Dear Diego,
There are some notes to Ada (and the rest of Nabokov’s English novels and his memoirs) in the Library of America editions, but they are very sparse, limited to the kinds of annotations that the Library of America stipulates.
The notes for Pt 1 Ch 37 will probably be uploaded on to AdaOnline tomorrow; the notes for Pt 1 Ch 38 (over 80 pages in a smaller type!) should be out now in print form in the latest
Nabokovian.
But the notes beyond that do not exist, except for fading, nearly forty-year-old, pencil marginalia in my copy of
Ada, an ongoing file of notes I have of annotations that others have made to later parts of the novel, and some ideas and memories. I compose a new instalment of notes, and the fore- and after-notes, to a new chapter every six months, for the next issue
of the Nabokovian. At the present rate, I’ll take another fifteen and a half years (which sounds a long time but I’ve been doing this for 21 years now!), although if before that time I clear my desk of more urgent projects (not looking likely for at
least eight years) I could complete the rest in a year.
Your surname seems to combine Van, Ada, and “poor Elle”-Lucette.
Happy reading!
Brian Boyd
Hello,
I've been reading Ada with delight, following AdaOnline's notes. It's been very helpful because I only have the spanish edition, so I can check what the original says when I mistrust the translation (although it's very good). As far I understand, the rest
of the notes (starting at chapter 37) are in "Nabokov: Novels, 1969-1974", and the forenotes and afternotes are in The Nabokovian.
In a couple of weeks a friend of mine will travel to the US and buy the book (and "Ada: The Place of Consciousness" too), for me, so I'll have the notes, but it's practically imposible for me to get all The Nabokovian (money, shipping, my country's custom).
Is there any other place or book where I can find them? Or any other book I can buy to read something alike? BTW, I'm no scholar, just a passionate reader.
And thanks for the list. It's level is too high for me, but I enjoy the little I understand.
Thanks in advance,
-- Diego
All private editorial communications are read by both co-editors.