Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Describing the morning after the Night of the Burning Barn (when he and Ada make love for the first time), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions the tiger of happiness:

When Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) leaves Ardis forever, Trofim Fartukov (the Russian coachman in “Ardis the Second”) addresses him ‘Barin, a barin' ("master, but master"):  

‘The express does not stop at Torfyanka, does it, Trofim?’

‘I’ll take you five versts across the bog,’ said Trofim, ‘the nearest is Volosyanka.’

His vulgar Russian word for Maidenhair; a whistle stop; train probably crowded.

Describing his last visit to one last Villa Venus, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) quotes the bawd's words ‘Smorchiama la secandela’ (let us snuff out the candle):

Describing Villa Venus (Eric Veen's floramors), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions a village in Normandy called, dreadfully, Deuil:

Describing Villa Venus (Eric Veen's floramors), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions a roof tile that was hurled at Eric by hurricane and fatally fractured his skull:

In the epilogue of Ada Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions the famous glittering air, le cristal d’Ex:

After the patio party in "Ardis the Second" Ada promises to Van to be more careful from now on and not let lousy Pedro come near:

Describing the beginning of Demon's affair with Marina, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions the artificial tropical moonlight:

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.

In his Foreword and 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 distinguished Zemblan scholar Oscar Nattochdag:

The main character in VN's play Izobretenie Val'sa ("The Waltz Invention," 1938), Salvator Waltz is General Berg's protégé. Entering the room of the Minister of War, General Berg laughs loudly: "grakh, grakh, grakh." The Minister asks the general not to thunder like that: