Demons · Character

Karmazinov

A celebrated novelist touring the provinces to bask in his own fame, he embodies the vanity Dostoevsky saw in Russia's liberal literary lions.

supporting

Also known as Cher ami, Karmazinov, Mr. Karmazinov, Cher M. Karmazinov

First appearance: demons

As a supporting figure in Demons, Karmazinov is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as a literary celebrity who, along with others, is cringing before the new radical rabble.

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Karmazinov arrives in town trailing admirers and self-regard, forever polishing his reputation and his French phrases. His need for aristocratic approval and his fussy condescension make him both comic and quietly sinister as a mirror of the older generation's self-satisfaction. His upcoming reading becomes a social event the whole town anticipates, and his presence sharpens the novel's satire of fashionable ideas.

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Character Web

24 connections

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Servants, minor officials, and background figures
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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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In the story

Karmazinov appears across 16 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VI
Mentioned as a literary celebrity who, along with others, is cringing before the new radical rabble.
II: Prince Harry. Matchmaking
Mentioned as not visiting Stepan Trofimovitch, contributing to his sense of decline.
III: The Sins of Others
The 'great writer' met by the narrator; his literary decline and vanity are discussed.
II
The 'great writer' is met by the narrator; he is portrayed as vain, condescending, and obsessed with social status.
IV: All in Expectation
Contributes the idea of quadrilles in masks and plans to read his farewell piece 'Merci' at the matinée.
Chapter I
Mentioned as having criticized the Sistine Madonna and as suggesting the quadrilles in masks; will read his farewell piece 'Merci' at the fête.
III
Karmazinov is referenced as providing recommendations for Pyotr Stepanovitch and having connections.
III
Mentioned as a figure of influence over Varvara Petrovna; Stepan Trofimovitch dismisses him as a spiteful, written-out fool.
V
The great writer, anxious and sycophantic, shares his views on Russia's doom and his intention to flee.
VII
Referenced by Pyotr Stepanovitch as having said that the essence of their creed is the negation of honour.
X: Filibusters. A Fatal Morning
Boasts about his life in Karlsruhe and his literary farewell piece 'Merci', but is mocked by the German doctor and Lyamshin.
III
A celebrated writer who patronizes Stepan Trofimovitch with exaggerated familiarity, discussing his retirement to Karlsruhe.
I
Consented to increase subscriptions by reading his 'Merci' in costume at the fête.
II
Writer who appears on stage after the poem, seen as a potential deliverer by Yulia Mihailovna.
Chapter III
The great writer gives a self-important, tedious farewell reading that alienates the audience and ends in humiliation.
III
Credited with the idea for the literary quadrille, though he does not appear in the chapter.

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