The Secret City · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Secret City by Hugh Walpole.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
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.