Characters
- Leonid
- The main character, Leonid is a scientist/philosopher/active revolutionary who is chosen to accompany the Martians back to Mars to learn of their socialist system, and to help them understand his own. He is a native Russian. He was chosen for the mission because the Martians believe that he has both the mental and physical faculties to withstand the change in society and planet. Leonid's life closely resembles Bogdanov’s own, giving the assumption that his character was inspired from Bogdanov's own life..
- Menni
- Menni is the chief engineer for the expedition to Earth. He is Leonid’s first friend and one of the only two Martians who speak Russian. He is the captain of the ship to Earth. Once they have landed on Mars, Menni becomes occupied with the commission to colonize Venus and becomes a secondary character.
- Netti
- Netti is a doctor that specializes in foreign organisms, such as Leonid for example. She first appears in the novel as an aid to Leonid’s sleeping problems on the ship to Mars. Leonid assumes at first that Netti is male, but later discovers that she is female at which point they fall in love. Netti’s character is possibly inspired by Bogdanov’s own experience as a physician.
- Enno
- Enno is a minor character that is a member of the crew for the expedition to Earth. Leonid mistook Enno, like Netti, for a male initially. While Netti and Menni are away on the mission to Venus, Leonid and Enno engage in an amorous relationship.
- Sterni
- Sterni is a minor character that is a member of the crew for the expedition to Earth. He is described as having a cold and overly scientific demeanor and intellect. His suggestion to the commission for colonization to take Earth is what eventually causes his death, as he is murdered by Leonid.
- Dr. Werner
- Dr. Werner is a minor character that only enters the novel at the very end. He is Leonid’s doctor on earth and his character serves as a venue in which to conclude the novel. Dr. Werner was also a pseudonym that Bogdanov used.
Read more about this topic: Red Star (novel)
Famous quotes containing the word characters:
“What makes literature interesting is that it does not survive its translation. The characters in a novel are made out of the sentences. That’s what their substance is.”
—Jonathan Miller (b. 1936)
“Hemingway was a prisoner of his style. No one can talk like the characters in Hemingway except the characters in Hemingway. His style in the wildest sense finally killed him.”
—William Burroughs (b. 1914)
“A criminal trial is like a Russian novel: it starts with exasperating slowness as the characters are introduced to a jury, then there are complications in the form of minor witnesses, the protagonist finally appears and contradictions arise to produce drama, and finally as both jury and spectators grow weary and confused the pace quickens, reaching its climax in passionate final argument.”
—Clifford Irving (b. 1930)