# Budnikov — Short Fiction character guide

> Budnikov in Short Fiction by Vladimir Korolenko.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** M. Budnikov, The kindly M. Budnikov, the wise and strong M. Budnikov

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

## Snapshot

A mill owner of absolute and unfeigned calm, he disarms a drunken brawler at his door with nothing but a pointed question and a mention of an unwatered horse.

## Who they are

When Gavrilo, drunk and raging, kicks at Budnikov's door in the night, Budnikov opens it with the imperturbable air of a man who has never once been unjust to a worker. He points to the bell, recites the broken shovel and the thirsty horse, and sends the stunned Gavrilo straight to the stable — a display of authority so complete it leaves the narrator marveling. His quiet superiority and his mournful remark about how people fall in love with 'the people' frame the story's uneasy meditation on power, dignity, and the distance between masters and men.

## Relationships

### [Yelena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/yelena)

_romantic_

Budnikov and Yelena have a high number of interactions indicating a romantic or deeply affectionate relationship.

### [Gavrilo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/gavrilo)

_friendship_

Budnikov and Gavrilo are close friends or allies, possibly connected through Yelena.

## In the story

### [Isn’t It Terrible?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/isn-t-it-terrible)

A colleague who found solace in religion; he advises the narrator to abandon intellectual pride and 'fuse with the common cup' of faith.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/ii)

Semen Nikolayevich Budnikov, a landlord in Tikhodol with eccentric habits, such as keeping valuable papers in a mattress and sharing work with his porter Gavrilo.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iii)

Mentioned as a contrast—his soul dried up and barren, his correspondence with a 'distant' friend revealing a lost inner life.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iv)

M. Budnikov, Yelena's protector and former lover, gives her a lottery ticket that wins seventy-five thousand rubles, but he grows cold and becomes uneasy with Gavrilo.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/v)

M. Budnikov undergoes a spiritual conversion, begins attending vespers, and discusses finding meaning through faith and humility.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vi)

Mentioned as a symbol of provincial complacency, contrasted with Rogov's destructive path.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vii)

M. Budnikov, who confronts Gavrilo with calm authority after Gavrilo kicks his door, redirecting him to his duties.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/viii)

Once popular and respected, now the center of scandal and suspicion. He attempts to solve the riddle by proposing to divorce Yelena and marry her.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/ix)

M. Budnikov, the victim, found dead in his home.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/budnikov
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters