# Mr. Berkesh — Yama character guide

> Mr. Berkesh in Yama by Aleksandr Kuprin.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the ferocious and brazen Berkesh

**First appearance:** 0005-yama

## Snapshot

A ferocious, brazen presence among the Yamkas' clientele, he embodies the casual brutality the house's women absorb as ordinary weather.

## Who they are

Berkesh belongs to the stream of men who pass through Anna Markovna's establishment, and his reputation for ferocity and shamelessness makes him a name the women register with a particular wariness. He is the type Yarchenko's drunken sermon indicts—the whippersnapper or shattered ancient who takes a woman for a whim and walks away whistling. His presence sharpens the contrast between the men's lofty talk of souls and the daily reality of the house.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yama_se/chapters/part-i-ii)

The police inspector who visits to warn about a missing girl, accepts a bribe, and complains about moral decline and his son's disrespect.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yama_se/chapters/part-i-v)

Tells the story of Magda's revolutionary activities to Anna Markovna, Emma Edwardovna, and the housekeeper.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yama_se/chapters/part-ii-xv)

The district inspector who handles Likhonin's request with bureaucratic indifference and sarcasm.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yama_se/characters/berkesh
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yama_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yama_se/characters