# Anna Friedrichovna — Short Fiction character guide

> Anna Friedrichovna in Short Fiction by Aleksandr Kuprin.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Anna, Anna Nikolayevna Friesse, Anna Nikolayevna

**First appearance:** 0036-i

## Snapshot

A society woman whose return to a room cuts short a stolen kiss, and whose easy gossip about gambling and revolvers reveals the casual cruelty of her circle.

## Who they are

Anna Friedrichovna moves through drawing rooms and race-day chatter with the fluency of someone who has never had to work for her place. She tells stories of Gorojhevsky nailing a card-sharp's pack to the table with a revolver as if it were charming, and her presence polices the flirtations of younger women like Alychka. Her gossip and her timing — always returning at the wrong moment — make her a quiet agent of the story's social tensions.

## Relationships

### [Lieutenant Lapshine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters/lieutenant_lapshine)

_romantic_

Anna Friedrichovna is secretly in love with Lieutenant Lapshine, though their relationship remains unfulfilled.

### [Lieutenant Lapshine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters/lieutenant_lapshine)

_romantic_

Anna Friedrichovna is secretly in love with Lieutenant Lapshine, though their relationship remains unfulfilled.

### [Lieutenant Lapshine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters/lieutenant_lapshine)

_romantic_

Anna Friedrichovna is secretly in love with Lieutenant Lapshine, though their relationship remains unfulfilled.

## In the story

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

The landlady of the 'Serbia,' a strong, quick-tempered, and good-looking widow of mixed German and Polish descent, who manages the hotel with a mix of hospitality and ruthlessness.

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

The landlady, harsh and domineering, manages her household with corporal punishment and sharp words, while begrudgingly reconciling with the lieutenant.

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

The landlady, sighs contentedly about full rooms, steps out briefly to give a towel.

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

The landlady of the hotel; she reacts with alarm to the gunshot and later angrily curses the student for causing trouble.

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

Vera's younger sister, who arrives by car to help with birthday preparations. She is of Tartar descent, flirtatious, extravagant, yet generous and pious.

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

Anna walks with her sister, marvels at the sea, shares a memory of a guide tired of the view, and presents Vera with an antique notebook.

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

Vera's sister; also greets General Anosov and teases him.

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

Present at the dinner; her husband Gustav Ivanovich is the subject of another of Prince Vasily's stories.

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

Anna flirts with the hussar Bakhtinsky and discusses her work with a charity asylum for depraved children, expressing frustration at the lack of inmates.

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

Sits with Vera and Anosov, asks about his love life and fear in battle, and joins the walk.

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

Walks ahead with Bakhtinsky, mentioned as part of the group.

### [Anathema](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/anathema)

Father Olympy's wife, a thin, sallow-faced woman who treats him sternly and is hysterical, fearing the consequences of his actions.

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

The elegant wife of Kostretzov, a demi vierge from St. Petersburg with a pale face and malevolent lips, who reads French novels and exudes a modish perfume.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters/anna_friedrichovna
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters