A Gentleman in Moscow: Book 3, Arachne’s Art Summary & Analysis

The narrator explains that the job of the historians is to look back on a period and identify various dates that represent turning points, like January 3, 1928, with the launch of the First Five Year Plan, or November 17, 1929, when Stalin paved the way for a return to autocracy. But those dates, the narrator explains, did not throw Moscow into upheaval. The 1920s, instead, were like the turn of a kaleidoscope, where events would cause the city to settle into a slightly new configuration.

In 1930, Theatre Square and the Metropol are much the same as they had always been: Vasily still sits at the concierge desk across from Arkady; Mr. Halecki still sits in the manager’s office (though with the Bishop as the new assistant manager). The Boyarsky still serves the very best from Emile Zhukhovsky, who is chopping away in the center of the kitchen (though the narrator notes that he uses the knife to point as much as to chop). Andrey still keeps the restaurant spinning, prompt as ever. But there is one addition to the Boyarksy’s staff: the Count, who has worked his way up to head waiter.

Emile, Andrey, and the Count, whom the narrator calls “the Triumvirate,” gather for their daily meeting. On this day, there are no parties or anything out of the ordinary. The Count peers at the list of reservations, giving Andrey suggestions as to where he should seat people.

The sous-chef comes in with the special for the evening: a cucumber soup and rack of lamb. The Count tries the dish and notes the addition of mint. Andrey asks what he might recommend with the lamb. Wine labels were returned to the Metropol’s cellar in 1927, after a Russian diplomat had tried to order a bottle of Bordeaux for the French ambassador. The Count gives his suggestions for those who can afford a more expensive wine, and for those who cannot.

Before they adjourn, the Count presents one more matter: the envelope that had been slipped under his door, which is filled with saffron. Emile is delighted. The men then scheme about how to acquire oranges for a dish Emile wants to serve. Andrey says he can find them; Emile tells them that they should reconvene at half past twelve.

The Count leaves the Boyarsky in a good mood due to several factors: the increase in temperature in the preceding weeks, his success in finding saffron, and his commendation from Emile. The Count passes through the lobby, where a boy from the mail room calls out “Comrade” several times before the Count feels him tugging at his own sleeve. The boy gives the Count a letter from Mishka, which he promptly opens.

Mishka’s letter describes how he was unable to sleep the night before writing the letter and had stumbled outside at four in the morning. He strolled along the Nevsky Prospekt and felt that he was walking “the length of Russian literature,” passing the cemetery where Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky are buried, the house where Pushkin died, and places in which Gogol and Tolstoy wrote. He was overcome with emotion that Russian literature would carry on.

The Count stops reading after the first page, deeply moved, particularly because he can see how Mishka will carry on himself. Four years earlier, Mishka had moved to Kiev with Katerina. Three years later, she left him for another man. Six months after that, Mishka returned to Saint Petersburg to hole himself up in books. And now he is inspired once again by the very street on which he had fallen in love with Katerina.

The Count picks up the letter again but is interrupted by three youths leaving the Piazza, who carry on a conversation next to him. The group consists of a handsome young man and a blonde and brunette woman. A fourth member of the party, a shorter and younger man, returns with a jacket for the blonde. She accepts it without thanking him.

The Count realizes that the young woman is Nina (due to her lack of thanks). He is delighted to see her. Nina tells the rest of her company to wait for her, and the two take each other in, having not seen each other for two years. Nina explains that she and the others are leaving the next morning to help collectivize the farms in the Ivanovo province. She says she has to go, and then leaves with her comrades.

The Count pays a visit to Marina to fix a button on his jacket. He insists on fixing it himself, as Marina taught him to sew when he began working at the Boyarsky so that he could take care of his own appearance.

As the Count sews, he mentions to Marina that he ran into Nina. He tells Marina that Nina is still self-assured, passionate, and curious, but that she seems almost humorless. He worries that she won’t be able to enjoy her youth. Marina tells him not to worry, that life would eventually alleviate her seriousness. The Count is comforted by this thought.

The Count then realizes the time: 4:05pm. The Count quickly dashes through the lobby and vaults up the stairs until he arrives at suite 311. When he arrives, he finds the door open. He enters the suite and goes to the bedroom, as Anna Urbanova lets her dress slip to the floor.