Annotations by Alexey Sklyarenko

In VN’s novel Ada (1969) Cordula de Prey (Van’s mistress with whom he lives in Manhattan after leaving Ardis forever and fighting a pistol duel in Kalugano) calls Vanda Broom (Ada’s lesbian schoolmate at Brownhill) “a regular tribadka:”

The young author of an essay ‘Villa Venus: an Organized Dream,’ Eric Veen called his palatial brothels “Floramors:”

According to Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969), after visiting Radugalet (the ‘other Ardis’), Marina (Van’s, Ada’s and Lucette’s mother) conjectured that Grandpa Bagrov (who hobbled in from a nap in the boudoir) mistook her for a grande cocotte:

At the end of VN’s novel Ada (1969) Van Veen (at least, it seems that Van is saying this) says that he is afraid that he and Ada are going to wound a lot of people:

‘As lovers and siblings,’ she cried, ‘we have a double chance of being together in eternity, in terrarity. Four pairs of eyes in paradise!’

‘Neat, neat,’ said Van.

In his essay The Texture of Time Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions the Tender Interval:

After Van’s and Ada’s death Ronald Oranger (in VN’s novel Ada, 1969, old Van’s secretary, the editor of Ada) marries Violet Knox (old Van’s typist whom Ada calls Fialochka):

The characters in VN’s novel Ada (1969) include the twin sisters Durmanov, Aqua and Marina (Van’s, Ada’s and Lucette’s mother):

According to Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969), his published works include Compitalia (1921):

On Demonia (aka Antiterra, Earth’s twin planet on which VN’s novel Ada, 1969, is set) Whitehorse (a city in NW Canada) is known as Belokonsk:

Describing the Night of the Burning Barn (when he and Ada make love for the first time), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN’s novel Ada, 1969) mentions a cigar in Uncle Dan’s teeth: