Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

According to Cincinnatus (the main character in VN’s novel “Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935), vsadnik (a rider) is not responsible for drozh’ konya (the shivering of his horse):

Я спрашиваю, - сказал Цинциннат, - я спрашиваю не из любопытства. Правда, трусы всегда любопытны. Но уверяю вас... Пускай не справляюсь с ознобом и так далее, - это ничего.

Describing his departure from Manhattan, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) says that Demon (Van’s and Ada’s father) dyed his hair a blacker black:

In VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’ (“Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935) an important personage made donos vtoroy stepeni (a second-degree complaint) against Cincinnatus:

When Marthe’s family visits Cincinnatus in the fortress, Cincinnatus's brother-in-law, the wit, suggests that Cincinnatus reads the word ropot (murmur, grumble) backward:

Возьми-ка слово "ропот", - говорил Цинциннату его шурин, остряк, - и прочти обратно. А? Смешно получается? Да, брат, - вляпался ты в историю. В самом деле, как это тебя угораздило?

In VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’ (“Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935) the death sentence is announced to Cincinnatus in a whisper:

Сообразно с законом, Цинциннату Ц. объявили смертный приговор шёпотом. Все встали, обмениваясь улыбками. Седой судья, припав к его уху, подышав, сообщив, медленно отодвинулся, как будто отлипал.

In VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’ (“Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935) the mausoleum and the statue of Kapitan Sonnyi (Captain Somnus) are mentioned:

In VN’s novel Priglashenie na kazn’ (“Invitation to a Beheading,” 1935) young Cincinnatus spent the evenings in the Floating Library, in memoriam of Dr Sineokov:

Describing Ada’s eyelids, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) uses the phrase v skladochku (pleaty):

In VN’s novel Look at the Harlequins! (1974) Other Books by the Narrator include The Red Top Hat (1934):

Since 1925 I had written and published four novels; by the beginning of 1934 I was on the point of completing my fifth, Krasnyy Tsilindr (The Red Top Hat), the story of a beheading. None of those books exceeded ninety thousand words but my method of choosing and blending them could hardly be called a timesaving expedient. (2.2)

At the dinner in Bellevue Hotel Dorothy Vinelander (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Ada’s sister-in-law) invites Van to her brother’s ranch and uses the phrase massa interesnago (heaps of interesting stuff):