The Comic Actor

Diletaev convinces Rymov to participate, even though he's personally unpopular in the town due to his alcoholism and poor work record.

Rymov himself expresses his unwillingness to act with the other performers because of their lack of talent, but Diletaev talks him into it.

Diletaev decides to organize a prize of money and a fancy crystal bowl for Rymov at a dinner following the presentation.

He finally has to be thrown out of the house, and the novella ends with Rymov being committed to a mental asylum.

Pisemsky himself played the role of Podkolyosin in an 1844 student production of Marriage in Moscow, and claimed that he also performed the part with genius.