Real name and surname - Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev.

Andrey Bely - Russian poet, prose writer, theorist of symbolism, critic, memoirist - was born 14 (26) October 1880 in Moscow in the family of the mathematician N.V. Bugaev, who in 1886-1891 - Dean of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University, the founder of the Moscow Mathematical School, anticipating many of the ideas of K. Tsiolkovsky and Russian "cosmists". The mother studied music and tried to oppose the artistic influence to her father's “flat rationalism”. The essence of this parental conflict was constantly reproduced by Bely in his later works.

At the age of 15 he met the family of his brother Vl.S. Solovyova - M.S. Solovyov, his wife, artist O.M. Solovieva, and her son, future poet S.M. Soloviev. Their house became the second family for A. Bely, here he sympathetically greeted his first literary experiments, invented a pseudonym, introduced him to the latest art and philosophy (A. Schopenhauer, F. Nietzsche, Vl.S. Soloviev). In 1891-1899 Bely studied at the Moscow private gymnasium of L.I. Polivanova. In 1903 he graduated from the natural sciences department of the physics and mathematics faculty of Moscow University. In 1904 entered the Faculty of History and Philology, however in 1906 applied for expulsion.

In 1901 Bely put in print "Symphony (2nd, dramatic)". The genre of literary "symphony," created by A. Bely (during his lifetime, the "Northern Symphony (1st, heroic)" ( 1904 ), "Return" ( 1905 ), "Cup of Blizzards" ( 1908 )), demonstrated a number of essential features of his poetics: a gravitation towards the synthesis of words and music (a system of leitmotifs, rhythmization of prose, transfer of the structural laws of musical form into verbal compositions), a combination of the plans of eternity and modernity.

In 1901-1903... was one of the Moscow Symbolists grouped around the Scorpion publishing house (V. Bryusov, K. Balmont, Y. Baltrushaitis) and Grif; then he met the organizers of the St. Petersburg Religious and Philosophical Assemblies and the publishers of the magazine "New Way" D.S. Merezhkovsky, Z.N. Gippius. Since January 1903 began a correspondence with A. Blok (personal acquaintance took place 1904 g.), with whom he was tied for years of "friendship-enmity". Autumn 1903 Andrey Bely became one of the organizers and ideological inspirers of the "Argonauts" circle (Ellis, S.M. Soloviev, A.S. Petrovsky, E.K. equality of "texts of life" and "texts of art", love-mystery as a path to the eschatological transformation of the world. "Argonautical" motives developed in Bely's articles of this period, published in the magazines "World of Art", "Libra", "Golden Fleece", as well as in the collection of poems "Gold in Azure" ( 1904 ).

The collapse of the "Argonautic" myth in the minds of Andrei Bely ( 1904-1906 ) occurred under the influence of a number of factors: the shift of philosophical guidelines from the eschatology of F. Nietzsche and Vl.S. Solovyov to neo-Kantianism and the problems of the epistemological substantiation of symbolism, the tragic vicissitudes of unrequited love for L.D. Block (reflected in the collection "Urn", 1909 ), schism and fierce journalistic polemics in the Symbolist camp. Events of the Revolution 1905-1907 biennium were perceived by Bely at first in the mainstream of anarchist maximalism, but it was during this period that social motives and "Nekrasovian" rhythms and intonations appeared in his poetry (collection of poems "Ashes", 1909 ).

1909-1910... - the beginning of a turning point in the attitude of A. Bely, the search for new positive life paths. Summing up the results of his previous creative activity, he published three volumes of critical and theoretical articles ("Symbolism", "Green Meadow", both 1910 ; "Arabesque" 1911 ). Attempts to find a "new soil", a synthesis of the West and the East are tangible in the novel "The Silver Dove" ( 1909 ). The beginning of the revival was the rapprochement and civil marriage with the artist A.A. Turgeneva, who shared years of wandering with him ( 1910-1912 , Sicily - Tunisia - Egypt - Palestine), described in two volumes of "Travel Notes". Together with her, Andrei Bely experienced years of enthusiastic apprenticeship with the creator of anthroposophy, R. Steiner. The highest creative achievement of this period was the novel Petersburg ( 1913-1914 ), which concentrated in itself the historiosophical problems associated with the comprehension of the path of Russia between the West and the East, and had a tremendous influence on the greatest novelists of the 20th century (M. Proust, J. Joyce, etc.).

In 1914-1916... lived in Dornach (Switzerland), participating in the construction of the anthroposophical temple "Goetheanum". In August 1916 returned to Russia. V 1915-1916 biennium... created the novel "Kitty Letaev" - the first in the planned series of autobiographical novels (continued - the novel "The Baptized Chinese", 1921 ). Bely perceived the beginning of the First World War as a universal human disaster, the Russian revolution. 1917 - as a possible way out of the global catastrophe. The cultural-philosophical ideas of this time were embodied in the essay cycle "At the Pass" ("I. Crisis of Thought", 1918 ; “II. Crisis of Thought " 1918 ; "III. Crisis of culture ", 1918 ), the essay "Revolution and Culture" ( 1917 ), the poem "Christ is Risen" ( 1918 ), a collection of poems "Star" ( 1922 ).

In 1921-1923... Andrei Bely in Berlin experienced a painful parting with R. Steiner, a break with A.A. Turgeneva and found himself on the verge of a mental breakdown, although he continued his active literary activity. Upon returning to his homeland, he undertook a series of hopeless attempts to find his place in Soviet culture, created a novel dilogy "Moscow" ("Moscow eccentric", 1926 ; "Moscow is under attack" 1926 ), the novel "Masks" ( 1932 ), acted as a memoirist ("Memories of Blok", 1922-1923 ; trilogy "At the turn of two centuries", 1930 ; "The beginning of the century" 1933 ; "Between two revolutions" 1934 ), wrote theoretical and literary research "Rhythm as a dialectic and" The Bronze Horseman "" ( 1929 ) and "The Mastery of Gogol" ( 1934 ). These studies have had a largely decisive influence on literary criticism of the 20th century. (formalist and structuralist schools in the USSR, "new criticism" in the USA) laid the foundations of modern scientific poetry (the distinction between meter and rhythm, etc.). A feeling of a total crisis of life and world order was expressed in the work of Andrei Bely.

October 26 marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of the poet and writer Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev, who worked under the pseudonym Andrei Bely.

Poet, prose writer, philosopher, literary critic, one of the leading figures of Russian Symbolism, Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev (literary pseudonym - Andrei Bely) was born on October 26 (October 14 according to the old style), 1880 in Moscow, in the family of a prominent mathematician and philosopher, dean Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University, founder of the Moscow Mathematical School Nikolai Vasilievich Bugaev.

The childhood of the future poet passed under opposite influences from his father and mother. The mother, who studied music, tried to oppose the artistic influence to the rationalism of the father in raising her son.

This parental conflict would later be reflected in the writer's autobiographical novels.

In 1891-1899 he studied at the best private gymnasium in Moscow, the famous teacher Lev Polivanov. In 1895 1896, the young man became close to the family of Mikhail Solovyov, the brother of the philosopher, who lived next door to the Bugaevs. Under the influence of the Solovievs, Boris Bugaev began to engage in literary work, to be interested in the latest art, philosophy (Buddhism and especially Schopenhauer), and to study occult sciences. In their house, he met and became close to the symbolists of the "older" generation: Valery Bryusov, Konstantin Balmont, Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Zinaida Gippius.

In 1901, Bugaev created "Symphony (2nd, dramatic)" in a peculiar genre of lyric rhythmic prose. At the same time, Mikhail Soloviev suggested that the novice writer take the pseudonym "Andrey Bely".

In subsequent years, Andrei Bely published four "symphonies" written in rhythmic prose - "Northern Symphony" ("Heroic") (1903); "Dramatic" (1902); "Return" (1905); The Blizzard Cup (1908); collections of poems "Ashes" (1909); Urn (1909); the novels "The Silver Dove" (1910), "Petersburg" (1913 1914), the book of poems "The Princess and the Knights" (1919), etc.

In 1901-1903, Andrei Bely entered the environment first of the Moscow Symbolists, grouping around the publishing houses Scorpion (Bryusov, Balmont, Baltrushaitis), Grif (Krechetov and his wife Petrovskaya), then met with the organizers of St. Petersburg religious and philosophical meetings and publishers religious and philosophical journal "New Way" Merezhkovsky and Gippius. During this period, Andrei Bely's articles "On Theurgy", "Forms of Art", "Symbolism as a Worldview" and others appeared.

In January 1903, Andrei Bely began a correspondence with Alexander Blok (a personal acquaintance took place in 1904), with whom he was connected by years of dramatic "friendship-enmity". In the fall of 1903, Andrei Bely became one of the organizers and ideological inspirers of the "Argonauts" circle, which professed the ideas of symbolism as religious creativity. In the same year he graduated from the Natural Sciences Department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University.

In January 1904, the leading Symbolist magazine Vesy began to appear in Moscow, in which Bely published numerous articles, notes, and reviews.

In 1904, Andrei Bely's first collection of poetry, "Gold in Azure", was published.

In the autumn of the same year, he entered Moscow University for the second time at the Faculty of History and Philology, but in 1905 he stopped attending lectures, and in 1906 he applied for expulsion in connection with a trip abroad.

In Bely's works of 1904-1905, the poetic image of Russia replaces the former vaguely mystical ideal.

In January 1905, having arrived in St. Petersburg, Andrei Bely became an eyewitness to the first revolutionary events. He took the revolution with great enthusiasm, although he remained far from its political awareness.

Bely was in love with Alexander Blok's wife, Lyubov Mendeleev. Their relationship lasted two years. Mendeleeva could not make up her mind completely, torn between feelings and common sense. Finally, she told the poet that she was staying with her husband. Andrei Bely left Petersburg and went abroad, hoping to forget about her.

Andrei Bely lived abroad for more than two years, where he created two collections of poems dedicated to Alexander Blok and Lyubov Mendeleeva.

October and November 1906 Andrei Bely spent in Munich, on December 1, at the invitation of the Merezhkovskys, he left for Paris and stayed there until March 1907.

Returning to Moscow in 1907, the poet continued his work in the magazine "Vesy", for a short time collaborated with the magazine "Golden Fleece", was published in a number of other publications, actively polemicized with "mystical anarchists".

In 1908-1909, Bely published two collections "Ashes" and "Urn", which reflected the "crisis" attitude of the poet.

Since 1909, Bely's attitude has marked the transition from pessimism to the search for a "way of life", this was facilitated by the rapprochement with the aspiring artist Anna Turgeneva (Asya), who became his de facto wife (the civil marriage was formalized in Bern (Switzerland) on March 23, 1914).

In 1909-1910, Bely published three volumes of critical and theoretical articles (Symbolism, 1910; Green Meadow, 1910; Arabesques, 1911), wrote the novel The Silver Dove (1910).

From December 1910 to April 1911, Bely and his wife made a trip (Sicily - Tunisia - Egypt - Palestine), the literary result of which was two volumes of Travel Notes.

In the fall of 1911, Bely, by prior agreement with the magazine Russkaya Mysl, began work on the novel Petersburg.

In April-May 1912, the poet and his wife lived in Brussels, in May 1912 in Cologne they met the Austrian writer Rudolf Steiner, the creator of the anthroposophical religious and mystical doctrine, and became his adherents.

In 1914-1916, Andrei Bely lived in Dornach (Switzerland), where, under the leadership of Steiner, he participated in the construction of an anthroposophical center - the "temple-theater" of the Goetheanum (Johannes-bau).

In 1915, Andrei Bely's research "Rudolf Steiner and Goethe in the worldview of our time" was published.

From October 1915 to October 1916 he wrote the novel "Kitty Letaev", which was to begin a series of autobiographical works (later continued with the novel "The Baptized Chinese", another name is "The Crime of Nikolai Letaev").

Bely perceived the beginning of the First World War as the greatest disaster for mankind. In August 1916, he was drafted into military service and returned to Russia (via Paris, London, Norway), in September he received a reprieve. Until January 1917, he alternately lived in Moscow and Sergiev Posad.

He spent February and early March 1917 in Petrograd and Tsarskoe Selo.

He perceived the February revolution as a life-giving spontaneous force (essay "Revolution and Culture"), seeing in it a salutary way out of the general crisis.

From March to September 1917, Bely lived in Moscow and near Moscow, worked on the article "The Rod of Aaron. (On the Word in Poetry)", poetry research "On the Rhythmic Gesture", wrote the "poem about sound" "Glossalolia".

Bely met the October Revolution with great enthusiasm, accepting it unconditionally. The ideas of this time were embodied in the cycle "On the Pass" ("I. The Crisis of Life", 1918; "II. The Crisis of Thought", 1918; "III. The Crisis of Culture", 1918), the essay "Revolution and Culture" (1917), the poem "Christ is Risen" (1918), the collection of poems "The Star" (1922).

In subsequent years, Bely participated in the construction of a new culture, worked in Soviet institutions. He was a lecturer, teacher, one of the organizers of the Free Philosophical Organization (WOLFILS), taught young writers at Proletkult (1918 1919), took part in the work of the Scythian literary group, published the journal Zapiski drechtatel.

The activities of the new government contributed to the increasingly aggravating conflict between Bely and reality; since 1919, he has made a number of attempts to travel abroad.

In 1921 he went to Europe with the aim of organizing the publication of his books and founding the WOLFILA branch in Berlin. In 1921-1923 he lived in Berlin, where he was experiencing a break with Turgeneva, and was on the verge of a mental breakdown, although he continued his active literary activity.

After 1923, he lived without a break in Russia, where he created the novel "Moscow" ("Moscow eccentric", "Moscow under attack", both 1926), the novel "Masks" (1932), acts as a memoirist "Memories of Blok" (1922 23); trilogy "At the turn of two centuries" (1930), "Beginning of the century" (1933), "Between two revolutions" (published posthumously, in 1935), writes theoretical and literary studies "Rhythm as a dialectic and" The Bronze Horseman "(1929) and The Mastery of Gogol (1934).

Upon his return to his homeland, Bely made many hopeless attempts to find a lively contact with Soviet culture, but the "rejection" of Bely, which lasted during his lifetime, continued in his posthumous fate, which was reflected in the long underestimation of his work, overcome only in recent decades.

Andrey Bely, 1924
Hood. A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva

Andrey Bely(1880-1934) - Symbolist poet, writer. The real name is Boris Bugaev.

Andrei Bely was born in Moscow, on the Arbat, in a house rebuilt into an apartment building from an 18th century mansion. Some of the apartments belonged to Moscow University, where its teachers lived. One of the tenants was the father of the future poet, professor of mathematics Nikolai Bugaev. The Andrei Bely Museum is now open in a corner apartment on the second floor.

Boris Bugaev's childhood was marked by family scandals. In many ways, this determined his imbalance and fear of life, reflected in his relations with fellow writers and companions in life. In the second half of the 1900s. he formed two love triangles at once: Bely - Blok - Lyubov Mendeleeva and Bely - Bryusov - Nina Petrovskaya. Both broke up not in his favor. The subsequent marriage with Anna Turgeneva actually ended in 1916, when Andrei Bely returned from Switzerland to Russia.

The tragic perception of reality led Andrei Bely to regard the revolution as the renewal of Russia. But when it happened, and he "huddled in the apartment of friends, drowning the stove with his manuscripts, starving and standing in queues," he considered it a blessing to leave for Germany in 1921. Emigration did not accept him, Anna Turgeneva, who formally remained his wife, too, and two years later he returned. Andrei Bely did not become a Soviet writer. According to Bulgakov, "all his life ... he wrote wild, broken nonsense. Recently he decided to turn his face to communism. But he turned extremely unsuccessfully."

Andrei Bely: "I was left alone at 4 years old. And since then I have never stopped breaking even on my own. I make myself grimaces in the mirror when I shave. After all, the grimace is the same mask. I am always in a mask! Always!"

Biography of Andrei Bely

• 1880. October 14 (26) - in Moscow in the family of mathematician, professor of Moscow State University Nikolai Vasilievich Bugaev and his wife Alexandra Dmitrievna Bugaeva (nee Egorova), a son, Boris, was born.
• 1891. September - Boris Bugaev entered the Moscow private gymnasium of L.I. Polivanova.
• 1895. End of the year - acquaintance with Sergei Solovyov, and soon with his uncle, the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov.
• 1899. September - Boris Bugaev entered the natural sciences department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University.
• 1900. January-December - work on the "Northern Symphony" and a cycle of symbolist poems. Spring is a passion for the philosophical works and poetry of V.S. Solovyov.
• 1901. February - meeting with M.K. Morozova at a symphony concert, the beginning of "mystery love" and anonymous correspondence. March-August - work on the "2nd Drama Symphony". December - acquaintance with V.Ya. Bryusov, D.S. Merezhkovsky and Z.N. Gippius.
• 1902. April - the release of the "2nd Drama Symphony". The first publication of Boris Bugaev, moreover, for the first time signed by the pseudonym Andrei Bely. Autumn - Andrey Bely met S.P. Diaghilev and A.N. Benoit. Articles in the magazine "World of Art".
• 1903. January - the beginning of correspondence with A. Blok. February-April - Andrei Bely's debut in the anthology "Northern Flowers". March - meeting K.D. Balmont, M.A. Voloshin, S.A. Sokolov (owner of the Grif publishing house). May - a diploma of graduation from the university. May 29 - death of Andrei Bely's father. Autumn - a circle of "Argonauts". The beginning of "mystery love" for Nina Petrovskaya.
• 1904. January - Bely's acquaintance with Alexander Blok and his wife Lyubov Dmitrievna. March - release of the first collection of Bely's poems "Gold in azure". Summer - admission to the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University.
• 1905. January 9 - Andrey Bely - witness of Bloody Sunday. February - upon returning to Moscow, a challenge to a duel from Bryusov. Reconciliation took place. April - personal acquaintance with M.K. Morozova, participation in the meetings of the Vladimir Solovyov Religious and Philosophical Society held in her mansion. June - arrival in Shakhmatovo to Blok, written declaration of love to Lyubov Dmitrievna Blok. October 3 - participation in N.E. Bauman. November - acquaintance with Asya Turgeneva.
• 1906. February 26 - declaration of love to L.D. Block. Autumn - application for expulsion from the university and departure to Europe.
• 1907. End of February - return to Moscow. August - Blok challenged Andrey Bely to a duel. In a personal meeting, the conflict was settled.
• 1908. February - meeting with Asya Turgeneva. April - release of the collection "Cup of Blizzards. Fourth Symphony". December - a mysterious rapprochement with the theosophist A.R. Mintslova.
• 1909. End of March - publication of the collection of poems by Andrei Bely "Urn: Poems". April - the beginning of an affair with Asya Turgeneva. August-September - participation in the organization of the Musaget publishing house.
• 1910. November 26 - departure with Asya Turgeneva on a trip abroad.
• 1911. April 22 - Andrey Bely returned to Russia.
• 1912. Departure of Andrey Bely with Asya Turgeneva to Europe. May - meeting with the head of the anthroposophical school Rudolf Steiner. Decision to take the path of anthroposophical "discipleship".
• 1913. March 11 - the return of Andrei Bely and Asya Turgeneva to Russia. August-December - Steiner's lectures in Europe. Participation in the construction of the anthroposophical temple of the Goetheanum in Dornach (Switzerland).
• 1914. March 23 - registration in Bern of the civil marriage of Andrei Bely and Asya Turgeneva.
• 1915. January-June - Andrei Bely wrote the book "Rudolf Steiner and Goethe in the worldview of our time". February-August - work on the construction of the Goetheanum. October - the beginning of work on the novel "Kitty Letaev".
• 1916. January-August - work on the construction of the Goetheanum. August 18 - September 3 - Andrei Bely returned to Russia due to conscription. Asya Turgeneva remained in Dornach. September - a three-month reprieve from military service.
• 1917. January - two-month reprieve from military service. February 28 - revolution in Petrograd. March 9 - Andrey Bely returns to Moscow. December - rapprochement with K.N. Vasilyeva.
• 1918. October-December - service in the Moscow Proletkult and in the Theatrical department of the People's Commissariat for Education.
• 1919. August - Andrey Bely leaves Proletkult.
• 1920. December - As a result of an accident, Andrei Bely was injured, which required three months of treatment in hospitals.
• 1921. May 25 - the last meeting with A. Blok at the Spartak Hotel in Petrograd. August 7 - death of Alexander Blok. August 11 - Andrei Bely began to write his memoirs about Blok. October 17 - a meeting in the All-Russian Union of Writers, dedicated to seeing off A. Bely abroad. October 20 - Bely left for Berlin. End of November - meeting with Asya Turgeneva and R. Steiner.
• 1922. April - a break with Asya Turgeneva. Release of the collection "Zvezda". September - Andrei Bely's article "Maxim Gorky". On the occasion of the 30th anniversary. "September 20 - Andrei Bely's mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna Bugaeva, died in Moscow.
• 1923. January - K.N. Vasilyeva. February-March - collaboration in the Beseda magazine, published in Berlin under the editorship of Maxim Gorky. October 26 - Andrey Bely's return to Moscow.
• 1924. June-September - rest with K.N. Vasilyeva in Koktebel with Maximilian Voloshin. Last meeting with Bryusov.
• 1925. End of March - Andrey Bely and K.N. Vasiliev settled in the village of Kuchino near Moscow. End of August - during one of his visits to Moscow, Andrei Bely was hit by a tram.
• 1927. April - early July - rest with K.N. Vasilyeva in Georgia.
• 1928. March 17-26 - essay "Why I became a Symbolist and why I have not ceased to be one at all phases of my ideological and artistic development." May-August - rest with K.N. Vasilyeva in Armenia and Georgia.
• 1929. February-April - work on the memoirs "At the turn of two centuries". April-August - rest with K.N. Vasilyeva in the Caucasus.
• 1930. January - release of memoirs "At the turn of two centuries". June-September - rest in Crimea, in Sudak. The last meeting in Koktebel with M. Voloshin.
• 1931.9 April - moving with K.N. Vasilyeva for permanent residence in Detskoe Selo. May 30 - arrest of K.N. Vasilyeva. July 3 - release of K.N. Vasilyeva. July 18 - registration of the marriage of Andrei Bely with K.N. Vasilyeva (henceforth - Bugaeva). August 31 - letter to I.V. Stalin. December 30 - departure to Moscow.
• 1933. January - the publication of the novel "Masks". February 11 and 27 - Andrey Bely's evenings at the Polytechnic Museum. July 15 - Andrei Bely received a sunstroke in Koktebel. August - return to Moscow and treatment. November - the release of the memoirs "The Beginning of the Century" with a devastating preface by L.B. Kamenev. December 8 - Andrei Bely at the hospital. December 29 - diagnosis: cerebral hemorrhage.
• 1934. January 8 - Andrei Bely died in the presence of his wife and doctors. Buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Lyrics by Andrey Bely

Poem "In the Fields" Andrey Bely wrote in 1904.

Poem "Remembrance" Andrei Bely wrote in St. Petersburg in September 1908.

The poem "I forgot everything" Andrei Bely wrote in March 1906.

Poem "July Day" Andrei Bely wrote in 1920.

Poem "Magician" Andrey Bely wrote in 1903. Addressed to Valery Bryusov.

Poem "One" Andrei Bely wrote in December 1900. Dedicated to Sergei Lvovich Kobylinsky.

Poem "Ashes. Russia. Despair" Andrei Bely wrote in July 1908. Dedicated to 3.N. Gippius.

Poem "Russia" Andrei Bely wrote in December 1916.

Andrey Bely(real name Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev; October 14 (26), 1880, Moscow, Russian Empire - January 8, 1934, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR) - Russian writer, poet, critic, poetry scholar ; one of the leading figures in Russiansymbolism.

Born into the family of Professor Nikolai Vasilyevich Bugaev, a famous mathematician and philosopher, and his wife Alexandra Dmitrievna, nee Egorova. Until the age of twenty-six he lived in the very center of Moscow, on the Arbat; in the apartment where he spent his childhood and adolescence, there is currently a memorial apartment. In 1891-1899. studied at the famous gymnasium of L.I. Polivanov, where in the last grades he became interested in Buddhism, occultism, while studying literature. At that time Dostoevsky, Ibsen, Nietzsche had a special influence on Boris. In 1895 he became close to Sergei Solovyov and his parents - Mikhail Sergeevich and Olga Mikhailovna, and soon with Mikhail Sergeevich's brother - the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov.

In 1899 he entered the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University (natural sciences). In his student years he met with the "senior symbolists". From his youthful years he tried to combine artistic and mystical moods with positivism, with a striving for the exact sciences. At the university, he works on invertebrate zoology, studies Darwin, chemistry, but does not miss a single issue of The World of Art.

In the fall of 1903, a literary circle was organized around Andrei Bely, which received the name "Argonauts".

Our circle did not have a common, stamped worldview, there were no dogmas: from now until now they have united in searches, and not in achievements, and therefore many among us found themselves in a crisis of their yesterday and in a crisis of a worldview that seemed outdated; we greeted him in our attempts to give birth to new thoughts and new attitudes, - Andrei Bely recalled.

In 1904, the "Argonauts" gathered at an apartment near Astrova ... At one of the meetings of the circle, it was proposed to publish a literary and philosophical collection called "Free Conscience", and in 1906 two books of this collection were published.

In 1903, Bely entered into a correspondence with A.A. Blok, in 1904 a personal acquaintance took place. Prior to that, in 1903, he graduated with honors from the university, but in the fall of 1904 he entered the history and philology faculty of the university, electing BA Fokht as the leader; however, in 1905 he stopped attending classes, in 1906 he filed a petition for expulsion and began to collaborate in Libra (1904-1909).

Bely lived abroad for more than two years, where he created two collections of poems dedicated to Blok and Mendeleeva. Returning to Russia, in April 1909 the poet became close to Asya Turgeneva (1890-1966) and together with her in 1911 made a number of journeys through Sicily - Tunisia - Egypt - Palestine (described in the "Travel Notes"). In 1912 in Berlin, he met Rudolf Steiner, became his student and without looking back gave himself up to his apprenticeship and anthroposophy. In fact, having moved away from the previous circle of writers, he worked on prose. When the 1914 war broke out, Steiner and his students, including Andrei Bely, moved to Dornach, Switzerland. There began the construction of the building of St. John - the Goetheanum. This temple was built by the own hands of the students and followers of Steiner. On March 23, 1914, in the Swiss city of Bern, Anna Alekseevna Turgeneva was married to Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev. In 1916, BN Bugaev was called up for military service and arrived in Russia in a roundabout way through France, England, Norway and Sweden. Asya did not follow him.

After the October Revolution, he taught the theory of poetry and prose in the Moscow Proletkult among young proletarian writers. From the end of 1919, Bely thought about going abroad to return to his wife in Dornach. But he was released only at the beginning of September 1921. He met with Asya, who invited him to disperse forever. From the poems of that time, from his behavior ("the Christ-dance of Bely," as Marina Tsvetaeva put it), one can feel that he was very upset by this parting.

Asya decided to part with her husband forever and stayed to live in Dornach, devoting herself to serving the cause of Rudolf Steiner. She was called the "anthroposophical nun." As a talented artist, Asya managed to preserve the special style of illustrations that have been added to all anthroposophical publications. Her "Memories of Andrei Bely", "Memories of Rudolf Steiner and the construction of the first Goetheanum" reveal to us the details of their acquaintance with anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner and many famous talented people of the Silver Age. White was left completely alone. He dedicated a large number of poems to Asya. Her image can be recognized in Katya from The Silver Dove.

In October 1923, Bely returned to Moscow; Asya is forever in the past. But a woman appeared in his life who was destined to spend the last years with him. Klavdia Nikolaevna Vasilyeva (nee Alekseeva; 1886-1970) became Bely's last girlfriend, for whom he did not feel love, but held on to her, as if for a savior. Quiet, submissive, caring Claudia, as the writer called her, became Bely's wife on July 18, 1931. Prior to that, from March 1925 to April 1931, they rented two rooms in Kuchin under Moscow. The writer died in her arms from a stroke that became a consequence sunstroke , January 8, 1934 in Moscow. Lyubov Dmitrievna Mendeleeva survived her former lover by five years.

Literary debut - "Symphony (2nd, dramatic)" (Moscow, 1902). It was followed by "Northern Symphony (1st, Heroic)" (1904), "Return" (1905), "Cup of Blizzards" (1908) in the individual genre of lyrical rhythmic prose with characteristic mystical motives and grotesque perception of reality. Having entered the circle of Symbolists, he participated in the magazines "World of Art", "New Way", "Libra", "Golden Fleece", "Pass". The early collection of poems Gold in Azure (1904) is distinguished by formal experimentation and characteristic symbolist motives. After returning from abroad, he published collections of poems "Ashes" (1909; the tragedy of rural Russia), "Urn" (1909), the novel "The Silver Dove" (1909; separate ed. 1910), essays "The Tragedy of Creativity. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy "(1911).

The results of his own literary-critical activity, partly of symbolism in general, are summarized in the collections of articles "Symbolism" (1910; also includes poetry works), "Green Meadow" (1910; includes critical and polemical articles, essays on Russian and foreign writers), " Arabesque "(1911). In 1914-1915 the first edition of the novel Petersburg was published, which is the second part of the East or West trilogy. In the novel "Petersburg" (1913-1914; revised abridged edition of 1922), a symbolized isatirical depiction of Russian statehood. The first in the planned series of autobiographical novels - "Kitten Letaev" (1914-1915, separate ed. 1922); the series was continued by the novel The Baptized Chinese (1921; separate ed. 1927). In 1915 he wrote a study "Rudolf Steiner and Goethe in the worldview of our time" (Moscow, 1917)

The understanding of the First World War as a manifestation of the general crisis of Western civilization is reflected in the cycle "At the Pass" ("I. The Crisis of Life", 1918; "II. The Crisis of Thought", 1918; "III. The Crisis of Culture", 1918). The perception of the life-giving element of the revolution as a saving way out of this crisis is in the essay “Revolution and Culture” (1917), the poem “Christ is Risen” (1918), and the collection of poems “The Star” (1922). Also in 1922 in Berlin he publishes the “sound poem” “Glossolalia”, where, based on the teachings of R. Steiner and the method of comparative historical linguistics, he develops the theme of creating a universe from sounds. Upon his return to Soviet Russia (1923), he created the novel Moscow dilogy (Moscow Eccentric, Moscow under attack; 1926), the novel Masks (1932), wrote his memoirs - Memories of Blok (1922– 1923) and the memoir trilogy "At the turn of two centuries" (1930), "The beginning of the century" (1933), "Between two revolutions" (1934), theoretical and literary studies "Rhythm as dialectics and" The Bronze Horseman "(1929) and The Mastery of Gogol (1934).

Novels

• ““ Silver dove. A Tale in 7 Chapters "" (Moscow: Scorpio, 1910; circulation 1000 copies); ed. Pashukanis, 1917; ed. "The Epoch", 1922
• Petersburg (in the 1st and 2nd collection of works "Sirin" (St. Petersburg, 1913; circulation - 8100 copies), ending in the 3rd collection of "Sirin" (St. Petersburg, 1914; circulation of 8100 copies .; separate edition ([Pg.], 1916; circulation 6,000 copies); revised version in 1922 - parts 1, 2. M .: Nikitinskie Subbotniki, 1928; circulation 5,000 copies); Berlin, "Epoch", 1923
• "Kitty Letaev" (1915; ed. - Pb .: Epoch, 1922; circulation 5000 copies).)
• "The Baptized Chinese" (as "The Crime of Nikolai Letaev" in the 4th issue of the alm. Notes of the Dreamers (1921); separate ed., Moscow: Nikitinskie Subbotniki, 1927; circulation 5000)
• "Moscow Eccentric" (Moscow: Krug, 1926; circulation 4000 copies), also 2nd ed. - M .: Nikitinskie subbotniks, 1927
• "Moscow under attack" (Moscow: Krug, 1926; circulation 4000 copies), also 2nd ed. - M .: Nikitinskie subbotniks, 1927
• “Masks. Roman "(Moscow; Leningrad: GIHL; 1932; circulation 5000 copies), published in January 1933

Poetry

• "Gold in azure" (Moscow: Scorpio, 1904), a collection of poems
• "Ashes. Poems" (St. Petersburg: Shipovnik, 1909; circulation 1000 copies; edition 2, rev. - M .: Nikitinskie Subbotniki, 1929; circulation 3000 copies)
• "Urn. Poems "(Moscow: Grif, 1909; circulation 1200 copies)
• "Christ is risen. Poem "(Pb .: Alkonost, 1918; circulation 3000 copies), published in April 1919
• “First date. Poem "(1918; separate ed. - Pb .: Alkonost, 1921; circulation 3000 copies; Berlin," Slovo ", 1922)
• "Star. New Poems "(Moscow: Alcyone, 1919; P., GIZ, 1922)
• “The princess and the knights. Fairy Tales "(Pb .: Alkonost, 1919)
• "Star. New Poems "(Pb .: State Publishing House, 1922; circulation 5000 copies).
• "After Parting", Berlin, "Epoch", 1922
• Glossolalia. Poem about Sound "(Berlin: Epoch, 1922)
• "Poems about Russia" (Berlin: Epoch, 1922)
• Poems (Berlin, Grzhebin Publishing, 1923)

Documentary prose

• "Travel Notes" (2 volumes) (1911)

1. “Ofeira. Travel notes, part 1 ". (Moscow: Publishing house of writers in Moscow, 1921; circulation 3000 copies)
2. "Travel Notes, vol. 1. Sicily and Tunisia" (Moscow; Berlin: Helikon, 1922)

• "Memories of Blok" (Epic. Literary monthly edited by A. Bely. M .; Berlin: Helikon. No. 1 - April, No. 2 - September, No. 3 - December; No. 4 - June 1923)
• "At the turn of two centuries" (Moscow; Leningrad: Land and Factory, 1930; circulation 5000)
• "Beginning of the century" (Moscow; Leningrad: GIHL, 1933; circulation 5000 copies).
• "Between two revolutions" (L., 1935)

Articles

• "Symbolism. Book of Articles "(Moscow: Musaget, 1910; circulation 1000 copies)
• “The meadow is green. Book of Articles "(Moscow: Alcyone, 1910; circulation 1200 copies)
• “Arabesques. Book of Articles "(Moscow: Musaget, 1911; circulation 1000 copies)
• "The Tragedy of Creativity". M., "Musaget", 1911
• "Rudolf Steiner and Goethe in the worldview of our time" (1915)
• "Revolution and Culture" (Moscow: Publishing house of G. A Lehman and S. I. Sakharov, 1917), brochure
• Rhythm and Meaning (1917)
• "On the rhythmic gesture" (1917)
• “At the pass. I. The crisis of life "(Pb .: Alkonost, 1918)
• “At the pass. II. Crisis of Thought "(Pb .: Alkonost, 1918), published in January 1919
• “At the pass. III. The Crisis of Culture "(Pb .: Alkonost, 1920)
• "Sirin of the learned barbarism". Berlin, "Scythians", 1922
• "On the meaning of knowledge" (Pb .: Epoch, 1922; circulation 3000 copies)
• "Poetry of the Word" (Pb .: Epoch, 1922; circulation 3000 copies)
• “Wind from the Caucasus. Impressions "(Moscow: Federation, Krug, 1928; circulation 4000 copies).
• Rhythm as Dialectics and The Bronze Horseman. Research "(Moscow: Federation, 1929; circulation 3000 copies)
• “The skill of Gogol. Research "(Moscow-Leningrad: GIHL, 1934; circulation 5000 copies), published posthumously in April 1934

Miscellaneous

• “The tragedy of creativity. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy "(Moscow: Musaget, 1911; circulation 1000 copies), brochure
• Symphonies

1. Northern Symphony (heroic) (1900; published - M .: Scorpio, 1904)
2. Symphony (dramatic) (Moscow: Scorpio, 1902)
3. Return. Symphony III (Moscow: Grif, 1905. Berlin, "Lights", 1922)
4. Blizzard Cup. Fourth Symphony "(Moscow: Scorpio, 1908; circulation 1000 copies).

• "One of the abodes of the kingdom of shadows" (L .: State Publishing House, 1924; circulation 5000 copies), essay

Editions

• Andrey Bely Petersburg. - Printing house of M.M. Stasyulevich, 1916.
• Andrey Bely At the pass. - Alkonost, 1918.
• Andrey Bely One of the abodes of the kingdom of shadows. - L.: Leningradsky Gublit, 1925.
• Andrey Bely Petersburg. - M .: "Fiction, 1978.
• Andrey Bely Selected Prose. - M .: Sov. Russia, 1988.-
• Andrey Bely Moscow / Comp., Entry. Art. and note. S. I. Timina. - M .: Sov. Russia, 1990 .-- 768 p. - 300,000 copies
• Andrey Bely Baptized Chinese. - "Panorama", 1988. -
• A. Symbolism as an understanding of the world. - M .: Respublika, 1994 .-- 528 p.
• Andrey Bely Collected Works in 6 volumes. - M .: Terra - Book Club, 2003-2005.
• Andrey Bely The skill of Gogol. Study. - Book Club of Book Books, 2011. -
• A. Poems and poems / Vstup. article and comp. T. Yu. Khmelnitskaya; Prepare text and notes. N. B. Bank and N. G. Zakharenko. - 2nd edition. - M., L .: Sov. writer, 1966 .-- 656 p. - (Library of the poet. Large series.). - 25,000 copies.
• A. Petersburg / Edition prepared by L. K. Dolgopolov; Resp. ed. acad. D.S.Likhachev. - M .: Nauka, 1981 .-- 696 p. - (Literary monuments).

Andrey Bely (real name and surname Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev) (1880-1934), writer, theoretician of symbolism.

Born October 26, 1880 in Moscow in the family of a famous mathematician, professor of Moscow University Nikolai Vasilievich Bugaev. In 1899, on the initiative of his father, he entered the natural sciences department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University.

During his student years, he began to write "symphonies" (a literary genre that he created himself). Lyrical rhythmic prose (the writer turned to it constantly) sought to convey the musical harmony of the surrounding world and the unstable structure of the human soul. Symphony (2nd, Drama) was Bely's first publication (1902); The Northern Symphony (1st, Heroic), written earlier, appeared in print only in 1904.

His literary debut drew derisive reviews from most critics and readers, but was highly regarded in Symbolist circles. In 1903, a group of like-minded people formed around Bely, consisting mainly of students from Moscow University. They called themselves "Argonauts" and started looking for the "golden fleece" - the highest meaning of symbolism, which ultimately meant the creation of a new man. The same motives are filled with Bely's poetry collection "Gold in azure" (1904). The year of publication of the book became significant for the author: he met A. A. Blok, began to publish in the new journal of the Symbolists "Libra".

The writer enthusiastically welcomed the Revolution of 1905, taking it in the spirit of his quest - as a cleansing storm, a fatal element.

In 1906-1908. Bely experienced a personal drama: he fell hopelessly in love with Blok's wife Lyubov Dmitrievna. This entailed a tragic breakdown in relations with a poet friend and eventually resulted in poignant lyrics (collection "Urn", 1909).

The novel "The Silver Dove" (1909) is an attempt to comprehend the catastrophic state of Russia as a prologue to its coming spiritual rebirth.

In the first half of the 10s. the most famous novel of Bely was created, which is one of the highest achievements of Russian symbolism - Petersburg, which combines grotesque and lyricism, tragedy and comic.

In the October Revolution of 1917, Bely saw another manifestation of the cleansing element. He sincerely tried to adapt to life in the new Russia, participating in the "cultural building", even wrote a poem permeated with revolutionary pathos - "Christ is Risen" (1918). However, in the early 20s. went abroad again.

Those who met him in Berlin noted a mental breakdown in him. The reasons were the betrayal of his wife, disillusionment with the teachings of the German mystic R. Steiner, and others. “Burnt talent” - so Bely said about himself after his return to Russia (1923).

In the last years of his life, he published three books of memoirs: "At the turn of two centuries" (1930), "Beginning of the century" (1933), "Between two revolutions" (1934). These memoirs are an invaluable source of information about the era and about literary pursuits.

In the summer of 1933, in Koktebel, Bely suffered a sunstroke. On January 8, 1934, after several cerebral hemorrhages, the "brilliant and strange" (according to Blok) writer died.