Character guide

Martin Birck

major

Also known as Martin, XIV Martin

Martin grows up in a quiet home where his father mends clocks and his mother sings at dusk, but confirmation at sixteen shatters his inherited Christianity and leaves him choosing between devotion and freethinking. He reads and thinks in search of a star to steer by, yet finds himself apathetic toward school and estranged from the conventional faith of his comrades. His early drift — from the asylum of the office to the ache of first desire — sets the novel's central question: how to live honestly when the old answers have failed.

His Mother

supporting

Also known as his mother, His mother

She fills the family's twilight with song and her son's send-off with warnings — about empty glasses, about dreadful women whose very breath carries incurable disease, about the salvation she knows he lacks. Her love is real and her fear is real, and Martin answers her with the mild exasperation of a son who has already stopped believing. She matters because she gives a human face to the faith he cannot keep, making his loss feel like a wound rather than an argument.

Henrik Rissler

supporting

Also known as Henrik, XII Henrik Rissler

Henrik arrives at Martin's door with the sun in his eyes, changed and leaner, fresh from his preliminary degree and bound for a European tour paid for by a banker uncle. He teases Martin for talking in the style of the Eighties, yet the two settle into wine and talk of Nietzsche, books, and women as the sunbeam narrows. He matters as the friend who is moving while Martin stands still — a mirror of ambition and momentum that sharpens Martin's own inertia.

Ida Dupont

supporting

Also known as little Ida Dupont, Ida

Ida leads Martin through a game of devotion — wax candles, gestures, a whispered 'That is our religion' — until both children fall asleep on the bed before her father comes home. Her glowing eyes and easy command of make-believe give Martin his earliest taste of enchantment and unease tangled together. She matters as the first female presence to stir him, a delicate rehearsal for the desires and disenchantments that will follow.

Josef Marin

minor

Also known as Josef

A character who interacts with Martin, possibly a friend or colleague, with a distinct personality.

Maria

supporting

Also known as Dear Maria

On Martin's seventh birthday she bows and says 'I have the honor to congratulate—' while he blushes and turns to the wall, and she is part of the vanished idyll of the blossoming street. By the time he comes home with his white cap, she has been married a year to a doctor far away in the country, and the house feels hollowed out. She matters as the measure of how much has already slipped away before Martin's story properly begins.

Old Moberg

minor

Also known as Moberg

An older man, possibly a neighbor or family acquaintance, who appears in Martin's world.

Johan

minor

Also known as Furthermore Johan

A recurring character, possibly a friend or servant, with a name that appears multiple times.

Franz

minor

A character with a limited but notable presence, possibly a friend or acquaintance of Martin.

Miss Oldhusen

minor

A woman, possibly a relative or acquaintance, who appears in the narrative.

Venus

minor

A mythological or symbolic figure, possibly referenced in a literary or artistic context.

Lotta

minor

A woman, possibly a servant or acquaintance, with a small but recurring role.

Mrs. Heggbom

minor

Also known as Heggbom

A married woman, possibly a neighbor or family friend, who appears in the story.

Uncle Abraham

minor

An older relative of Martin, possibly a mentor or family figure.

Von Heringslake

minor

Also known as Heringslake

A character with a noble-sounding name, possibly an acquaintance or authority figure.

Doctor Markel

minor

Also known as Markel

A doctor, possibly a physician who treats Martin or someone in his circle.

Grandmother

minor

Also known as grandmother

Martin's grandmother, a family elder who appears in his childhood memories.

Planius

minor

A character, possibly a historical or literary reference, with a small role.

Harriet Skottë

minor

Also known as Miss Harriet Skottë, Harriet

A young woman, possibly a love interest or acquaintance of Martin, with a refined name.

Father

minor

Martin's father, a family figure who appears in his memories or scenes.

Gabel

minor

A character, possibly a friend or acquaintance, with a limited role.

Mamma

minor

A term for mother, possibly used by a child or in a domestic scene.

Papa

minor

Also known as papa

A term for father, used in a domestic or childhood context.

Mother

minor

A generic term for mother, possibly used in a specific scene.

Hjalmar Söderberg

minor

Also known as Söderberg

The author, who appears as a narrative voice or frame, possibly as a character in the dedication or framing.

XI Martin

minor

Also known as Martin

A duplicate or alternate reference to Martin Birck, possibly from a different chapter or perspective.

Mrs. Lundgren

minor

A woman, possibly a landlady or acquaintance, with a limited presence.

Auditor Camin

minor

A professional man, possibly an auditor or official, who interacts with Martin.

Messer Guido Cavalcanti

minor

Also known as Messer Guido

A historical or literary figure, possibly referenced in a discussion or as a symbolic character.

The Red Turk

minor

Also known as The Red Turk

A mysterious or exotic figure, possibly a storybook character or a real person in Martin's imagination.

Billfelt

minor

Also known as The elder Billfelt

A man, possibly a family member or acquaintance, with a limited role.

Mr. Dupont

minor

The father of Ida Dupont, possibly a shopkeeper or businessman.

The Stranger

minor

Also known as the stranger

An unnamed man who appears in a scene, possibly a mysterious or symbolic figure.

Kolmodin

minor

A character, possibly a friend or colleague, with a brief appearance.

Willie

minor

A young boy, possibly a relative or neighbor, who appears in the story.

Secretary Oldhusen

minor

A secretary, possibly related to Miss Oldhusen, with a minor role.

John

minor

A common name, possibly a servant or acquaintance, with a brief appearance.

Director Sundell

minor

A director, possibly a business or official figure, with a minor role.

Hamlet

minor

The Shakespearean character, referenced in a literary or theatrical context.

Pella Oldhusen

minor

Also known as Pella

A woman, possibly a relative of Miss Oldhusen, with a small role.

Punch

minor

A character from a puppet show or literary reference, possibly symbolic.

Charles XII

minor

Also known as XII

The Swedish king, referenced as a historical figure in the narrative.

Gretchen

minor

A woman, possibly a literary or personal reference, with a minor role.

Song

minor

A personification or symbolic figure, possibly in a poetic context.

Sigrid Tesch

minor

A woman, possibly an acquaintance or relative, with a brief appearance.