In his Foreword to Lolita (1955) John Ray, Jr., compares Humbert Humbert¡¯s bizarre cognomen to a mask through which two hypnotic eyes seem to glow:
Its author's bizarre cognomen is his own invention; and, of course, this mask ¡ª through which two hypnotic eyes seem to glow ¡ª had to remain unlifted in accordance with its wearer's wish.
In the next paragraph of his Foreword John Ray mentions cemeteries and ghosts:
The caretakers of the various cemeteries involved report that no ghosts walk.
In a letter of November 25, 1892, to Suvorin Chekhov mentions the ghost of Hamlet¡¯s father, who did not come and disturb the imagination for nothing:
§µ §ß§Ñ§ã §ß§Ö§ä «§é§Ö§Ô§à-§ä§à», §ï§ä§à §ã§á§â§Ñ§Ó§Ö§Õ§Ý§Ú§Ó§à, §Ú §ï§ä§à §Ù§ß§Ñ§é§Ú§ä, §é§ä§à §á§à§Õ§ß§Ú§Þ§Ú§ä§Ö §á§à§Õ§à§Ý §ß§Ñ§ê§Ö§Û §Þ§å§Ù§Ö, §Ú §£§í §å§Ó§Ú§Õ§Ú§ä§Ö §ä§Ñ§Þ §á§Ý§à§ã§Ü§à§Ö §Þ§Ö§ã§ä§à. §£§ã§á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ä§Ö, §é§ä§à §á§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§Ú, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§ç §Þ§í §ß§Ñ§Ù§í§Ó§Ñ§Ö§Þ §Ó§Ö§é§ß§í§Þ§Ú §Ú§Ý§Ú §á§â§à§ã§ä§à §ç§à§â§à§ê§Ú§Þ§Ú §Ú §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Ö §á§î§ñ§ß§ñ§ä §ß§Ñ§ã, §Ú§Þ§Ö§ð§ä §à§Õ§Ú§ß §à§Ò§ë§Ú§Û §Ú §Ó§Ö§ã§î§Þ§Ñ §Ó§Ñ§Ø§ß§í§Û §á§â§Ú§Ù§ß§Ñ§Ü: §à§ß§Ú §Ü§å§Õ§Ñ-§ä§à §Ú§Õ§å§ä §Ú §£§Ñ§ã §Ù§à§Ó§å§ä §ä§å§Õ§Ñ §Ø§Ö, §Ú §£§í §é§å§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§å§Ö§ä§Ö §ß§Ö §å§Þ§à§Þ, §Ñ §Ó§ã§Ö§Þ §ã§Ó§à§Ú§Þ §ã§å§ë§Ö§ã§ä§Ó§à§Þ, §é§ä§à §å §ß§Ú§ç §Ö§ã§ä§î §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ñ-§ä§à §è§Ö§Ý§î, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §å §ä§Ö§ß§Ú §à§ä§è§Ñ §¤§Ñ§Þ§Ý§Ö§ä§Ñ, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§Ñ§ñ §á§â§Ú§ç§à§Õ§Ú§Ý§Ñ §Ú §ä§â§Ö§Ó§à§Ø§Ú§Ý§Ñ §Ó§à§à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö. §µ §à§Õ§ß§Ú§ç, §ã§Þ§à§ä§â§ñ §á§à §Ü§Ñ§Ý§Ú§Ò§â§å, §è§Ö§Ý§Ú §Ò§Ý§Ú§Ø§Ñ§Û§ê§Ú§Ö ¨C §Ü§â§Ö§á§à§ã§ä§ß§à§Ö §á§â§Ñ§Ó§à, §à§ã§Ó§à§Ò§à§Ø§Õ§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §â§à§Õ§Ú§ß§í, §á§à§Ý§Ú§ä§Ú§Ü§Ñ, §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§à§ä§Ñ §Ú§Ý§Ú §á§â§à§ã§ä§à §Ó§à§Õ§Ü§Ñ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §å §¥§Ö§ß§Ú§ã§Ñ §¥§Ñ§Ó§í§Õ§à§Ó§Ñ, §å §Õ§â§å§Ô§Ú§ç §è§Ö§Ý§Ú §à§ä§Õ§Ñ§Ý§×§ß§ß§í§Ö ¨C §¢§à§Ô, §Ù§Ñ§Ô§â§à§Ò§ß§Ñ§ñ §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§î, §ã§é§Ñ§ã§ä§î§Ö §é§Ö§Ý§à§Ó§Ö§é§Ö§ã§ä§Ó§Ñ §Ú §ä. §á. §§å§é§ê§Ú§Ö §Ú§Ù §ß§Ú§ç §â§Ö§Ñ§Ý§î§ß§í §Ú §á§Ú§ê§å§ä §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§î §ä§Ñ§Ü§à§ð, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ñ §à§ß§Ñ §Ö§ã§ä§î, §ß§à §à§ä§ä§à§Ô§à, §é§ä§à §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Õ§Ñ§ñ §ã§ä§â§à§é§Ü§Ñ §á§â§à§á§Ú§ä§Ñ§ß§Ñ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §ã§à§Ü§à§Þ, §ã§à§Ù§ß§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö§Þ §è§Ö§Ý§Ú, §£§í, §Ü§â§à§Þ§Ö §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§Ú, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ñ §Ö§ã§ä§î, §é§å§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§å§Ö§ä§Ö §Ö§ë§× §ä§å §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§î, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ñ §Õ§à§Ý§Ø§ß§Ñ §Ò§í§ä§î, §Ú §ï§ä§à §á§Ý§Ö§ß§ñ§Ö§ä §£§Ñ§ã.
We lack ¡°something,¡± that is true, and that means that, lift the robe of our muse, and you will find within an empty void. Let me remind you that the writers, who we say are for all time or are simply good, and who intoxicate us, have one common and very important characteristic; they are going towards something and are summoning you towards it, too, and you feel not with your mind, but with your whole being, that they have some object, just like the ghost of Hamlet's father, who did not come and disturb the imagination for nothing. Some have more immediate objects¡ªthe abolition of serfdom, the liberation of their country, politics, beauty, or simply vodka, like Denis Davydov; others have remote objects¡ªGod, life beyond the grave, the happiness of humanity, and so on. The best of them are realists and paint life as it is, but, through every line¡¯s being soaked in the consciousness of an object, you feel, besides life as it is, the life which ought to be, and that captivates you.
In his essay ¡°On a Book Entitled Lolita¡± (1956) appended to the first American edition of the novel VN mentions John Ray, the character in Lolita who pens the Foreword, and defines aesthetic bliss (afforded by a genuine work of art) as a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, ecstasy) is the norm:
I am neither a reader nor a writer of didactic fiction, and, despite John Ray¡¯s assertion, Lolita has no moral in tow. For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me aesthetic bliss, ¡°that is a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, ecstasy) is the norm.
O Chekhove (¡°On Chekhov¡±) is the first memoir essay in Vasiliy Nemirovich-Danchenko¡¯s book Na kladbishchakh (¡°At Cemeteries,¡± 1921). Nemirovich¡¯s memoir essay on D. I. Milyutin (1816-1912) included in his book ¡°At Cemeteries¡± is entitled Otechestvennyi Tsintsinnat (¡°The Russian Cincinnatus¡±). Cincinnatus C. is the main character in VN¡¯s novel Priglashenie na kazn¡¯ (¡°Invitation to a Beheading,¡± 1935). In a letter of February 18, 1889, to Leontiev-Shcheglov (a fellow writer who compared Chekhov to Prince Potyomkin, a favorite of Catherine II) Chekhov says that he is Cincinnatus, not Potyomkin:
§¤§à§Ý§à§Ó§Ñ §Þ§à§ñ §Ù§Ñ§ß§ñ§ä§Ñ §Þ§í§ã§Ý§ñ§Þ§Ú §à §Ý§Ö§ä§Ö §Ú §Õ§Ñ§é§Ö. §¥§Ö§ß§ß§à §Ú §ß§à§ë§ß§à §Þ§Ö§é§ä§Ñ§ð §à §ç§å§ä§à§â§Ö. §Á §ß§Ö §±§à§ä§×§Þ§Ü§Ú§ß, §Ñ §¸§Ú§ß§è§Ú§ß§ß§Ñ§ä. §§Ö§Ø§Ñ§ß§î§Ö §ß§Ñ §ã§Ö§ß§Ö §Ú §á§à§Û§Þ§Ñ§ß§ß§í§Û §ß§Ñ §å§Õ§à§é§Ü§å §à§Ü§å§ß§î §å§Õ§à§Ó§Ý§Ö§ä§Ó§à§â§ñ§ð§ä §Þ§à§× §é§å§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§à §Ô§à§â§Ñ§Ù§Õ§à §à§ã§ñ§Ù§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§Ö§Ö, §é§Ö§Þ §â§Ö§è§Ö§ß§Ù§Ú§Ú §Ú §Ñ§á§Ý§à§Õ§Ú§â§å§ð§ë§Ñ§ñ §Ô§Ñ§Ý§Ö§â§Ö§ñ. §Á, §à§é§Ö§Ó§Ú§Õ§ß§à, §å§â§à§Õ §Ú §á§Ý§Ö§Ò§Ö§Û.
In the same letter to Leontiev-Shcheglov Chekhov says that even Shakespeare never heard praises like those that were lavished on his play Ivanov:
§£§í §Ó §á§Ú§ã§î§Þ§Ö §å§ä§Ö§ê§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §ß§Ñ§ã§é§Ö§ä «§ª§Ó§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§Ñ». §³§á§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ò§à §£§Ñ§Þ, §ß§à §å§Ó§Ö§â§ñ§ð §£§Ñ§ã §é§Ö§ã§ä§ß§í§Þ §ã§Ý§à§Ó§à§Þ, §ñ §á§à§Ü§à§Ö§ß §Ú §ã§à§Ó§Ö§â§ê§Ö§ß§ß§à §å§Õ§à§Ó§Ý§Ö§ä§Ó§à§â§×§ß §ä§Ö§Þ, §é§ä§à §ã§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Ý §Ú §é§ä§à §á§à§Ý§å§é§Ú§Ý. §Á §ã§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Ý §ä§à, §é§ä§à §Þ§à§Ô §Ú §å§Þ§Ö§Ý, ¡ª §ã§ä§Ñ§Ý§à §Ò§í§ä§î, §á§â§Ñ§Ó: §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ §Ó§í§ê§Ö §Ý§Ò§Ñ §ß§Ö §â§Ñ§ã§ä§å§ä; §á§à§Ý§å§é§Ú§Ý §Ø§Ö §ñ §ß§Ö §á§à §Ù§Ñ§ã§Ý§å§Ô§Ñ§Þ, §Ò§à§Ý§î§ê§Ö, §é§Ö§Þ §ß§å§Ø§ß§à. §ª §º§Ö§Ü§ã§á§Ú§â§å §ß§Ö §á§â§Ú§ç§à§Õ§Ú§Ý§à§ã§î §ã§Ý§í§ê§Ñ§ä§î §ä§Ö§ç §â§Ö§é§Ö§Û, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §á§â§à§ã§Ý§í§ê§Ñ§Ý §ñ.
A letter of November 24, 1887, to his brother Alexander, in which he describes the unexpected success of the first performance of Ivanov, Chekhov signed ¡°Schiller Shekspirovich Goethe.¡±
In his Foreword to Lolita John Ray mentions Mrs. ¡°Richard F. Schiller:¡±
Mrs. ¡°Richard F. Schiller¡± died in childbed, giving birth to a stillborn girl, on Christmas Day 1952, in Gray Star, a settlement in the remotest Northwest.
Lolita¡¯s married name hints at Friedrich Schiller, a German poet (1759-1805). Shakespeare is the author of Richard II and Richard III. Lolita¡¯s mother, Charlotte Haze, has the same first name as the woman with whom young Werther is in love in Goethe¡¯s Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774).
The Russian spelling of Humbert Humbert is Gumbert Gumbert. In his memoir essay on Milyutin Nemirovich mentions korol¡¯ Italii Gumbert (the king of Italy Umberto I) whose wide-open and senselessly glassy eyes resembled those of Alexander II in the last years of his life:
§£ §¡§Ý§Ö§Ü§ã§Ñ§ß§Õ§â§Ö II §á§â§Ö§Õ§á§à§Ý§Ñ§Ô§Ñ§Ý§Ú §ß§Ñ§é§Ñ§Ý§à §á§â§à§Ô§â§Ö§ã§ã§Ú§Ó§ß§à§Ô§à §á§Ñ§â§Ñ§Ý§Ú§é§Ñ, §ç§à§ä§ñ, §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §ß§Ú§Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ú§ç §Ù§Ñ§Õ§Ñ§ä§Ü§à§Ó §Ü §ï§ä§à§Þ§å §å §ß§Ö§Ô§à §ß§Ö §Ò§í§Ý§à. §¤§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ §å §ß§Ö§Ô§à §ã§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Ý§Ú§ã§î §ä§à§é§ß§à §ã§ä§Ö§Ü§Ý§ñ§ß§ß§í§Ö, §Ú §à§ß §Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §ê§×§Ý, §Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§ñ §ß§Ö§á§à§Õ§Ó§Ú§Ø§ß§à §Ú §á§â§ñ§Þ§à §á§Ö§â§Ö§Õ §ã§à§Ò§à§ð, §ä§à§é§ß§à §ß§à§Ô§Ú §å §ß§Ö§Ô§à §Ò§í§Ý§Ú §Ù§Ñ§Ó§Ö§Õ§Ö§ß§í §ã§Ü§â§í§ä§í§Þ §Þ§Ö§ç§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ù§Þ§à§Þ. §°§ß §ß§Ö §Ù§Ñ§Þ§Ö§é§Ñ§Ý §ß§Ñ §á§å§ä§Ú §ß§Ú§Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ú§ç §á§â§Ö§á§ñ§ä§ã§ä§Ó§Ú§Û. §©§Ñ§Ò§à§ä§à§ð §à§Ü§â§å§Ø§Ñ§Ó§ê§Ú§ç §Ò§í§Ý§à §à§ä§à§Õ§Ó§Ú§Ô§Ñ§ä§î §á§à §ï§ä§à§Û §á§â§ñ§Þ§à§Û §Ý§Ú§ß§Ú§Ú §ã§ä§à§Ý§í, §ã§ä§å§Ý§î§ñ, §Ó§ã§×, §é§ä§à §à§ß §ß§Ö §Ó§Ú§Õ§Ö§Ý §Ú§Ý§Ú §ß§Ö §å§Õ§à§ã§ä§Ñ§Ú§Ó§Ñ§Ý §Ó§Ú§Õ§Ö§ä§î. §±§à§ä§à§Þ §ñ §ä§à§é§ß§à §ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ, §ê§Ú§â§à§Ü§à §à§ä§Ü§â§í§ä§í§Ö §Ú §Ò§Ö§ã§ã§Þ§í§ã§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§à §ã§ä§Ö§Ü§Ý§ñ§ß§ß§í§Ö, §Ó§ã§ä§â§Ö§é§Ñ§Ý §å §Ü§à§â§à§Ý§ñ §ª§ä§Ñ§Ý§Ú§Ú §¤§å§Þ§Ò§Ö§â§ä§Ñ. §µ §ä§à§Ô§à §Ú §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Ô§à §ß§Ö §Þ§Ú§Ô§Ñ§ð§ë§Ú§Ö §Ú §á§à§ä§à§Þ§å §Ø§å§ä§Ü§Ú§Ö¡
Alexander II and Umberto I both died in assassination. The name Milyutin brings to mind Milyukov, a friend and colleague of Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov (1870-1922), VN¡¯s father who was assassinated when trying to protect Milyukov from the terrorists.
According to Humbert Humbert, among the pseudonyms that he toyed with was Otto Otto:
And I have toyed with many pseudonyms for myself before I hit on a particularly apt one. There are in my notes ¡°Otto Otto¡± and ¡°Mesmer Mesmer¡± and ¡°Lambert Lambert,¡± but for some reason I think my choice expresses the nastiness best. (2.36)
In his memoir essay on Milyutin Nemirovich mentions Otto von Bismarck and his advice to Alexander II (who gave his word to Queen Victoria that the Russian army would not enter Constantinople), beati possidentes (blessed are the possessors):
§¿§ä§à "§ñ §Õ§Ñ§Ý §ã§Ý§à§Ó§à §Ú§Þ§á§Ö§â§Ñ§ä§â§Ú§è§Ö" §Õ§à§Ý§Ô§à §Ú §ä§â§Ö§Ó§à§Ø§ß§à §Ù§Ó§å§é§Ñ§Ý§à §Ó §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú§ç §å§ê§Ñ§ç. §´§Ö§Þ §Ò§à§Ý§Ö§Ö, §é§ä§à §à§ß§à §Ò§í§Ý§à §á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö§Þ §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Ô§à §ä§Ñ§Ü§à§Ô§à §Ø§Ö, §ß§à, §á§à§Ø§Ñ§Ý§å§Û, §Ö§ë§× §Ò§à§Ý§Ö§Ö §Ú§Ù§Þ§Ö§ß§ß§Ú§é§Ö§ã§Ü§à§Ô§à §á§à §à§ä§ß§à§ê§Ö§ß§Ú§ð §Ü §â§à§Õ§Ú§ß§Ö. §£§í §á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ä§Ö, §Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §Þ§í §à§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§Ú§Ý§Ú§ã§î §Ó §³§Ñ§ß-§³§ä§Ö§æ§Ñ§ß§à §å §Ó§à§â§à§ä §¸§Ñ§â§î§Ô§â§Ñ§Õ§Ñ? §±§â§Ú§ê§Ý§Ú §Ñ§ß§Ô§Ý§Ú§é§Ñ§ß§Ö. §ª§ç §Ò§í§Ý§Ñ §Ô§à§â§ã§ä§à§é§Ü§Ñ -- §Õ§à §ã§Þ§Ö§ê§ß§à§Ô§à §á§Ö§â§Ö§Õ §ß§Ñ§ê§Ö§Û §á§à§Ò§Ö§Õ§à§ß§à§ã§ß§à§Û §Ñ§â§Þ§Ú§Ö§Û. §£§Ö§Õ§î §Ó§í §ã§Ñ§Þ§Ú §Ò§í§Ý§Ú §ä§Ñ§Þ, §ß§Ñ §Þ§Ö§ã§ä§Ö. §ª §¤§Ñ§Ý§Ý§Ú§á§à§Ý§Ú §Ò§í§Ý §ä§à§Ø§Ö §Ó §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú§ç §â§å§Ü§Ñ§ç. §®§í §Þ§à§Ô§Ý§Ú §Ò§í §ï§ä§Ú §ê§Ö§ã§ä§î §Þ§Ñ§Ý§Ö§ß§î§Ü§Ú§ç §Þ§à§ß§Ú§ä§à§â§à§Ó §ß§Ö §Ó§í§á§å§ã§ä§Ú§ä§î §Ú§Ù §®§â§Ñ§Þ§à§â§ß§à§Ô§à §Þ§à§â§ñ. §¥§Ñ§Ø§Ö §¢§Ú§ã§Þ§Ñ§â§Ü §Õ§Ñ§Ý §è§Ñ§â§ð, §Ö§Õ§Ó§Ñ §Ý§Ú §ß§Ö §Ó §á§Ö§â§Ó§í§Û §Ú §ß§Ö §Ó §á§à§ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§ß§Ú§Û §â§Ñ§Ù, §Ú§ã§Ü§â§Ö§ß§ß§Ú§Û, §Õ§â§å§Ø§Ö§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §ã§à§Ó§Ö§ä: beati possidentes. §£§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ü§Ú§Û §Ü§ß§ñ§Ù§î §¯§Ú§Ü§à§Ý§Ñ§Û §¯§Ú§Ü§à§Ý§Ñ§Ö§Ó§Ú§é §å§Þ§à§Ý§ñ§Ý §Ö§Ô§à §ã§à§Ô§Ý§Ñ§ã§Ú§ä§î§ã§ñ §ß§Ñ §Ò§Ö§ã§Ü§â§à§Ó§ß§à§Ö §Ù§Ñ§ß§ñ§ä§Ú§Ö §¬§à§ß§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§ß§à§á§à§Ý§ñ. §¡§â§Þ§Ú§ñ §Õ§â§à§Ø§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §à§ä §ß§Ö§ä§Ö§â§á§Ö§ß§Ú§ñ -- §Ó§Ö§Õ§î §Õ§Ý§ñ §ß§Ö§× §ï§ä§à §Ò§í§Ý§à §Ò§í §Ö§Õ§Ú§ß§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§í§Þ §Ù§Ñ§ã§Ý§å§Ø§Ö§ß§ß§í§Þ §å§Õ§à§Ó§à§Ý§î§ã§ä§Ó§Ú§Ö§Þ §Ù§Ñ §Ó§ã§× §á§Ö§â§Ö§ß§Ö§ã§×§ß§ß§à§Ö §Ö§ð. §³§Ü§à§Ò§Ö§Ý§Ö§Ó §Ú§Ù §³§æ§å§ß§ä§à-§¤§Ö§à§â§Ô§Ú§à §ß§à§é§î§ð §á§â§Ú§ã§Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§Ý §Ü §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ó§ß§à§Ü§à§Þ§Ñ§ß§Õ§å§ð§ë§Ö§Þ§å, §á§â§Ö§Õ§Ý§à§Ø§Ú§Ó §Ö§Þ§å §ã§Ö§Û§é§Ñ§ã §Ø§Ö §Ù§Ñ§ß§ñ§ä§î §Ô§à§â§à§Õ §ã §Ö§Ô§à §Õ§Ú§Ó§Ú§Ù§Ú§Ö§Û §Ú §Ù§Ñ§Ó§ä§â§Ñ §ã§å§Õ§Ú§ä§î §Ö§Ô§à, §Ô§Ö§ß§Ö§â§Ñ§Ý§Ñ, §á§à §Ó§ã§Ö§Û §ã§ä§â§à§Ô§à§ã§ä§Ú §Ó§à§Ö§ß§ß§à-§á§à§Ý§Ö§Ó§í§ç §Ù§Ñ§Ü§à§ß§à§Ó, §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §ß§Ö §à§ä§Õ§Ñ§Ó§Ñ§ä§î §à§Ò§â§Ñ§ä§ß§à §£§Ú§Ù§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§Ú. §£§Ö§ã§î §±§Ö§ä§Ö§â§Ò§å§â§Ô, §Ó§ã§ñ §²§à§ã§ã§Ú§ñ §Ø§Õ§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §ï§ä§à§Ô§à §Ù§Ñ§Ü§Ý§ð§é§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§à§Ô§à §Ñ§Ü§Ü§à§â§Õ§Ñ, §â§Ñ§Ù §Ú §ß§Ñ§Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §â§Ö§ê§Ñ§Ó§ê§Ö§Ô§à §Ü§â§à§Ó§Ñ§Ó§í§Û §Ó§à§ã§ä§à§é§ß§í§Û §Ó§à§á§â§à§ã... §ª §é§ä§à §Ø§Ö: §Þ§ß§Ö §Ú §Ó§ã§Ö§Þ, §Ó§ã§Ö§Þ §è§Ñ§â§î §å§á§à§â§ß§à §á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§ñ§Ý §à§Õ§ß§à §Ú §ä§à §Ø§Ö:
-- §Á §Õ§Ñ§Ý §Ü§à§â§à§Ý§Ö§Ó§Ö §£§Ú§Ü§ä§à§â§Ú§Ú §ã§Ý§à§Ó§à.
In his memoir essay on Loris-Melikov, Diktator na pokoe (¡°The Retired Dictator¡±), also included in his book ¡°At Cemeteries¡± Nemirovich quotes the words of Loris-Melikov (a colleague of VN¡¯s grandfather Dmitri Nikolaevich Nabokov, State Minister of Justice in 1878-85) who said that women always had a strong influence on Alexander II and who also mentioned the tsar¡¯s promise to Queen Victoria:
§° §á§à§ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§ß§Ú§ç §Ô§à§Õ§Ñ§ç §¡§Ý§Ö§Ü§ã§Ñ§ß§Õ§â§Ñ §£§ä§à§â§à§Ô§à §§à§â§Ú§ã-§®§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ü§à§Ó §Ô§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§Ý §Þ§Ñ§Ý§à.
-- §®§ß§Ö §Ø§Ñ§Ý§î. §°§ß §ä§Ñ§Ü §Þ§ß§à§Ô§à §ã§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Ý §Ú §Ö§ë§× §Ò§à§Ý§î§ê§Ö §ç§à§ä§Ö§Ý §ã§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§ä§î §Õ§Ý§ñ §²§à§ã§ã§Ú§Ú. §°§ß, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Ó§ã§Ö §²§à§Þ§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§í, §Ò§í§Ý §á§à§Õ§à§Ù§â§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§Ö§ß, §Ú §ï§ä§Ú§Þ §á§à§Ý§î§Ù§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ñ§ã§î §é§Ñ§ã§ä§à §á§â§Ú§Õ§Ó§à§â§ß§Ñ§ñ §Ü§Ñ§Þ§Ñ§â§Ú§Ý§î§ñ. §£§Ö§Õ§î §à§ß§Ñ §Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §ã§Ú§Ý§î§ß§Ö§Ö §ã§Ñ§Þ§à§Õ§Ö§â§Ø§è§Ñ. §³§Ñ§Þ§à§Õ§Ö§â§Ø§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Ö -- §æ§Ú§Ü§è§Ú§ñ. §±§â§Ñ§Ó§ñ§ä §Ô§à§ã§å§Õ§Ñ§â§ã§ä§Ó§Ñ§Þ§Ú §ß§Ö §ß§Ö§à§Ô§â§Ñ§ß§Ú§é§Ö§ß§ß§í§Ö §Þ§à§ß§Ñ§â§ç§Ú, §Ñ §á§â§à§ß§í§â§Ý§Ú§Ó§í§Ö §Ú §Ò§Ö§ã§ã§à§Ó§Ö§ã§ä§ß§í§Ö §Ó§â§Ö§Þ§Ö§ß§ë§Ú§Ü§Ú §Ú §á§Ñ§â§ä§Ú§Ú. §¯§Ö §ß§Ñ§Õ§à §ä§â§à§Ô§Ñ§ä§î §Ö§Ô§à §á§Ñ§Þ§ñ§ä§î. §¯§Ñ §ß§Ö§Ô§à, §ã§Ó§Ö§â§ç §ä§à§Ô§à, §ã§Ý§Ú§ê§Ü§à§Þ §Ò§à§Ý§î§ê§à§Ö §Ó§Ý§Ú§ñ§ß§Ú§Ö §Ú§Þ§Ö§Ý§Ú §Ø§Ö§ß§ë§Ú§ß§í. §£§í §á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ä§Ö, §Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §Ó§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ü§Ú§Û §Ü§ß§ñ§Ù§î §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ó§ß§à§Ü§à§Þ§Ñ§ß§Õ§å§ð§ë§Ú§Û §ã§ä§à§ñ§Ý §ã §á§à§Ò§Ö§Õ§à§ß§à§ã§ß§à§ð §Ñ§â§Þ§Ú§Ö§Û "§å §Ó§â§Ñ§ä §¸§Ñ§â§î§Ô§â§Ñ§Õ§Ñ". §³§å§Ý§ä§Ñ§ß §å§Ø§Ö §á§â§Ú§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý §Ô§à§ä§à§Ó§Ú§ä§î §ã§Ö§Ò§Ö §Õ§Ó§à§â§Ö§è §Ó §¢§â§å§ã§ã§Ö, §Ñ §Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§â§Þ§í §¬§à§ß§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§ß§à§á§à§Ý§ñ §à§é§Ú§ë§Ñ§ä§î §Õ§Ý§ñ §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú§ç §Ó§à§Û§ã§Ü. §ª §Ó§Ö§Õ§î §ß§Ö §Õ§Ñ§Ý§Ú §²§à§ã§ã§Ú§Ú §ï§ä§à§Ô§à §å§Õ§à§Ó§Ý§Ö§ä§Ó§à§â§Ö§ß§Ú§ñ §Ù§Ñ §Ó§ã§Ö §á§Ö§â§Ö§Ø§Ú§ä§í§Ö §Ò§à§Ö§Ó§í§Ö §ß§Ö§Ó§Ù§Ô§à§Õ§í! §¡§Ý§Ö§Ü§ã§Ñ§ß§Õ§â II §å§á§à§â§ß§à §á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§ñ§Ý §à§Õ§ß§à §Ú §ä§à §Ø§Ö: "§Á §Õ§Ñ§Ý §Ü§à§â§à§Ý§Ö§Ó§Ö §£§Ú§Ü§ä§à§â§Ú§Ú §ã§Ý§à§Ó§à §ß§Ö §Ó§ç§à§Õ§Ú§ä§î §Ó §£§Ú§Ù§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§ð!" §£§Ö§Õ§î §ß§Ö §ê§Ö§ã§ä§î §Ø§Ö §Þ§Ñ§Ý§Ö§ß§î§Ü§Ú§ç §Ñ§ß§Ô§Ý§Ú§Û§ã§Ü§Ú§ç §Ü§â§Ö§Û§ã§Ö§â§à§Ó §Ú§ã§á§å§Ô§Ñ§Ý§Ú §ß§Ñ§ã §ä§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ! §¤§à§ã§å§Õ§Ñ§â§î §á§à §Ü§Ñ§Ü§à§Þ§å-§ä§à §ã§Ý§å§é§Ñ§ð §é§å§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý §ã§Ö§Ò§ñ §Ó§Ú§ß§à§Ó§ß§í§Þ §á§Ö§â§Ö§Õ §ß§Ö§ð §Ú §â§Ñ§ã§á§Ý§Ñ§é§Ú§Ó§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §²§à§ã§ã§Ú§Ö§Û... §£§à§ä§é§Ú§ß§ß§í§Û §á§à§â§ñ§Õ§à§Ü. §¤§à§ã§å§Õ§Ñ§â§î §à§ã§Ó§à§Ò§à§Õ§Ú§Ý §Ü§â§Ö§á§à§ã§ä§ß§í§ç, §ß§à §ã§Ñ§Þ §à§ã§ä§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §á§à§Þ§Ö§ë§Ú§Ü§à§Þ §ã§Ó§à§Ö§Û §Ú§Þ§á§Ö§â§Ú§Ú...
On Antiterra (aka Demonia, Earth¡¯s twin planet on which VN¡¯s novel Ada, 1969, is set) Queen Victoria is known as King Victor, a frequent guest of floramors (one hundred palatial brothels built by David van Veen, a wealthy architect of Flemish extraction, in memory of his grandson Eric, the author of an essay ¡®Villa Venus: an Organized Dream,¡¯ 2.3). Describing his performance in variety shows as Mascodagama, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in Ada) mentions the owner of Windsor Castle (the residence of British monarchs):
Dear Mr 'Vascodagama' received an invitation to Windsor Castle from its owner, a bilateral descendant of Van's own ancestors, but he declined it, suspecting (incorrectly, as it later transpired) the misprint to suggest that his incognito had been divulged by one of the special detectives at Chose - the same, perhaps, who had recently saved the psychiatrist P. O. Tyomkin from the dagger of Prince Potyomkin, a mixed-up kid from Sebastopol, Id. (1.30)
In his memoir essay on Chekhov Nemirovich quotes the words of Chekhov who in jest compared himself to Vasco da Gama (the Portuguese navigator who discovered the sea route from Portugal around the continent of Africa to India):
-- §¡ §ä§à §Ö§ë§× §Ü§å§Õ§Ñ §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §Ô§à§ß§ñ§ä? §£ §¡§æ§â§Ú§Ü§å. §¹§ä§à §ñ §£§Ñ§ã§Ü§à §Õ§Ñ §¤§Ñ§Þ§Ñ, §é§ä§à §Ý§Ú? §£§Ö§Õ§î §ï§ä§à, §ã§Ý§å§ê§Ñ§Û§ä§Ö §Ø§Ö, §Ó §à§á§Ö§â§Ö §ç§à§â§à§ê§à... §¯§Ú §Ù§Ñ §é§ä§à §ß§Ö §á§à§Ö§Õ§å. §´§à§Ø§Ö §ß§Ñ§ê§Ý§Ú §³§ä§Ö§ß§Ý§Ú. §±§å§ã§ä§î §£§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ý§Ú§Û §ª§Ó§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§Ú§é §Ö§Õ§Ö§ä. §¦§Ô§à §Þ§Ñ§Þ§Ü§Ñ §Ó §Õ§Ö§ä§ã§ä§Ó§Ö §å§ê§Ú§Ò§Ý§Ñ. §¦§Þ§å §é§Ö§Þ §Õ§Ñ§Ý§î§ê§Ö, §ä§Ö§Þ §Ý§å§é§ê§Ö... §¡ §ñ §ß§Ú §Ù§Ñ §é§ä§à. §®§Ñ§Ý§à §ñ §é§Ö§â§ß§à§Þ§Ñ§Ù§Ú §Ó§Ú§Õ§Ñ§Ý! §¥§Ñ§Ø§Ö §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §Þ§ß§Ö §Ö§ë§× §ä§Ñ§â§Ö§Ý§Ü§å §Ô§â§Ö§é§ß§Ö§Ó§à§Û §Ü§Ñ§ê§Ú §Õ§Ñ§Õ§å§ä, §ß§Ö §á§à§Ö§Õ§å!
Van¡¯s stage name blends Vasco da Gama with maska (Russ., mask). Maska (1884) is a story by Chekhov. In a letter of May 25, 1903, to Chekhov Ilya Tolstoy (Leo¡¯s son) says that his father listed ¡°The Mask¡± among Chekhov¡¯s thirty best stories. According to Ilya Tolstoy, the phrase arkhitektor vinovat (the architect is to blame) was proverbial in the Tolstoy family. Eric¡¯s Villa Venus project was ¡°derived from reading too many erotic works found in a furnished house his grandfather [David van Veen] had bought near Vence from Count Tolstoy, a Russian or Pole.¡± (2.3)
Humbert Humbert¡¯s first wife Valeria was Polish. According to Humbert Humbert, in comparison to Rita (a never quite sober girl whom HH picked up at a darkishly burning bar between Montreal and New York after Lolita was abducted from him), Valeria was a Schlegel and Charlotte a Hegel (2.26). In Ada, Rita (a pretty Karaite from Chufut Kale, 1.30) is Van¡¯s partner when as Mascodagama he dances tango on his hands. In Chekhov¡¯s story Volodya bol¡¯shoy i Volodya malen¡¯kiy (The Two Volodyas, 1893) Rita is a spinster who can drink any amount of wine and liquor without being drunk and who tells scandalous anecdotes in a languid and tasteless way. In his memoir essay on Chekhov Nemirovich mentions the painter Valeriy Jakobi who stayed in the same Pension Russe in Nice and who loved to tell obscene anecdotes:
§Á §å§Ø§Ö §Ô§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§Ý §à §Ö§Ô§à §Ó§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ü§à§Û §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ã§ä§Ú §â§Ñ§ã§ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§í§Ó§Ñ§ä§î §ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §á§à§ç§Ñ§Ò§ß§í§Ö §Ñ§ß§Ö§Ü§Õ§à§ä§í §Ú §á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§ñ§ä§î §ã§ä§Ñ§â§í§Ö §Ù§Ñ§á§Ý§Ö§ã§ß§Ö§Ó§Ö§Ó§ê§Ú§Ö §à§ã§ä§â§à§ä§í, §à§ä §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§ç §Ý§ð§Ò§à§Ô§à §Ü§å§á§Ö§é§Ö§ã§Ü§à§Ô§à §á§à§é§ä§Ö§ß§ß§à§Ô§à §Ü§Ý§Ñ§Õ§Ö§ß§à§Ô§à §Ü§à§ä§Ñ §ã§ä§à§ê§ß§Ú§Ý§à §Ò§í.
§°§ß, §Ó§á§â§à§é§Ö§Þ, §Ò§í§Ý §à§é§Ö§ß§î §Õ§à§Ò§â§à§Õ§å§ê§Ö§ß. §²§Ñ§Ù §¡. §±. §¹§Ö§ç§à§Ó §ß§Ö §Ó§í§Õ§Ö§â§Ø§Ñ§Ý §Ú §à§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§Ú§Ý §Ö§Ô§à:
-- §ª §Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §Ó§í §á§Ö§â§Ö§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§Ö§ä§Ö §á§Ö§â§Ó§í§Û §ã§Ó§à§Ú§Þ §Ñ§ß§Ö§Ü§Õ§à§ä§Ñ§Þ §ã§Þ§Ö§ñ§ä§î§ã§ñ? §£§í §á§à§ã§Þ§à§ä§â§Ú§ä§Ö, §®§Ñ§Ü§ã§Ú§Þ§å §®§Ñ§Ü§ã§Ú§Þ§à§Ó§Ú§é§å (§¬§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ö§Ó§ã§Ü§à§Þ§å) §á§Ý§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ä§î §ç§à§é§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §Ñ §Ó§í §ç§à§ç§à§é§Ö§ä§Ö.
-- §²§Ñ§Ù§Ó§Ö §ß§Ö §ã§Þ§Ö§ê§ß§à?
-- §¥§Ñ §Ó§Ö§Õ§î §ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §Ó§à §Ò§Ý§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ß§ß§í§Ö §á§Ñ§Þ§ñ§ä§Ú §ª§Þ§á§Ö§â§Ñ§ä§â§Ú§Ü§ã§í §¦§Ý§Ú§ã§Ñ§Ó§Ö§ä §è§Ñ§â§ã§ä§Ó§à§Ó§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú §á§â§Ñ§á§â§Ñ§Õ§Ö§Õ§å§ê§Ü§Ú §á§â§Ñ§á§â§Ñ§Ò§Ñ§Ò§å§ê§Ü§Ñ§Þ §â§Ñ§ã§ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ú, §Ú §ä§à §ß§Ñ §å§ç§à. §´§à§é§ß§à §Ó§í §Ò§â§Ú§Ô§Ñ§Õ§Ú§â §ã §á§à§Ý§Ú§ß§ñ§Ó§ê§Ö§Ô§à §á§à§â§ä§â§Ö§ä§Ñ §Ó §Ý§Ñ§Ó§Ü§Ö §ã§ä§Ñ§â§à§Ô§à §ã§ä§Ñ§â§î§ñ §å §³§å§ç§Ñ§â§Ö§Ó§ã§Ü§à§Û §Ò§Ñ§ê§ß§Ú.
According to Chekhov (whose words are quoted by Nemirovich), such anecdotes as told by Jakobi our great-great-grandfathers used to whisper in the ears of our great-great-grandmothers in the reign of the Empress Elizabeth (Peter¡¯s daughter who reigned in 1741-62). Van¡¯s and Ada¡¯s great-great-grandmother, Princess Sofia Zemski was born in 1755:
A former viceroy of Estoty, Prince Ivan Temnosiniy, father of the children¡¯s great-great-grandmother, Princess Sofia Zemski (1755¨C1809), and a direct descendant of the Yaroslav rulers of pre-Tartar times, had a millennium-old name that meant in Russian ¡®dark blue.¡¯ (1.1)
Chekhov compares Jakobi to a brigadier (obs., a rank between colonel and general) from an old faded portrait in an antique shop. Soon after Van¡¯s first arrival at Ardis (Daniel Veen¡¯s country estate) Ada points out to him the portrait of her favorite ancestor, Prince Vseslav Zemski (who married Sofia Temnosiniy in 1770, when she was fifteen):
Ada and Van returned to the ground floor ¡ª this time all the way down the sumptuous staircase. Of the many ancestors along the wall, she pointed out her favorite, old Prince Vseslav Zemski (1699-1797), friend of Linnaeus and author of Flora Ladorica, who was portrayed in rich oil holding his barely pubescent bride and her blond doll in his satin lap. An enlarged photograph, soberly framed, hung (rather incongruously, Van thought) next to the rose-bud-lover in his embroidered coat. The late Sumerechnikov, American precursor of the Lumi¨¨re brothers, had taken Ada¡¯s maternal uncle in profile with upcheeked violin, a doomed youth, after his farewell concert. (1.6)
¡°A doomed youth¡± mentioned by Van is his and Ada¡¯s uncle Ivan, a violinist who died young and famous. Chekhov is the author of Dyadya Vanya (¡°Uncle Vanya,¡± 1890), a play, and Skripka Rotshilda (¡°Rothschild¡¯s Violin,¡± 1894).
Alexey Sklyarenko