Character guide

Vera Michailovna

major

Also known as Vera

A woman of grave beauty and quiet independence, she presides over her household with a soul the narrator senses is still asleep and untouched.

Nina Michailovna

major

Also known as Nina, Poor little Nina, Poor Nina, Dear Nina

Vera's younger sister, all laughter, sweets, and clashing ribbons, she flirts and quarrels with Boris Grogoff while war and Russia trouble her not at all.

Henry Bohun

major

Also known as Henry, young Bohun, Young Bohun, Bohun, Poor Henry, young Henry Bohun, poor young Bohun

A young Englishman abroad, he arrives full of artistic pretensions and schoolgirl enthusiasm, only to find himself profoundly wretched until Vera Michailovna takes him in hand.

Alexei Petrovitch Semyonov

major

Also known as Alexei Petrovitch, Semyonov, Alexei

A Russian intellectual serving on the Galician front, his name alone is enough to stir the narrator's buried memories of a year he has tried hard to forget.

Nicholas Markovitch

major

Also known as Nicholas, Markovitch, the Markovitch flat

Vera's anxious, untidy husband, he loves her with a dog's desperate devotion and is tormented by the suspicion that she does not, and cannot, love him back.

Jerry Lawrence

major

Also known as Lawrence, Jerry, Mr. Lawrence, Jeremy, Jeremy Ralph Lawrence

A Cambridge man who spent his first fifteen years in Russia and refuses to speak of it, he is transferred to Petrograd against his will and meets Bohun on the Jupiter.

Boris Nicolaievitch Grogoff

supporting

Also known as Grogoff, Boris Grogoff, Boris Nicolaievitch, Boris, the Grogoff

No relation to the family, Boris Nicolaievitch Grogoff is a handsome, curly-haired internationalist who spends most of his time in the Markovitch flat, declaiming at the top of his voice or glaring moodily at the floor. He despises Markovitch, patronises Ivan Andreievitch, yet would give away anything he owned if asked. His restless energy and sudden generosities make him a fixture of the household's noisy, argumentative life, and his unexplained presence there quietly unsettles the narrator's account of the family.

Ivan Andreievitch

supporting

Also known as Ivan, Dear Ivan Andreievitch

Ivan Andreievitch is the quiet English boarder who becomes, by Christmas, a member of the Markovitch family — patronised by Boris, treated with friendly indifference by Nina, trusted by Vera. Past the age of romance, he offers Vera the comprehension and fidelity she cannot find in her husband or her lover, and she pours out to him her self-contempt, her passion for Sherry, and her despair at her own softness. His patient, self-deprecating presence anchors the flat's emotional storms and gives the story its observing conscience.

Nicolai Leontievitch Markovitch

supporting

Also known as Markovitch, Nicolai Leontievitch, Madame Markovitch, young Markovitch

Nicolai Leontievitch is the dreamy, ink-stained inventor of the Markovitch household, perched on a one-legged chair under a barred window, coaxing small explosions from his materials while his wife Vera manages the money, the rooms, and the guests. He is amiable, harmless, and utterly absorbed in another world — yet his eyes narrow to dull, lifeless spots, and his weakness has taught Vera a contempt she cannot forgive herself for. His experiments and his passivity set the household's strange, uneasy weather, and his marriage is the fault line along which the novel's early tensions run.

Baron Wilderling

minor

Also known as Wilderling, Baron, the Baron, The Baron

A German diplomat or aristocrat with a role in the political backdrop.

John Trenchard

minor

Also known as John, Trenchard

An English character, possibly a journalist or traveler in Petrograd.

Uncle Alexei

minor

An older relative, possibly of Vera and Nina, offering familial support.

M. Durward

minor

Also known as Durward

A French or foreign character, possibly a diplomat or businessman.

Durdles

minor

Also known as Poor Durdles, Dear Durdles

A comic or eccentric character, possibly a servant or local figure.

Marie Ivanovna

minor

Also known as Marie

A female character, possibly a friend or relative of the family.

Burrows

minor

Also known as Mr. Burrows

An English character, possibly a colleague or acquaintance of Lawrence.

Rasputin

minor

The historical mystic, mentioned as a figure of influence in Petrograd.

The Rat

minor

Also known as Rat

A nickname for a sly or untrustworthy character, possibly a spy.

The Baroness

minor

A female aristocrat, possibly related to Baron Wilderling.

Mr. Bohun

minor

Also known as Bohun

Henry Bohun's father, who appears later in the story.

Rozanov

minor

A Russian acquaintance, possibly a writer or intellectual.

John Durward

minor

Also known as Mr. Durward, Durward

An Englishman, possibly related to M. Durward, with a minor role.

Ivan Petrovitch

minor

Also known as Ivan

A Russian character, possibly a servant or minor official.

Protopopoff

minor

Also known as M. Protopopoff

A Russian official or politician, mentioned in political contexts.

Old Sacha

minor

Also known as Sacha

An elderly servant or retainer in the Markovitch household.

Michael Alexandrovitch

minor

Also known as Michael

A Russian character, possibly a nobleman or officer.

Marfa

minor

A servant or maid in the household, possibly of the Markovitches.

Mr. Gineselli

minor

Also known as Gineselli

A foreign character, possibly an Italian or businessman in Petrograd.

Paul Konstantinovitch

minor

Also known as Paul

A Russian character, possibly a young officer or student.

Charles Trafford

minor

Also known as the Hon . Charles Trafford, the Hon . Charles, the Hon, Charles

An English aristocrat, possibly a diplomat visiting Petrograd.

Andre

minor

A French or Russian character, possibly a servant or minor figure.

Lenin

minor

The revolutionary leader, mentioned in political discussions.

Finisterre

minor

Also known as Mlle . Finisterre, Mlle

A French governess or teacher, possibly for the Markovitch children.

Rodziancko

minor

A Russian political figure, mentioned in the context of the Duma.

Lawford

minor

An English character, possibly a friend or colleague of Lawrence.

Katya

minor

A Russian female character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Old Feodor Stepanovitch

minor

Also known as old Feodor

An elderly Russian character, possibly a retired official or relative.

Milyukoff

minor

A Russian politician, mentioned in political discussions.

Meyerhold

minor

Also known as M. Meyerhold

A Russian theater director, mentioned in cultural contexts.