If on a winter’s night a traveler Characters

Bernadette is the accomplice of the narrator of Looks down in the gather shadow, as the two of them try to dispose of the body of Jojo. At the end of the story, she seems to betray the narrator, although an abrupt ending leaves things unresolved.

Don Anastasio Zamora is the dead father of Nacho, the narrator of Around an empty grave. He was a notorious womanizer, and he supposedly killed Faustino Higueras. His death leaves behind many unanswered questions for his son, who seems destined to keep becoming more and more like his father.

Ukko Ahti was a Cimmerian poet who wrote Leaning from the steep slope. Eventually, he fell into depression because of his writer’s block and killed himself, paralleling the deep writer’s block that plagues later writer Silas Flannery.

Anacleta Higueras is the sister of Faustino Higueras, the mother of Amaranta, and the most likely mother of Nacho, the narrator of Around an empty grave. She scolds the narrator for being too much like his father (Don Anastasio Zamora), a destiny that Nacho seems unable to avoid.

Makiko is the daughter of Mr. Okeda and Madam Miyagi in On a carpet of leaves illuminated by the moon. The narrator is attracted to her, but he ends up ruining a potential relationship when he has sex with Madam Miyagi and Makiko witnesses the act.

Zwida Ozkart is a girl in Outside the town of Malbork who seems to be the sweetheart of Ponko (who keeps her photo with him), even though their two families have a blood feud. Seeing Zwida’s photo, the narrator is jealous of Ponko.

Anatoly Anatolin is the author of What story down there awaits its end. Arkadian Porphyrich targets his work for censorship, inspiring the Reader to try to reach Anatolin first. They meet, but Anatolin can only give the Reader some of his work before men pop out to arrest him.

Brigd is a woman in Outside the town of Malbork whom the narrator seems to love, although he never expresses it. The narrator gets jealous when he imagines that Ponko will get to be with Brigd after the narrator leaves.

Dr. Marne is the ex-husband of the woman who sells suitcases in If on a winter’s night a traveler. He often comes to a bar near a train station even though he knows his ex-wife will be there.

Jojo is a man that Ruedi the Swiss, the narrator of Looks down in the gathering shadow, had to kill for unexplained reasons. Disposing of Jojo’s body drives most of that story’s plot.

Professor Galligani is a rival of Professor Uzzi Tuzii at the university and teaches a seminar that Lotaria attends. Despite his very different views from Uzzi Tuzii, he also gets bogged down in lots of theory when he reads.

Irina is a woman that the narrator meets in Without fear of wind or vertigo. She unites the narrator and Valerian, but her true allegiances to either the revolutionaries or the counterrevolutionaries in the story remain mysterious.

Marjorie is a student of the narrator of In a network of lines that enlace who gets kidnapped and tied up.

Amaranta is the daughter of Anacleta Higueras and possibly the sister of Nacho, the narrator of Around an empty grave. Nacho starts trying to have sex with her, perhaps to provoke a reaction and get his mother to reveal her identity.

Lorna is the mistress of the narrator of In a network of lines that intersect. The narrator organizes fake kidnappings to protect himself, but when he gets kidnapped for real (by his wife, Elfrida), he finds Lorna tied up in a room full of mirrors.

Doña Jazmina is the mother of Jacinta and another possible mother of Nacho, the narrator of Around an empty grave, but she sends him away and denies that she gave birth to him.

Jacinta is the daughter of Doña Jazmina. As with Amaranta, Nacho, the narrator of Around an empty grave, tries to have sex with her, hoping that his attempt will cause his mother to reveal her identity.

Elfrida is the wife of the narrator of In a network of lines that intersect. She tries to protect him by pretending to kidnap him but seems to end up trapping both of them in a hall of mirrors.

Tazio Bazakbhal is a Polish novelist who wrote Outside the town of Malbork.

Calixto Bandera is the author of Around an empty grave, a book that Corinna has.

Bertrand Vandervelde is the Belgian author of Looks down in the gathering shadow.