Boris Character Analysis in Tropic of Cancer

Boris is Henry’s friend and landlord of a sort (he lets Henry stay at his building until paying tenants can be found). He has an incisive mind and grand literary ambitions; he is one of the few friends whose work Henry respects. Later, he writes Henry a long and incoherent letter about death and suicide.

Boris Character Timeline in Tropic of Cancer

The timeline below shows where the character Boris appears in Tropic of Cancer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Paris. He lives in the Villa Borghese in the Montparnasse neighborhood with a man named Boris, who’s also a brooding philosophical type. Boris seems to be allowing Henry to stay with... (full context)

...Mr. and Mrs. Wren, arrive at the Villa Borghese to discuss renting an apartment from Boris. This frightens Henry that he will soon have to move out, but he makes his... (full context)

...looking up: Henry has apparently been allowed to continue living at the Villa Borghese, and Boris has even hired a new maid, Elsa. Despite Boris’s admonitions not to, Henry quickly seduces... (full context)

...over feeling his new book develop (becoming “pregnant” with it, as he says). He and Boris believe they are on the cusp of creating “a new Bible,” to be called The... (full context)

On Sunday, Henry restrains himself from asking for food from either Boris or his friend Cronstadt, whom he goes to visit. He then wanders around Paris, staring... (full context)

One day, a letter arrives from Boris, whom Henry has not seen for several months. The letter has no greeting and simply... (full context)