A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

History has shown charm to be the final ambition of the leisure class.

I have lived under the impression that a man’s purpose is known only to God.

“A king fortifies himself with a castle,” observed the Count, “a gentleman with a desk.”

entr’acte.

excusez-moi’s,

loges.

“There is nothing pleasant to be said about losing,” she began, “and the Obolensky boy is a pill. But, Sasha, my dear, why on earth would you give him the satisfaction?”

dormer.

goateed

Metropol,”

lilt

generally prized industry over nonsense.

that if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.

How many of the Grand Duke’s words did those faint indentations reflect? Here over forty years had been written concise instructions to caretakers; persuasive arguments to statesmen; exquisite counsel to friends. In other words, it was a desk to be reckoned with.

crown

the coffee was not one degree colder than usual.

Balzac, Dickens, and Tolstoy

samovar

mille-feuille.

the sleeve of his blazer—which he couldn’t

But here we are.

treachery, treason, and adultery—by

But once the

single word

comport herself in society; she would be taught terms of address, table manners, posture . .

“The principle here is that a new generation owes a measure of thanks to every member of the previous generation. Our elders planted fields and fought in wars; they advanced the arts and sciences, and generally made sacrifices on our behalf. So by their efforts, however humble, they have earned a measure of our gratitude and respect.”

Later that night,

Arbat.

But freedom of the will has been a well-established tenet of moral philosophy since the time of the Greeks.

Though

“If I may,” the Count

Zelinsky was up on his chair. “For, of course, we must hear from Zelinsky,” muttered Mishka. “As if he stands shoulder to shoulder with Mayakovsky. As if he stands shoulder to shoulder with a bottle of milk.” Mishka took another sip. “You remember Zelinsky. No? The one who was a few years behind us at the university?

After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.

many ghosts prefer to travel the halls of night? Ask

Intrigued, the Count

neck, the Count tried