a mad temptation but I must not succumb. I could not live through another disaster, another sister, even one-half of a sister.’
‘Takoe otchayanie (such despair)!’ moaned Lucette, wrapping herself closely in the coat she had opened instinctively to receive him.
‘Might it console you to know that I expect only torture from her return? That I regard you as a bird of paradise?’
She shook her head.
‘That my admiration for you is painfully strong?’
‘I want Van,’ she cried, ‘and not intangible admiration —’
‘Intangible? You goose. You may gauge it, you may brush it once very lightly, with the knuckles of your gloved hand. I said knuckles. I said once. That will do. I can’t kiss you. Not even your burning face. Good-bye, pet. Tell Edmond to take a nap after he returns. I shall need him at two in the morning.’ (2.5)
Darkbloom (‘Notes to Ada’): un baiser etc.: one single kiss.