Wings 69-75
pg. 75 — Wagner of Tristan
The initial failure of Tannhäuser led to its revision during the time of celebrated composer Richard Wagner’s (1813-1883) work on Tristan and Isolde at the end of the 1850s. Tannhäuser was an opera of Wagner which focused on the title character's struggle as a captive of love (personified by the Roman goddess Venus), which could be why Kuzmin references it since Vanya and Stroop are also captives of love who ultimately have to leave the country to freely express their love for each other.
pg. 75 — D'Annunzio
Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863 - 1938), Italian poet who later became a celebrated general of the Italian Army’s elite Arditi force during the First World War, set up a short-lived Italian state in Fiume (modern day Rijeka, Croatia) with himself as Duce, and influenced fascism.
pg. 75 — Leda
In Greek mythology, Leda is an Aetolian princess who married King Tyndareus of Sparta and gave birth to famous Greek mythological characters like Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra the wife of Agamemnon and the Dioscuri - one twin born of Tyndareus and one of Zeus).
pg. 75 — Europa
In Greek mythology, Europa is the consort of Zeus and the mother of King Minos, who is famous for the Minotaur. She is also who Europe is named after. References like this (and the reference to Leda) further the novel's Hellenophilic references.
pg. 75 — Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli, born Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (1445 - 1510) in Florence was a celebrated Renaissance painter. He was famous for his mythological paintings, the most famous of which being The Birth of Venus and Primavera. There was speculation that Botticelli was homosexual: this may be Kuzmin "namedropping" other famous homosexual people in order to normalize homosexuality for Russians.
pg. 75 — Spring
Spring, also known as Primavera, was a painting made by Botticelli in the late 1470s or early 1480s. The painting features various Hellenic mythological figures with Venus and Cupid in the center.
pg. 75 — Venus
Venus is the Roman goddess of love: she is Aphrodite's counterpart in the Roman pantheon. In literature, she is often used as the embodiment of love.
