49: The Victoria: (see Mentone, below) As there is no obvious other candidate, perhaps a reference to Queen Victoria. It could also be a reference to nothing at all, and that’s what makes this so damn hard.

49: thirty years later, long after Ivor’s death over Dover, I was to write the script of Pawn Takes Queen: A film adaption of The Luzhin Defense does exist, but it was written and released decades after Nabokov’s death.

49: Mentone: In the “real” world Mentone is a city in Australia’s Victoria province.

49: Maire: (noun, French): mayor

50: Miss Vrode-Vorodin: This is the only instance of her reference in the text. The Double V’s suggest a self-reference to Nabokov (e.g., Van Veen in Ada).

50: White Cross: Play on the Red Cross.

51: Paris was becoming the center of emigre culture and destitution: In the “real” world, Berlin was said epicenter.

51: examples of existence: Existence ties in with various themes already recognized as central to Nabokov’s thinking.

51: literaturny y: (adjective): literary, regarding literature.

51: bifsteck pommes: (noun): A steak with french fries.

51: Novosti emigratsii: (noun) an emigre newspaper.

51: chambre garnie: (noun) a furnished bedroom.

51: the 16th arrondissement, rue Desperaux, 23: An actual address in Paris. (Today there is a Framestore there, but I don’t know what a Framestore is).

51: restoranchik: (noun): a small restaurant.

51: (1850?-1927): Yet another long life.

52: nansenskiy pasport: Play on “nansen” passport (a refugee passport) with the English word “nonsense.”

52: evil glee among the Bolshevist rulers: While his work never becomes overtly political, Nabokov never strayed away from expressing his distaste for the USSR. Invitation to a Beheading potentially offers a window into Nabokov’s political thinking.

52: The parrot died in 1925, the footboy vanished in 1927:

53: Certain little sexual quirks…: Nabokov’s most famous English novels, Ada and Lolita, involve sexual quirks (incest and pedophilia, respectively).

53: Pushkin’s mad gambler: Reference to his Queen of Spades.

53: pas: (Russian noun): a move in a card game.

53: corps de ballet: (French noun): body of the ballet; the members of a ballet dance who are not soloists.

54: stylized images: Stylization is an essential element of Nabokov’s work.

54: Villa Iris: Harkens back to the multiple “villas” (expensive and lavish brothels) that Van visits in Ada.

54: To miss kupalov: She is only referenced twice throughout the work, once here and once in the beginning of the next chapter.