Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0015780, Thu, 6 Dec 2007 02:35:38 +0300

Subject
Disa and Vaniada
Date
Body
Dear Carolyn,

Here is the full Ardis series of anagrams from my (still growing) charadoid, without commentary (which is in Russian).

ARDIS = SIDRA = SARDI = DAIRS = RA + DIS = RADIUS - U = PARADISE - APE = VANADIS + R - VAN

Vanadis is (the epithet of) Freya, the Scandinavian goddess of beauty. I added the RA + DIS and RADIUS - R combinations after reading your post. You are responsible thus for the continuous growth of my mad article. Perhaps, I also should add AD + SIR, DAR + SI, ARS + ID and SIDR + A. And the title of V. Ivanov's book, Cor ardens, is also very suggestive. For example, COR ARDENS + I = ARDIS + OR + NEC. Please forgive these musings.

Interestingly, Disa needs the "para-" part to become a bird of paradise. PARA = ARAP (negro), the latter word being often applied to Pushkin.
Consider also such words with para-, as parachute (and Kinbote's pun on "shootka"), paramour, paragraph, parade, Paracelsus, etc. Some of them occur in Pale Fire.

I liked your "Dantesque" despite (or, may be, because) d'Anthes hiding (or "hyding") in it. There are in my charadoid both Pushkin and Danthes anagram series.

And thanks to Matt for posting the reference to a book on riddles! Unfortunately, it would take too long (and cost too much for me) to download it, but I think I'll manage somehow to read this interesting-looking book.

A correction of earlier mistakes: "Efrat" should be "Evfrat" and "Ephrates," of course, "Euphrates."

best,
Alexey

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