# Nikolay Ivanovitch Sviazhsky — Anna Karenina character guide > Nikolay Ivanovitch Sviazhsky in Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. **Role:** minor **Also known as:** Sviazhsky, Nikolay Ivanovitch **First appearance:** 0108-part-iv-viii ## Who they are A progressive neighboring landowner and district marshal whose views Levin debates. ## Relationships ### [Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters/konstantin_dmitrievitch_levin) _social_ An intellectual acquaintance where Levin debates politics and agriculture with the liberal landowner Sviazhsky. ### [Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters/konstantin_dmitrievitch_levin) _social_ An intellectual acquaintance where Levin debates politics and agriculture with the liberal landowner Sviazhsky. ### [Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters/konstantin_dmitrievitch_levin) _social_ An intellectual acquaintance where Levin debates politics and agriculture with the liberal landowner Sviazhsky. ## In the story ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxiv) Mentioned as the friend Levin escapes to visit, offering a distraction through grouse shooting on his remote marshes. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxv) Mentioned in conversation as a neighboring landowner whose farm, despite good land, is not doing well due to lack of proper care, serving as a point of comparison. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxvi) Portrayed as a living enigma: a liberal, advanced thinker who holds a conservative government post and lives a happy, conventional domestic life. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxvii) Hosts the discussion. He deflects Levin's deeper inquiries with references to European theories and humor, showing a polished but ultimately evasive intellectual stance. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxviii) Hosts Levin; discusses the partition of Poland and land management; argues for education as the solution to Russia's problems, but his ideas seem disconnected from his life, avoiding conclusions that lead to a 'blind alley'. ### [Levin's Agricultural Experiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxix) Mentioned indirectly; Levin had borrowed books from him and left without saying goodbye, severing that connection as well. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iv-xiv) Invites Levin for tea after the meeting. Levin, in his happy state, sees him as a clever and wonderfully good-hearted man, forgetting any previous reservations. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-v-i) Levin reflects that his own vague religious position is the same one he dislikes and blames in his friend Sviazhsky. ### [Dolly's Arrival at Vozdvizhenskoe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xvii) In the charabanc with Princess Varvara; makes a polite but awkward comment about Dolly's carriage, heightening her embarrassment. ### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xix) Described by Anna as the marshal of the district and 'a very good sort of a man,' but one who 'wants to get something out of Alexey.' ### [A Visit to Vozdvizhenskoe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xx) Part of the visiting party, appreciates the hospital's modern mechanics but offers a mild critique about the lack of attention to schools. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxii) Facilitates conversation, describes Levin's views as 'a little toqué,' and invites Vronsky for the upcoming elections. ### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxv) Visits Vozdvizhenskoe to fetch Vronsky for the upcoming provincial elections, acting as the catalyst for the chapter's central conflict. ### [The Elections in Kashin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxvi) A candidate for marshal; speaks during the debate; is later elected unanimously in his own district. ### [The Election of the Marshal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxvii) A key leader in the new party, persuading others on electoral tactics regarding Marshal Snetkov. ### [The Election](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxviii) Stands with a significant, ironical face during the voting; oversees the retrieval of compromised noblemen for his party. ### [Chapter XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxix) Approaches Levin and the landowner, lightly asking if they've been 'attacking the new order of things.' ### [The Provincial Election](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxx) A key political operator and candidate. He is embarrassed when Levin directly asks if he will stand, revealing the delicate, unspoken nature of the candidacy. ### [The Election Celebration and the Summons Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vi-xxxi) Takes his electoral defeat lightly, comically imitates the old marshal, and helped select the dinner guests. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vii-vi) Pressingly invites Levin to an agricultural society meeting, representing Levin's connections to intellectual and public life. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vii-vii) Seen by Levin in the dining room, part of the general club gathering. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters/nikolay_ivanovitch_sviazhsky - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters