The Narrator

The unnamed narrator is an outsider, and the reader sees Utz's story through the narrator's eyes. The narrator initially meets with Utz to gain insight into the psychology of a collector for his writings. Later, when the narrator is promised wealth if he finds Utz's porcelains, he goes in search of the missing collection. The narrator finds a depth to Utz's life that he hadn't imagined and uncovers more questions than answers.

Kaspar Joachim Utz

Utz's face is forgettable, round and waxy, with narrow eyes behind steel-framed spectacles that do not hint at the man's passion. The narrator cannot remember whether Utz has a moustache, although he cannot imagine its presence or absence affecting how very forgettable and nondescript the face is. Maybe, the narrator thinks, he does have a moustache - a precise, bristly moustache to go with the precise, toy-soldierish gestures that are the only...