My Disillusionment in Russia · Character

Alexander Berkman

Goldman's anarchist comrade and fellow traveler through revolutionary Russia, whose shared disillusionment becomes the emotional spine of her two-year reckoning.

supporting

Also known as A. Shapiro, Alexander Berkman

First appearance: I: Deportation to Russia

As a supporting figure in My Disillusionment in Russia, Alexander Berkman is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Fellow deportee who accompanies Goldman to Smolny and shares her early impressions.

In the storyI: Deportation to RussiaOpen this moment free

Alexander Berkman is Goldman's closest comrade, the companion with whom she entered Russia possessed by hope and with whom she measured each new link in the fatal chain of disappointment. He shares her anarchist ideals and her growing conviction that the Bolshevik State is crushing every constructive revolutionary effort, and it is alongside him that she reads Landauer's letters on the French Revolution while Bolshevik artillery begins the bombardment of Kronstadt. His presence turns private disillusionment into a shared testimony, anchoring the memoir's movement from faith to departure.

See Alexander Berkman in I: Deportation to Russia Book page

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Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Alexander Berkman sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Close Anarchist Associates
Protagonist
Military and Political Opponents
Diverse Acquaintances and Witnesses

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs as the narrator confronts the full, brutal reality of Russia’s col…

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Relationships

Unknown Narrator
friendship · positive
Alexander Berkman is a fellow anarchist and close comrade who shares the narrator's… How this plays out →
Unknown Narrator
friendship · positive
Alexander Berkman is a fellow anarchist and close comrade who shares the narrator's… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Alexander Berkman in I: Deportation to Russia

In the story

Alexander Berkman appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I: Deportation to Russia
Fellow deportee who accompanies Goldman to Smolny and shares her early impressions.
V: Meeting People
Berkman accompanies the narrator to visit Kropotkin alongside A. Shapiro.
Preparing for American Deportees
Member of the Reception Committee; leaves for the Latvian border to meet the exiles.
VII: Rest Homes for Workers
Joins the narrator and Zorin in planning the rest homes project.
XI: A Visit from the Ukraine
Implied as one of the recipients of the Ukrainian Anarchists' report, alongside Emma Goldman.
XVIII: En Route
Appointed as chairman and general manager of the Museum Expedition; he meets with Krasnoschekov and is invited to visit Chita.
Kiev
Referred to as an 'American' along with the narrator when using the 'American amulet' to secure historical material.
XXV: Archangel and Return
Member of the expedition to Archangel, traveling with the narrator and the Secretary.
XXVII: Kronstadt
Co-signs the anarchist letter to the Petrograd Soviet of Defence proposing a peaceful commission to resolve the Kronstadt conflict.
XXXII: The Socialist Republic Resorts to Deportation
Deported alongside Emma Goldman and A. Shapiro to attend the International Anarchist Congress in Berlin.
Endnotes
Referenced in endnote regarding trial and speeches.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Alexander Berkman unlock in the free preview.

See Alexander Berkman in I: Deportation to Russia