The Aspern Papers (BBC Radio 4 Book At Bedtime) characters

Appears from the start

An unnamed American editor and literary scholar devoted to the dead poet Jeffrey Aspern. Having failed to obtain Aspern's private papers by direct inquiry, he goes to Venice under a false name and presents himself as a prospective lodger with an interest in gardening.

Appears from the start

An elderly American who knew Jeffrey Aspern in her youth and has lived in seclusion in a decaying Venetian palace for many years. She guards her privacy closely and has refused requests from literary researchers.

Also known as Tina Bordereau

Appears from the start

Juliana's unmarried middle-aged niece and companion. Timid, isolated, and inexperienced in society, she manages the household's limited dealings with the outside world and receives the narrator when he calls about rooms.

Appears from the start

A celebrated American poet, long dead when the story begins. The narrator studies his life and work and believes that papers preserved by Juliana could illuminate his relationship with her.

Appears from the start

The narrator's socially knowledgeable friend in Venice. She helps him locate the Bordereaus and discusses ways he might gain access to their secluded household, while remaining skeptical of some of his tactics.

Appears from the start

A publisher associated with the narrator's research on Jeffrey Aspern. Earlier inquiries made in the publisher's name alerted Juliana to the commercial and scholarly interest in her papers.