A flickering word, fuzzy-edged and fading in and out of focus, quivers alone on an empty, purple vastness.

The word, "Zembla," transforms to exotic Russian characters and then back again, repeating the alteration ceaselessly.

"Zembla" (www.libraries.psu.edu/iasweb/ nabokov/nsintro.htm) is a World Wide Web site created and maintained by University Libraries cataloging specialist Jeff Edmunds.

It's dedicated to Russian author, translator and lepidopterist (butterfly collector) Vladimir Nabokov.

"Nabokov combines the passion of science with the precision of art in his work," Edmunds said. "He is one of the few writers who reads almost exactly the same in translation."

The Web site opens with a "Zembla" of multiple forms -- reflective of the site and Nabokov.

Nabokov grew up in Russia, reading and writing French and English as well as Russian. He and his upper-class family left Russia in 1919, fleeing the Russian Revolution. During his life, Nabokov lived in England, Germany, France, America and Switzerland. He never again lived in Russia.

Zembla is the country of which the character Charles Kinbote, in Nabokov's novel "Pale Fire," claims to be the banished king.

Zembla is an ideal place for Kinbote -- a place, thick with memories, to which he might never return.

Nabokov's works, in whatever language, have exerted an influence on people from countries all around the world. And many of these people have come to visit and contribute to the Web site.

"Zembla" offers an online course in which participants follow along with an organized reading list, beginning with Nabokov's first novel, "Mary."

There are about 18 students enrolled in the course so far, from countries such as China and Russia.

"The Web has allowed us to reach the entire globe," Edmunds said.

The site also displays critical essays, a biography and photographs of Nabokov, scholarly resources and various other sources of information for Nabokov fans.

Since April 12, 1996, Zembla's main page has received over 50,000 hits and is listed in Lycos's Top 5 percent of Web sites, according to Edmunds.

"It's a very comprehensive, nicely organized and attractively designed site," said Michael Begnal, a professor of English and comparative literature and a contributor of two of the site's essays.

Edmunds said he designed the site, which he originally proposed to the Libraries in 1995, for mostly academic use.

The Web allows scholars to publish their work quickly and cheaply, without the expense of the middleman.

But for Edmunds, the site is about more than Nabokov and scholarly discourse.

"The site is a way of taking the initiative and positioning libraries in a way that makes them accessible to the world and to the future," he said.

In other words, "Zembla" is now a place to which we can always return.