Oblomov characters

Appears from the start

A gentle landowner in his early thirties who lives in St Petersburg on income from his country estate, Oblomovka. Intelligent enough to recognize his neglected affairs, he remains in bed through most of the day, postponing a necessary move and avoiding the alarming reports sent by his estate manager. He longs for peace and humane companionship but finds even modest decisions exhausting.

Appears from the start

Oblomov's elderly servant, brought from the family estate and shaped by the same stagnant household culture as his master. Grumbling, untidy, and fiercely loyal, he quarrels with Oblomov over clothes, dust, money, and the effort required to leave the bed or sofa.

First appears in chapter 2

A fashionable young acquaintance who calls on Oblomov while moving between social engagements. His energetic pursuit of invitations and appearances offers an early contrast to Oblomov's refusal to leave home.

First appears in chapter 2

A former colleague of Oblomov who has devoted himself to official advancement. He is busy, respectable, and proud of his career, but Oblomov sees his life as another form of confinement rather than an attractive alternative to idleness.

First appears in chapter 3

A mild, forgettable visitor who readily agrees with whichever person is speaking. Oblomov tolerates him because Alekseyev places few demands on him and is content to sit without requiring purposeful activity.

First appears in chapter 4

A coarse and overbearing acquaintance who takes advantage of Oblomov's passivity. Tarantyev offers loud advice about housing and the management of Oblomovka while expecting meals, loans, and favors in return.

Also known as Andrei Stolz

First appears in chapter 10

Oblomov's closest childhood friend, the son of a practical German father and a cultivated Russian mother. Disciplined, widely traveled, and constantly engaged in useful work, he understands Oblomov's generous nature and refuses to accept that his friend's inertia is beyond remedy.

Also known as Olga Ilyinskaya

First appears in chapter 15

An intelligent, musically gifted young woman whom Shtolts introduces to Oblomov. Serious beneath her youthful curiosity, she is drawn to Oblomov's honesty and sensitivity and becomes interested in awakening him to a fuller life.

Also known as Agafya Pshenitsyna

First appears in chapter 24

The widowed landlady of the house on the Vyborg Side where Oblomov takes rooms. Practical, capable, and absorbed in feeding and maintaining her household, she offers care without demanding that he become someone different.

First appears in chapter 26

Agafya's brother, a government clerk who presents himself as an adviser on practical and financial matters. He recognizes that Oblomov can be induced to sign documents he has scarcely examined.

First appears in chapter 25

Zakhar's capable wife and a servant in Agafya's household. Her energy, cleanliness, and practical sense compensate for Zakhar's disorder and help sustain the comfortable domestic routine around Oblomov.

First appears in chapter 42

The young son of Oblomov and Agafya, named in honor of Shtolts. His existence reveals that the quiet Vyborg household has become a family, even though Oblomov has kept that life largely separate from his old friends.