We should not forget that Russian literary tradition in general and VN’s style in particular, is better tuned to tonalities of colors than that of English, e.g. that of unsuspecting James who started it. There is a difference, important to Russian ear, between blue and clear sky blue – azure. Or perhaps, one should say that in Russian there are more shades of blue, and that a tin ear works sometimes like a blind eye.

 

George J