Andrei Bely, 20th century novelist and poet, is best known for his symbolist novel, Petersburg, considered his masterpiece. His writings emphasize spiritual and mystical elements and are often compared to the masterpieces of James Joyce and Franz Kafka.
Early Life of Andrei Bely
Andrei Bely was born Boris Nikolayevich Bugayev on October 26, 1880, in Moscow. He was born into an intellectual family with his father, Nikolai Bugaev, a prominent professor of mathematics and founder of a school of mathematics, and his intelligent and beautiful mother, popular among high-society circles. Although he had a deep interest in romantic music, philosophy and religion, he studied science at the University of Moscow before focusing on literature.
Bely Poetry and Novels
At the age of 24, Bely published his first collection of poems, Gold in Azure. His third volume of verse, The Urn, contains love poems inspired by an affair with the wife of his friend and fellow poet, Aleksandr Blok. There was such long-running bitterness between these two poets that they had challenged each other to several duels. Eventually, Bely fell in love with another woman.
The reputation of Bely as an outstanding writer rests on his novels. His first, The Silver Dove, published when he was 29, is the story of a young poet who thinks he will be spiritually revived by spending time among simple rural people.
Masterpiece Novel Petersburg
His second novel, Petersburg, is regarded as his masterpiece. It explores the themes of history and identity. It is vivid and memorable, set in the atmosphere of the turn of-the-century Petersburg, during the unsuccessful Russian revolution of 1905.
Petersburg tells of a group of radicals planning an assassination. It has a bizarre humour: the bomb is camouflage. One of the radicals, Nikolai Apollonovich, is the son of the intended victim. He is caught up in revolutionary politics, assigned the task of assassinating his own father, a government official. Nikolai is pursued through the impenetrable Petersburg mists along the environs of the famous bronze statue of Peter the Great.Like the masterpiece of James Joyce, Ulysses, Petersburg plays with language, at times difficult to comprehend and grasp.
Works by Andrei Bely
- Gold in Azure, 1904
- Ashes, 1908
- The Urn, 1909
- The Silver Dove, 1909
- Symbolism, 1910
- Petersburg, 1913
- First Meeting, 1921
- Diary of an Eccentric, 1921
- Kotik Letayev, 1922
- Reminiscences about Blok, 1923
- Gogol's Mastery, 1934
Bely was influenced by Austrian philosopher and educator Rudolph Steiner, in particular, the latter's anthroposophy. He later became Steiner's personal friend. Bely died on January 7, 1934 at the age of 53.
Sources:
Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers, 2002
Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, Larousse, 1994
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