Bely, Andrei (1880–1934)

Russian poet, novelist, literary theorist, and leader of the younger Symbolists (see Symbolism). Bely's intense awareness of a spiritual dimension to existence led him to embrace several mystical philosophies, including millenarianism and theosophy. His metaphysical questionings are clear in the recurring theme of a tension between inner experience and social reality in his poetry, and also dictated its convoluted, ornamental style. His works include the novel Peterburg/Petersburg (1913–14) and Zoloto v lazure/Gold in Azure (1904; poems).

Bely wrote a sequence of four novels modelled on musical structures, Simfonii/Symphonies 1899–1908. His application of musical theory to literature and his use of neologisms (new words and expressions) make his work arcane and inaccessible, yet he exerted a considerable influence on prose style in the 1920s.