Demons: Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 2 Summary & Analysis

Anton is walking through town one day when he runs into Karmazinov, a famous writer who is an acquaintance of the new governor. Anton, like many of his generation, has read Karmazinov since he was a child. Anton thinks Karmazinov’s early work captures a spontaneous kind of poetry, while his later work fails to capture his (Anton’s) attention. He’s the kind of writer, Anton thinks, who will fall into obscurity after he dies or perhaps before he dies, as he’s replaced by writers from a new generation.

When Anton sees Karmazinov, Anton unintentionally acts obsequiously. Karmazinov notices and asks Anton first for directions and then to hail a taxi. Anton obliges but doesn’t like behaving like a sycophant. Karmazinov drops the bag he’s holding, and Anton moves to pick it up. He stops himself, but Karmazinov notices the initial gesture. He smiles to himself and picks up his bag. Anton at first feels disgraced but then feels like the whole scene was hilarious. He decides to tell Stepan about it to amuse him.