# Unknown — Short Fiction character guide

> Unknown in Short Fiction by Hjalmar Söderberg.

**Role:** major

**First appearance:** 0001-short-fiction

## Snapshot

A restless, unnamed observer whose chance theatre encounter with a half-remembered face dredges up a schoolyard scene he cannot shake.

## Who they are

He drifts through Stockholm with a gnawing sense that his days are empty and meaningless, and his memory works like a junk-room he sifts for clues. When he recognizes a minor actor on stage, the man's bitter intonations unlock a buried recollection: a small boy forced to kneel and bark 'I am your slave' for a ring of laughing classmates. His compulsion to identify the humiliated child drives the story's quiet, uneasy pull.

## In the story

### [The Blue Anchor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-blue-anchor)

The narrator observes the funeral and the events at the Blue Anchor.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/ii)

The narrator, a man who wanders through the rooms and kisses the woman.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/v)

The narrator describes the scene from an omniscient perspective, focusing on the woman's inner thoughts and the man's deceit.

### [The Kiss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-kiss)

The narrator describes the scene and the inner thoughts of the young couple.

### [The Dream of Eternity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-dream-of-eternity)

The narrator recounts his childhood belief in an immortal soul and his experience of a terrifying dream of an endless staircase.

### [The Drizzle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-drizzle)

The narrator introduces the story of the drizzle and frames the tale.

### [The Drawing in India Ink](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-drawing-in-india-ink)

The narrator, reflecting on a past encounter, now older and no longer seeking life's meaning.

### [The Wages of Sin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-wages-of-sin)

The narrator, who deceives the young girl by claiming the apothecary wrote the poem himself.

### [Communion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/communion)

The narrator, a sixteen-year-old boy recently confirmed, recalls his awkward attempt to join in adult conversation on a steamer.

### [The Clown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-clown)

The narrator observes a former schoolmate on the street and later at the theatre, recalling a childhood memory of the boy being bullied.

### [Signy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/signy)

The narrator recounts his childhood memories of creating the imaginary girl Signy and his early literary awakening.

### [A Masterless Dog](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/a-masterless-dog)

The narrator observes and reflects on the life and emotions of the masterless dog.

### [Vox Populi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/vox-populi)

The first-person narrator who observes the scene and reflects on the nature of public opinion.

### [Margot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/margot)

The narrator is Herbst's friend, who learns about Margot and accompanies Herbst to the old house.

### [The Burning City](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-burning-city)

The little boy, who is curious, imaginative, and struggles to understand mortality and the passage of time.

### [Archimedes' Point](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/archimedes-point)

The narrator as a young boy, reflecting on a childhood sledding adventure and his encounter with a street arab.

### [The Parson’s Cows](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/the-parson-s-cows)

The narrator reflects on the parson's cows and broader existential themes.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/i)

The narrator, a former student comrade of Pastor Torelius, reunites with him after ten years and listens to his story.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/ii)

The narrator describes his own experience of being unrecognized by his cows after swimming.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/iii)

The narrator, a parish minister, hides in a tree after bathing and is discovered by the schoolmistress and tailor's daughters.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/chapters/iv)

The narrator listens to the man's story and wishes him well.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/characters/unknown_narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_29_se/characters