Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) Van and Ada discuss Ada’s dramatic career and Van mentions Dawn en robe rose et verte (in a pink and green dress):

According to 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), the surname Lukin (the maiden name of Shade’s mother) comes from Luke:

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) Ada calls the period of her first separation with Van “our black rainbow” and mentions a grille of rain:

Telling about the life and work of Conmal (Shakespeare’s translator into Zemblan), 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 his uncle’s frogged uniform:

According to 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), the King saw Disa for the first time at a masked ball in his uncle’s palace:

In his poem “Wanted” composed in a madhouse after Lolita was abducted from him Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Lolita, 1955) mentions gnarled McFate:

Happy, happy is gnarled McFate
Touring the States with a child wife,
Plowing his Molly in every State
Among the protected wild life.

In the preceding stanza Humbert asks Lolita if she is still dancing:

In Canto Two of his poem John Shade (the poet in VN's novel Pale Fire, 1962) speaks of his married life and mentions Lafontaine:

Life is a message scribbled in the dark.

Anonymous.

                         Espied on a pine’s bark,

As we were walking home the day she died,

In Canto Three of his poem John Shade (the poet in VN's novel Pale Fire, 1962) speaks of IPH (a lay Institute of Preparation for the Hereafter) and mentions President McAber:

In VN’s novel Pale Fire (1962) Balthasar, Prince of Loam (Kinbote’s black gardener) saves his tenant’s life by dealing Gradus (Shade’s murderer) a tremendous blow with his spade:

In Canto Three of his poem John Shade (the poet in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) describes a game of chess with his wife and mentions the writer's grief:

"What is that funny creaking - do you hear?"

"It is the shutter on the stairs, my dear."

"If you're not sleeping, let's turn on the light.

I hate that wind! Let's play some chess." "All right."