Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

Before the family dinner in “Ardis the Second” Demon Veen (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van’s and Ada’s father) tells Van that a good son should put up with a little paternal repetitiousness:

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) two gypsy courtesans predict to Van that he will never have children:

In his letter to Ada written after Lucette’s suicide Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) calls Demonia (aka Antiterra, Earth’s twin planet on which Ada is set) “this pellet of muck:”

In Canto Three of his poem John Shade (the poet in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) mentions empires of rhyme and Indies of calculus:

But who can teach the thoughts we should roll-call

When morning finds us marching to the wall

Under the stage direction of some goon

Political, some uniformed baboon?

We'll think of matters only known to us -

Before the family dinner in “Ardis the Second” Demon Veen (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van’s and Ada’s father) calls the new kerosene distillery stïd i sram (shame) of our county:

In VN's play Izobretenie Val'sa ("The Waltz Invention," 1938) the Minister of War tells the Colonel that old Perrault died last night and asks the Colonel to remind him tomorrow to speak to Brutus about the pension for the widow:

In the conversation with Van before the family dinner in “Ardis the Second” Demon Van (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, Van’s and Ada’s father) twice repeats the word “capital:”

‘I don’t know if you know,’ said Van, resuming his perch on the fat arm of his father’s chair. ‘Uncle Dan will be here with the lawyer and Lucette only after dinner.’

‘Capital,’ said Demon.

‘Marina and Ada should be down in a minute — ce sera un dîner à quatre.’

In VN's play Izobretenie Val'sa ("The Waltz Invention," 1938) the Minister of War tells the Colonel that old Perrault died last night and asks the Colonel to remind him tomorrow to speak to Brutus about the pension for the widow:

In Canto Two of his poem John Shade (the poet in VN’s novel Pale Fire, 1962) describes the paring of his fingernails and compares his thumb to a grocer’s son and his index finger, to lean and glum College astronomer Starover Blue:

The little scissors I am holding are

A dazzling synthesis of sun and star.

I stand before the window and I pare

My fingernails and vaguely am aware

In his poem “Wanted” composed after Lolita was abducted from him Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Lolita, 1955) mentions an old perfume called Soleil Vert:

My Dolly, my folly! Her eyes were vair ,