Valery Bryusov short biography and creativity. Literary-historical and translation activities
Bryusov is considered, if not the creator of Russian symbolism, then one of the most prominent figures in this movement. At the turn of the century, when the period of the poet’s creative acme began, many people created incredible works and discovered truly new and valuable things. This is probably how the development of a transitional period always happens, but, of course, the individuals who act in such periods are far from being banal.
Bryusov was born on December 1, 1873 into a fairly wealthy family with a large library. A feature of his upbringing is a bias towards the ideas of materialism. Surprisingly, Bryusov was not read fairy tales as a child, was not told stories about brownies or anything similar, but was actively developed in the sphere of Darwin’s ideas.
As a youth, the poet studied in two Moscow gymnasiums, then graduated from the historical and philological direction at the university, in 1895 he published the first collection of Masterpieces, followed by the Third Watch. These poems were created under the influence of the French symbolists, who strongly impressed Bryusov. Among the landmarks in Russian poetry, it should be noted Nekrasov, who was allowed to read in childhood, unlike Pushkin and Tolstoy, in whom the Bryusov family did not see educational potential for the child.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the poet became recognized by critics and acquired a recognizable style. He is also imbued with the ideas of a new social system and advocates for reforms in the country, although over time Bryusov will stop praising the revolution and return to pure creativity. At the same time, he will of course remain the main ideologist and, if it is possible to put it this way, the locomotive of Russian symbolism, the poetry of hints, as he himself put it.
At the beginning of the 20th century, he was involved in literary magazines, translations and drama. When World War I begins, he enlists as a war correspondent. As a result of the war, Valery Yakovlevich remains completely disappointed in patriotism and politics, and begins to study purely art.
This period is interesting with sonnets, collections of Experiences and Dreams of Humanity and, of course, excellent research articles about Pushkin. Like Blok, Bryusov accepted the revolution, but after that he did not live much and in 1924 he left this world, as if closing the Silver Age of Russian poetry.
Biography 2
Bryusov Valery Yakovlevich is a legend of Russian symbolism, without exaggeration, one of the most significant poets of the beginning of the previous century. For this man, fate turned out quite favorably, and he skillfully used what was given to him in order to absorb knowledge, in order to work on his own creativity, to transform art in general.
Valery Yakovlevich was born in 1873 into a family of merchants, quite rich, and thanks to this, he could become interested in art from childhood. He began writing at an early age, reading French symbolists since childhood, thanks to which he later became an ideologist of Russian symbolism. The basis of this poetry is the search for something unspoken and fundamentally unexpressible, intangible, moving away from objective reality into the realm of halftones and hints, into the realm of dreams, daydreams and similar phenomena.
The poet studied at Moscow University, where he absorbed knowledge from a variety of fields from history to philosophy. In addition, from an early age he was quite attached to various mystical stories and secret areas of knowledge. Bryusov eventually became quite a big mystic, and many of his contemporaries knew about this tendency.
In general, the poet’s youth was quite eventful, he was interested in many progressive ideas for that time (for example, Darwin’s theory and atheism, for the propaganda of which he was successfully expelled from the gymnasium), went to horse races, which his father taught him to do, and studied mathematics in depth. In general, to say about the comprehensive development of this person is to say nothing. During his studies at the university, he learned 20 languages, modern and ancient, in each area he showed incredible diligence and achieved a high degree of perfection.
In the early 1900s, the poet began to work in the spirit of urbanism and quite actively sympathized with new revolutionary ideas. However, he will continue this practically only until the revolution of 1905, after which he will return to the pure ideas of symbolism and become the ideologist of this movement. In the 1910s, Bryusov gradually changed the role of the leader of the Symbolists to a more restrained one and became a conductor of academic views, although symbolism largely remained the basis of creativity.
However, the poet accepted the revolution of 1917, he received awards from the new government, continued to work in the field of art and did a lot for Soviet culture, for example, he worked on the creation of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, which is still used today. At first, the poet considered new times an opportunity to get rid of capitalist slavery, but in the end he was still disappointed in this and even changed the style of his work, making it more incomprehensible to the common masses. Died in 1924.
Valery Bryusov is an outstanding Russian poet of the Silver Age. But his type of activity was not limited to poetry. He established himself as a talented prose writer, journalist and literary critic. Along with this, Bryusov was very successful in literary translations. And his organizational skills found their application in editorial work.
Poet's family
A short biography of Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov is impossible without a story about the poet’s family. This is necessary in order to find an explanation for the presence of many talents concentrated in one person. And Valery Bryusov’s family was the foundation on which his versatile personality was formed.
So, Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov, was born in 1873, December 1 (13), into the family of a wealthy merchant, which was famous for its outstanding people. The poet's maternal grandfather, Alexander Yakovlevich Bakulin, was a merchant and poet-fabulist from a very wealthy merchant family in the city of Yelets. Along with countless fables, my grandfather’s archive contained novels, stories, poems, and lyric poems, written by him without hope of a reader.
Selflessly devoted to literature and dreaming of devoting himself entirely to it, Alexander Yakovlevich was forced to engage in merchant affairs all his life in order to be able to adequately support his family. Many years later, the famous grandson would use his grandfather’s name to sign some of his works.
On his father's side, Valery Bryusov had an equally remarkable grandfather. Kuzma Andreevich was a serf to the famous landowner Bruce in those days. Hence the surname. In 1859, my grandfather bought his freedom from the landowner, left Kostroma and moved to Moscow. In the capital, Kuzma Andreevich became a successful merchant and on Tsvetnoy Boulevard purchased a house in which his later famous grandson, Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov, was born and lived for a long time.
Valery Yakovlevich's father, Yakov Kuzmich Bryusov, also a merchant and poet, was published in small publications. It was the father who sent his son’s first poem to the editor of one of the magazines, which was published. The poem was called “Letter to the Editor,” Valery was 11 years old at the time.
Bryusov's sister, Nadezhda Yakovlevna (1881-1951), like many in the family, was a creative and musically gifted person. She became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. She has several scientific works on music pedagogy and folk music to her credit. And the younger brother of Valery Bryusov, (1885-1966), was an archaeologist and doctor of historical sciences, who wrote works on the history of the Neolithic and Bronze Age eras.
The poet's childhood
In continuation of the description of the short biography of Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov, it is necessary to note the poet’s childhood years. As a child, Valery Bryusov was left to his own devices, since his parents did not pay special attention to the upbringing of their offspring. However, children were strictly forbidden to read religious literature because the parents were convinced atheists and materialists. Subsequently, Bryusov recalled that his parents introduced him to the principles of materialism and the ideas of Darwin before they taught him to count. Any other literature in the family was allowed, so young Bryusov devoured everything: from the works of Jules Verne to pulp novels.
Their parents gave all their children, including Valery, an excellent education. In 1885, at the age of eleven, he began studying at the private classical gymnasium of F. I. Kreiman, and immediately in the second grade. At first, young Bryusov had a very difficult time: he endured ridicule from his classmates and had difficulty getting used to restrictions and order. However, very soon he won the favor of his comrades with his intelligence and talent as a storyteller. Valery could retell entire books interestingly and enthusiastically, gathering many listeners around him. But in 1889, high school student Bryusov was expelled for freethinking and atheistic views.
Then he undergoes training at another private gymnasium. This educational institution is owned by a certain L.I. Polivanov, a great teacher, whose mentoring had an invaluable influence on the worldview of young Bryusov. In 1893, he successfully completed his studies at the gymnasium and entered the Faculty of History and Philology at Moscow University, from which he graduated in 1899.
First literary experience
Already at the age of thirteen, Valery was sure that he would become a famous poet. While studying at the Kreiman gymnasium, young Bryusov wrote quite good poetry and published a handwritten journal. At the same time, his first experience in writing prose occurred. True, the early stories were a little angular.
As a teenager, Bryusov was passionate about the poetry of Nekrasov and Nadson. Later, with the same passion, he read the works of Mallarmé, Verlaine and Baudelaire, who opened the world of French symbolism to the young poet.
Under the pseudonym Valery Maslov in 1894-1895. Bryusov publishes three collections “Russian Symbolists”, where he publishes his poems under different pseudonyms. Along with poems, Bryusov included in the collections the works of his friend A. A. Miropolsky and opium lover, mystical poet A. M. Dobrolyubov. The collections were ridiculed by critics, but this did not dissuade Bryusov from writing poetry in the spirit of symbolism, but rather the opposite.
Youth of a genius
Continuing the description of the short biography of Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov, it is necessary to note the publication of the first collection of poems by the young poet (Bryusov was 22 years old at that time). He called his collection “Masterpieces,” which again caused laughter and attacks from critics, according to whom the title was contrary to the content.
Youthful audacity, narcissism and arrogance were characteristic of the poet Bryusov of that time. “My youth is the youth of a genius. “I lived and acted in such a way that only great deeds can justify my behavior,” the young poet wrote in his personal diary, confident in his exclusivity.
Detachment from the world and the desire to hide from the dull everyday existence can be traced both in the poems of the first collection and in Bryusov’s lyrics in general. However, it would be unfair not to note the constant search for new poetic forms, attempts to create unusual rhymes and vivid images.
Decadence: a classic of symbolism
The life and work of Valery Bryusov did not always go smoothly. The scandalous atmosphere around the release of the collection “Masterpieces” and the shocking nature of some poems attracted attention to a new trend in poetry. And Bryusov became known in poetic circles as a propagandist and organizer of symbolism in Russia.
The decadent period in Bryusov’s work ends with the release of his second collection of poems, “This is Me,” in 1897. Here the young poet still seems to be a cold dreamer, detached from the insignificant, hateful world.
But gradually a rethinking of his creativity comes to him. Bryusov saw heroism and sublimity, mystery and tragedy everywhere. His poems acquire a certain clarity when, at the end of the 19th century, significant changes occurred in literature and symbolism was seen as a self-sufficient movement.
The release of the following collections (“Third Watch” - 1900, “To the City and the World” - 1903, “Wreath” - 1906) revealed the direction of Bryusov’s poetry towards the French “Parnassus”, the distinctive features of which were historical and mythological plots lines, firmness of genre forms, plasticity of versification, penchant for exoticism. Much of Bryusov’s poetry was from French symbolism with a lot of poetic shades, moods and uncertainties.
The collection “Mirror of Shadows,” published in 1912, was distinguished by its noticeable simplification of forms. But the poet’s nature prevailed and Bryusov’s later work was again directed towards the complication of style, urbanism, scientificity and historicism, as well as the poet’s confidence in the existence of many truths in poetic art.
Extra-poetic activity
When describing a brief biography of Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov, it is necessary to touch upon some important points. After graduating from university in 1899, Valery Yakovlevich worked in the Russian Archive magazine. In the same year, he headed the Scorpion publishing house, whose task was to unite representatives of the new art. And in 1904, Bryusov became the editor of the magazine “Vesy”, which became the flagship of Russian symbolism.
At this time, Valery Yakovlevich writes many critical, theoretical, scientific articles on various topics. After the abolition of the magazine "Scales" in 1909, he headed the literary criticism department in the magazine "Russian Thought".
Then there was the revolution of 1905. Bryusov perceived it as inevitable. At this time he wrote a number of historical novels and was engaged in translations. After the October Revolution, he actively collaborated with the Soviet government and even joined the Bolshevik Party in 1920.
In 1917, Valery Bryusov headed the press registration committee, headed scientific libraries and literature. department of the People's Commissariat for Education. He holds high positions in the State Academic Council and lectures at Moscow State University.
In 1921, Bryusov organized the Higher Literary and Art Institute and became its first rector. At the same time, he teaches at the Institute of Words and the Communist Academy.
Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov died in his Moscow apartment in 1924, on October 9, from lobar pneumonia. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Russian literature of the Silver Age
Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov
Biography
BRYUSOV Valery Yakovlevich (1873 - 1924), poet, prose writer, literary theorist, translator.
Born on December 1 (13 NS) in Moscow into a wealthy merchant family. The father of the future poet raised his son in the spirit of the advanced ideas of the sixties. Bryusov recalled: “Portraits of Chernyshevsky and Pisarev hung above my father’s table. I was brought up... in the principles of materialism and atheism." N. Nekrasov was a particularly revered poet in the family.
He studied at the Moscow private gymnasium of F. Kreiman, then moved to the gymnasium of the famous teacher L. Polivanov, who had a noticeable influence on the future poet. Already at the age of thirteen, Bryusov decided to become a writer. The interests of the high school student Bryusov are literature, history, philosophy, and astronomy. Having entered Moscow University in 1892 into the historical department of the Faculty of History and Philology, he studied in depth history, philosophy, literature, art, languages (ancient and modern).
At the end of 1892, young Bryusov became acquainted with the poetry of French symbolism - Verlaine, Rambaud, Malarme - which had a great influence on his further work. In 1894 - 95 he compiled small collections of “Russian Symbolists”, most of which were written by Bryusov himself. Some of these poems spoke of the author's talent.
In 1895 he published the book “Masterpieces”, in 1897 - the book “This is Me” about the world of subjectively decadent experiences that proclaimed egocentrism. In 1899, after graduating from university, he devoted himself entirely to literary activity. For two years he worked as secretary of the editorial board of the Russian Archive magazine. After organizing the Scorpion publishing house, which began to publish “new literature” (works of modernists), Bryusov took an active part in organizing almanacs and the magazine “Libra” (1904 - 09), the best magazine of Russian symbolism.
In 1900, the book “The Third Watch” was published, after which Bryusov received recognition as a great poet. In 1903 he published the book “To the City and the World”, in 1906 - “Wreath”, his best poetry books.
In subsequent years, Bryusov’s poetry became more intimate, new features of his lyrics appeared: intimacy, sincerity, simplicity in the expression of thoughts and feelings (the collection “All Tunes”, 1909; the book “Mirror of Shadows”, 1912).
During the First World War, Bryusov was at the front as a correspondent for one of the St. Petersburg newspapers, writing patriotic poetry, but soon returned from the front, realizing the senselessness of this war for Russia.
Bryusov accepted the October Revolution and put his talent as an organizer of a new culture to its service. His activities in this direction were energetic and diverse. His poetic creativity was also very intense and productive: in the early 20s, he published five books of new poems, among which the best is “On Such Days” (1921). Known as an outstanding translator, a special place is occupied by translations of Armenian poetry and poems by Verhaeren. Bryusov did a lot in the study of the Russian language, made a significant contribution to the study of the works of Pushkin, Fet, Gogol, Blok and others. In Soviet times, at Moscow University he gave courses of lectures on ancient and modern Russian literature, on the theory of verse and the Latin language, on the history of mathematics , conducted seminars on the history of the Ancient East, etc. M. Gorky called Bryusov “the most cultural writer in Russia.” On October 9, 1924, before reaching the age of 51, Bryusov died in Moscow.
"THIS COMES FROM THE DUSK TO THE LIGHT..."
(About the creative path of Bryusov the poet)
In art, strict art is important.
Break the deadening captivity of souls
And go out on a fiery path
To the stream of eternal changes.
V. Bryusov
The literary activity of Valery Bryusov is striking in its versatility. He is known as the author of stories and novels, playwright, translator, art theorist, literary historian and literary critic, poetry researcher, journalist, editor, teacher, organizer of literary
Life... But in the minds of his contemporaries and subsequent generations, he was and remained, first of all, a poet. Indeed, the most important and significant thing in
Bryusov's extensive literary heritage is his poetic creativity.
Reading Bryusov’s poems, one cannot help but pay attention to the motif that persistently repeats from collection to collection, from year to year - the image of a path, a traveler, off-road wanderings or tireless movement forward, a difficult ascent.
Already in the poems of the early period, in the 90s, this kind of recognition and self-characteristics are constantly encountered:
We are travelers of a starless night,
Seekers of a vague paradise. (1895)
Or these calls:
And here are the lines from the 900s:
All the stone steps,
The rise is getting steeper and steeper. (1902)
And in the 1910s, on the eve of great historical events, again:
I don’t know, but I’m going; I throw my torch high;
I kick the steps; my spirit is intoxicated. (1914)
And finally, after October again:
I’ll go, I’m glad for the unexpected thunder,
Catching all the moments and not complaining,
Throw back the faded hour. (1921)
The number of such citations can be increased many times over.
This path, which the poet constantly talks about, was not easy and difficult; it was replete with numerous twists and turns, ups and downs.
Where did it come from and where did it lead?
Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov was born in 1873 in Moscow into a merchant family, which had its origins in the serf peasantry, and the middle
Her generation was already affected by the influence of advanced democratic and scientific-materialist ideas of the 60s. But the 60s were already in the past.
Bryusov's adolescence dates back to the gloomy 80s, and his youth to the early 90s. The poet himself subsequently characterized the era when his
Conscious life and the formation of his views:
I grew up in a deaf time, When the whole world was deaf and quiet. And it seemed to people to live in a burden, And the ear did not need verse.
It was a time of severe political reaction, degeneration and shredding of the traditions of the liberation movement, disappointment in them, disappearance
Interest in social issues among a significant part of the intelligentsia, the spread of the theory of “small deeds”, the growth of philistine sentiment. Certainly,
New social forces were already awakening and forming in the depths of society, the transition to a new, proletarian stage of the revolutionary movement was being prepared,
However, young Bryusov, like most people in his environment, was far from those social strata and had not yet seen these processes.
Let us pay attention to the fact that the quoted lines of the poet speak not only of political, but also of literary timelessness. If you turn to
Poetry of those years, we will see that it really experienced a clear decline, ideological impoverishment. The poems of the overwhelming majority of poets were dominated by
Petty subject matter, banality, dull epigonism, a sluggish, inexpressive form that can only discredit any social content.
In such a social and literary environment, Bryusov’s poetic activity began.
His early poems were largely born of this time. The stuffy atmosphere of the then bourgeois-intellectual environment left its mark on them,
Deprived of real civic ideals and interests, big ideas and aspirations. Hence the extreme individualism and egocentrism reflected
In these verses, there is apoliticality, a demonstrative disregard for social issues.
“I am a stranger to the worries of the universe,” the poet openly declared. And in another poem he admitted: “I know of no other obligations, / Except
Virgin self-confidence."
At the same time, young Bryusov was characterized by a desire to somehow push away from the environment around him with its dull way of life, with its stereotyped
Morality, with its stereotyped art, devoid of brightness and courage. The aspiring poet wanted to find some new ways, felt the need to say
Some new word. The first steps in this direction were suggested to him by
Foreign literature of that time.
At that time, in the West, and primarily in France, a new movement in the field of poetry took shape and developed, which became known as
In the name of symbolism or decadence (from the French word decadent - decadent), since its representatives expressed predominantly minor
The mood of a tired soul, tired of facing rough, prosaic reality. Poems of these poets (P. Verlaine, S. Mallarmé and others)
They made a strong impression on the young Bryusov with their novelty, unusual artistic means, and the ability to subtly convey different shades of complex and
Conflicting experiences of modern man.
Fascinated by such examples, Bryusov plans to become the leader and organizer of “new poetry” in Russia. In 1894 - 1895 he released three
Small collections called “Russian Symbolists”, filling them mainly with his own poems and under his own name and under different
Nicknames. These collections, which were supposed to demonstrate the emergence of a new poetic school in Russia, were soon followed by
Personal collections of the young poet with pretentious foreign-language titles: “Chefs d’oeuvre” (“Masterpieces”, 1895) and “Me eum esse” (“This is me”,
What characterized this early period of Bryusov’s creativity? Most clearly his poetic platform, his then aesthetic
Bryusov formulates his position in the famous poem “To the Young Poet,” which contains three calls: “don’t sympathize with anyone,” “don’t live in the present,”
“worship art, only it, thoughtlessly, aimlessly.” The stanzas of this work acquired the meaning of a manifesto of decadent poetry with its
Ultra-individualism, isolation from public life, with its outright immoralism and rejection of humanistic principles, with its cult
Self-sufficient art.
Moving away from the unsightly reality, the poet plunges either into the world of unclear visions and fruitless fantasies, or into the stuffy sphere of some broken
And painful experiences, then into geographical and historical exoticism. In his poems there are unusual, bizarre images at every step. Thus, a poem about Moscow begins with the line: “Moscow slumbers, like a female sleeping ostrich,” and a poem about love with the words: “My love is scorching.”
I remember: in the early silence I praised the burning afternoon of Java, the Dream of lush lilies
On the wave, Trunks to which boa constrictors cling, Herbs unknown to our eyes, To us
Unknown flowers...
M. Gorky back in 1900 had reason to say about Bryusov that he “appears before the reader in strange and eccentric clothes, with
Elusive moods."
Of course, not everything from the decadent props of the first Bryusov collections should be taken seriously and considered an expression of genuine
The poet's experiences. There was a lot here of the desire to challenge the usual aesthetic norms, to force people to pay attention to themselves, shocking the public
From a “decent” society, accustomed to the decorous, formulaic and overwhelmingly completely dull poetry of those years. Hence the notorious
The one-line poem “Oh, close your pale legs,” and the “naked moon” (from the poem “Creativity”), which rises “under the azure
Moon,” and other extravagant images and motifs.
Bryusov himself admitted that in his poems he sometimes demonstrated “deliberate obfuscation of meaning,” “boyish swagger,” “panache.”
In rare words”, etc., in the manner of some Western poets. And in his diary of 1896, he promised that his next book “will be gigantic
A mockery of the human race."
It is not surprising that his performances at that time caused bewilderment among readers, indignation among reviewers, and numerous parodies. Bryusov succeeded
He “irritated the geese” so much that he was denied access to the big press for a number of years.
If Bryusov had stopped at this stage of his poetic development,
Then in books on the history of literature he would be mentioned only in small print as one of the original representatives of decadent poetry and, of course, not
Would be of significant interest to us today.
But the poet himself was by no means satisfied with his poetic experiments of that time. “We were daring, we were children,” he will soon say about the releases
"Russian Symbolists". He will write to his colleague in symbolism, Konstantin Balmont, about these collections: “You know their meaning well, that is
Lack of their meaning." And “Masterpieces” will receive such a merciless assessment from the author in the next collection: “Believe me: for a long time I have considered the poor book a mistake
Mine." And subsequently the mature Bryusov would call his early poems “not quite
Successful tests for a somewhat arrogant young man.”
Already from the third collection, published at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries - “Tertia Vigilia” (“Third Watch”) - Bryusov began the process of active
Overcoming decadence. And in this he is helped by turning to the example, experience, testament of the great writers of the past, and above all Pushkin, by research
The work of which he already began to engage in and the admiration for which he carried throughout his life.
In Pushkin, Bryusov seeks and finds the answer to the question of what a poet should be. In his diary for 1897 we read the following entry: “A poet must
To be reborn, he must meet an angel at a crossroads, who would cut his chest with a sword and put, instead of a heart, a burning coal. Not yet
It was silently dragging “in the wild desert”..."
Having languished for several years in the desert of decadent art, Bryusov was already languishing and longing for renewal. On ways to overcome egocentric
The poet turns to the limitations of decadence with its narrow-chambered lyricism to what he himself called “lyrical epic.” And he finds material for it
At first only in past centuries.
A historian by training and by his scientific interests, Bryusov possessed to a high degree, according to Gorky’s definition, “a subtle and rare gift
Penetration into the past." For him, history was not a “land of graves,” but a “familiar world” with which he “once lived as one soul.”
In the collection “The Third Watch” the main place is occupied by the large section “Favorites of the Ages”. It contains expressive images of named and unnamed historical and legendary heroes from different countries and eras. Here is a stern warrior who cannot imagine life outside of battles (“Old Viking”), and a poet, ideals
Who comes into sharp conflict with reality (“Dante”), and the ancient observer of nature, striving to comprehend the “mysteries of the worlds” (“Chaldean
Shepherd").
True, Bryusov approaches the depicted phenomena of the past with purely aesthetic criteria; he admires strong characters and bright
Individuals, regardless of their social and moral character. And among the “darlings of the centuries” who attract the poet, it turns out, for example,
The cruel eastern despot Assargadon, who “erected his powerful throne” “on
The bones of enemies."
But going into the past and poetizing its “powerful shadows” undoubtedly indicate that Bryusov did not find a real hero in
Modernity, that in the bourgeois-philistine society surrounding him he saw predominantly dull vegetation, which evoked his condemnation and disgust:
We are not used to bright colors, Our clothes are the color of the earth; And we lowered our timid gaze, We drag ourselves slowly in the dust. What am I dreaming about? - wild
Screams. What's close to me? - blood and war. My brothers are the northern lords, My time is the Viking times.
The aspiration outlined in “The Third Watch” from the chamber, narrow-minded world into the big world with its affairs and interests is embodied in
The next collection is “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”), the very title of which the poet shows that he is no longer addressing a narrow circle of his
Like-minded people, but to a wider circle of readers.
In poems such as “Escape” and “Work”, Bryusov largely anticipates the theme of Blok’s poem “The Nightingale Garden”. The lyrical hero of the first poem, hearing a trumpet call, runs from the lush alcove in which he slept in a sweet dream into life with its noise, anxieties and worries. IN
The hero of the second poem also leaves his daily life filled with hard work. Throwing off the “purple from his shoulders,” he takes up the plow, shovel and
For Bryusov, a great worker, work has always been the main meaning of life. Now he glorifies work in poetry. And poetic, literary
He - as if in polemic with poets of a romantic-idealistic type - represents creativity in the form of hard work, in the image of plowing a field, and a poetic dream - in the image of an ox pulling a heavy plow.
Having recently declared in his poems: “I don’t see our reality, / I don’t know our century,” Bryusov is now turning his face to modern
Reality, greedily absorbs her impressions. His poetry includes the theme of the big city, paintings appear and occupy a significant place
City life with its noise, din, movement of human crowds and fast-moving carriages, with its temptations and contradictions. He glorifies
The modern city sings its praises and at the same time it sees its ulcers and deformities. Bryusov becomes the first urban poet in Russian poetry XX
Century. The influence of Verlaine is replaced by the influence of the singer of the city Verhaeren, with whose works Bryusov then introduced Russian readers in his
Excellent translations. Previously, Bryusov’s confession was typical: “I wander alone in silence.” Now he writes in his diary: “I’m going to people,
I merge with people, fraternize with them.” In his poems about the city, social motives are increasingly heard, more and more attention is paid to the fate of the disadvantaged
Urban lower classes. At this time, Bryusov created his famous poem “The Bricklayer” - about a worker who is forced to build a prison where he will
It may be his own son who is languishing in prison. And soon the poet will express the bitter complaint of another mason:
We break stones to live in the world,
And we live to beat...
Woe to those who are now children,
To those who should be!
After the release of The Third Watch, M. Gorky wrote to Bryusov: “You, to me
It seems like they could stand up well for an oppressed person.” Gorky is not
Wrong. The theme of the oppressed person appears in Bryusov and where he
Refers to the historical past. For example, in the poem “The Rowers
Triremes" he speaks on behalf of captive slaves chained to the oars and their
With the efforts of moving the ship, on the deck of which they enjoy the life of a darling
The increasing democratism of Bryusov’s poetry is also manifested in his attempts
Imitate the forms of modern folklore, and especially urban folklore. So
A cycle of his “Songs” appears, two of which are called “Factory Songs”.
The poet’s sharpening of attention to social issues is powerful
The entire socio-political situation of those years contributed to
Preceding the revolutionary explosion of 1905, and especially the revolution itself.
Not so long ago, Bryusov urged not to live in the present and preached
Dispassion. Now he is deeply concerned about the unfolding big
Political events. Bryusov becomes the continuer of Russian traditions
Classic poetry. Picking up Lermontov’s comparison of a poet with a dagger,
He calls himself a "struggle songwriter" and states:
The poet is always with people when the storm is noisy, And the song with the storm is always sisters.
As a bright civic poet of great strength, Bryusov appears in the collection
“Stephanos” (“Wreath”), published just during the days of the armed December
Uprisings of 1905. The most important section of this collection is called
"Modernity".
Bryusov brands bourgeois liberals, half-hearted
Gradualists, “happy with little”, satisfied with pitiful concessions with
Sides of the tsarist regime. With all sincerity, he is ready to glorify the “ocean
The passion of the people, crushing the fragile throne into splinters.”
True, the impending revolution attracts him mainly because of its
The destructive side. He calls revolutionaries “close ones,” but declares:
To break - I will be with you, to build - no!
This gave V.I. Lenin the basis to define the then social
Bryusov’s position as that of a “poet-anarchist.”
The change in the content of Bryusov’s poetry and his entire worldview led
And to a change in his poetic style. Already in his early poem
“Sonnet to Form” Bryusov expressed his attraction to “sharpened and complete
Phrase”, to the “harmoniousness of the sonnet”. But in his early collections in style, in language,
In the entire poetic manner there was much that was impressionistically unclear,
Vague, vague, indefinite. The mature Bryusov's verse becomes
Masculine, chased, forged, images - convex, clear, sculptural,
The phrase takes on a complete, aphoristic character. These qualities
They emphasize almost everything that characterized his poetry in his mature years. Yes, Andrey
Bely called Bryusov “a poet of marble and bronze,” he wrote about his “ringing,
Metal lines”, about “words as strong as hammer blows”. A.V.
Lunacharsky noted Bryusov’s “cut precision of images”, “the weight of each
Lines and stanzas and the beautiful architecture of the whole.” And Bryusov himself believed
The virtue of his poems is precisely “conciseness and strength”, “providing tenderness and
Melodiousness - to Balmont.”
Of course, Bryusov’s work in the 1900s and 1910s is very controversial.
More than once he had reason to repeat the words
One of His poems: “Again my soul is split.” In collections
And during its heyday one can find many relapses of uneradicated decadence.
Here there is hypertrophied eroticism, the perception of love as dark,
Destructive passion, and the affirmation of man's fatal loneliness, and
A feeling of satiety with life (one of the poems is called “Boredom”
Life"), and the glorification of the "bliss of death". Yes, Bryusov could say about himself,
Then he worshiped those that were brighter, that were more corporeal,
Then he trembled in anticipation of the shadows.
Bryusov’s favorite heroes in his “lyric-epic” works are those whose
According to the poet, “a clear lot is beautiful - / to shine and die” - very
Various. Along with Aeneas, who rushed towards a high feat,
Having left the bed of negativity, “throwing away the thoughts of love,” the poet glorifies the triumvir
Anthony, who violated his duty because of his love for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra
Statesman and commander. “Oh, let me draw the same lot!” -
Bryusov exclaims, finishing this poem.
And yet in the consciousness and poetry of Bryusov above the decadent,
The pessimistic, individualistic were increasingly triumphant,
Heroic, life-affirming, humanistic beginning. The poet is increasingly
Glorifies man-creator, tireless worker, creator,
A victorious man, transforming the earth, conquering nature, cognizing
The Universe. In this regard, the famous
Poem "Praise to Man."
Stones, wind, water, flame
You humbled with your bridle,
Raised the jubilant banner
Right into the blue dome.
Before other poets, Bryusov sang the praises of the first aviators. With firm faith in
The power of the human mind, the power of science and technology, it looks into the future,
He dreams that a person will win victories in space and will even be able to cheat
And the trajectory of your planet:
I believe you, daring one!
You will bet
There are rows of sails across the Earth.
You will guide with your hand
The planet's run between the stars.
Symbolist magazine "Scales". But it can be argued that he never was
A devout symbolist. For example, the mysticism of most of his
Younger colleagues, their belief in the other world and in the possibility of some kind of
Communication with a mime. He had long felt like a stranger “among his own.” Back in 1907
He wrote to one literary critic: “Although from the outside I seem to be the leader of those who
Of old memory they call our decadents, but in reality I am among them
Like a hostage in an enemy camp. It’s been a long time since everything I write and everything that
I say, it is decidedly not to the liking of my literary comrades, but to me,
Frankly, I don’t really like what they write and say.” Subsequently he
He recalled heated arguments with the Symbolists, who cruelly reproached him for
Realism in symbolism, for materialism in idealism.
Symbolists, led to a break with them. Once upon a time he persistently extolled the dream
And a dream over reality. Now, in his critical articles, he
Reality" that "as soon as art is divorced from reality,
His creatures are stripped of flesh and blood, fade and die.”
To fully strengthen the connection with the surrounding reality, with the real
Bryusov strives for life, including the most ordinary, the simplest, in his
Poems of the 1910s.
At the dawn of his work, Bryusov expressed demonstrative disdain
To real nature:
I created in secret dreams a world of ideal nature, - that this
Ashes: Steppes, rocks, and waters.
Soon, however, this arrogant and contemptuous attitude towards nature, according to
In the poet's expression, it “jumped off” him. With each new collection of 1900 - 1910s
Over the years, the theme of nature has occupied an increasing place in Bryusov. Fields, forests, mountains,
The sea, “the sparkle of the day, the blackness of the night, spring, winter” find their lover in him
In his poems of the second decade of the 20th century, Bryusov deliberately
Polemicizes with decadent mentalities. He wants to oppose
The weariness of life characteristic of his former comrades, “indomitable,
An invincible call to life, to life at all costs, to all wounds and to
To her joys." No wonder his collection “Mirror of Shadows” opens with an epigraph from
While on the earthly chest, although I will breathe with difficulty, all the thrill of life
Young I will be audible from everywhere.
And the collection “Seven Colors of the Rainbow” begins with riotous lines:
What should I do when I am not satiated with this intoxicated life!
In the same decade, Bryusov’s work also included the big theme of friendship.
The peoples inhabiting Russia, and the poet makes a great contribution through his activities
To develop and strengthen this friendship.
Even before the revolution, he became close to M. Gorky, actively participated in
His publishing endeavors. Gorky highly valued the cooperation of Bryusov and
He called him “a comrade in work for the benefit of Russian culture.” Very
Their collaboration was fruitful in the preparation of collections that contributed to
To familiarize Russian readers with the poetry of some other peoples of Russia.
The book “Poetry of Armenia” compiled by Bryusov acquired particular significance.
With which he worked both as a translator of many poetic texts and as
Russian readers enjoy the rich world of Armenian poetic culture, and
It is not surprising that on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday he was awarded
Honorary title of People's Poet of Armenia.
For a quarter of a century of his pre-revolutionary work, Bryusov, like us
We see that there were different “paths and crossroads” (that’s what he called the three-volume collection
of his works), he tried, one might say, “all the tunes” (this is also
The title of one of his collections).
In the 900s, Bryusov already enjoyed great popularity and recognition.
But he never stopped there and often felt
Dissatisfaction with one’s position in life and literature, one’s creativity.
In his letter to the writer N.I. Petrovskaya, associated with symbolist
In circles, we find, for example, the following confessions: “I can no longer live
Outlived beliefs, those ideals that I stepped over in
I cannot live by poetry, by the “new art,” whose very name is intolerable to me.
More". And in his diary he writes in 1907: “At times I am quite
I was sincerely ready to give up all the previous paths of my life and move on to new ones,
Start your whole life all over again.”
However, only the greatest event of the 20th century, which caused a powerful shock
All social life from top to bottom, - October socialist
The revolution forced Bryusov “to reconsider everything at the very core, at the very root.”
Your worldview." It turned out to be a profound revolution for him personally.
“I see myself,” noted Bryusov, “completely different before this edge and after
It may seem surprising that the meter of the symbolist movement, in
In the past, a militant defender of the individualistic and self-sufficient
Art decisively and irrevocably went over to the side of Oktyabrskaya
Revolution, became an active builder of socialist culture and even a member
Communist Party.
In order to find an explanation for this, we must remember that Bryusov
He was never a loyal son of his class; he “broke out” of it long ago.
Imbued with knowledge of history, delighted with the heroism of outstanding people and
Great events of the past, Bryusov made high demands on his modernity
Ethical and aesthetic requirements that bourgeois reality
Far from matching. Hence his long-standing conflict with this
Reality. Bryusov was quite sincere when he wrote back in his
Beginning of the century:
How I hated the system of this whole life, Shamefully petty, wrong,
Ugly.
Bryusov understood and anticipated different socio-historical formations
The inevitability of the fall of the existing capitalist system. More than once he
His works spoke about the impending social cataclysm, he
Looking ahead to the future when
A free man will stand firmly before the face of the sky on his planet.
Naturally, the poet is much larger than many of his fellow poets.
Class and profession was prepared to receive and welcome
Great October, to “turn your horse onto a new path.”
Back in 1906, he wrote: “There are some truths... ahead of modern
Humanity. Whoever shows me the way to them, I will be with him.” This path is decisive
The moment was indicated to Bryusov by the October Revolution, Lenin and his comrades.
In the early spring of 1918, when a significant part of the intelligentsia
Still took hostile or wait-and-see positions towards the Soviet
Authorities, Bryusov, together with Professor P.N. Sakulin, came to the People's Commissar
Enlightenment A.V. Lunacharsky and offered his cooperation.
We saw that in 1905 the poet declared, addressing the revolutionaries:
“To break - I will be with you, to build - no!” Now he went to build with
Communists create a new society, a new culture.
A man of extraordinary activity by nature, Bryusov was always not
Only a writer. Even before the revolution, he devoted a lot of effort and time
Organizational work in the field of literature and culture. October opened for
His social and organizational activities have wide scope.
He carries out responsible work in the People's Commissariat for Education, heading scientific
Libraries, literary department, art education. He's a dick
State Academic Council, deputy of the Moscow Council, professor
Moscow University, editor of the magazine “Artistic Word”,
Chairman of the All-Russian Union of Poets. He works at Gosizdat. He
Creates and heads the world's first higher education institution for training
Young Writers - Higher Literary and Art Institute, which
His name was given.
And he combines this big, intense daily work with
Continuation of the main work of his life - poetic creativity. For seven
During the years he lived after October, he published six collections of new poems and
Becomes one of the founders of Soviet poetry. The verses included in these
The collections are not of equal value, but among them there are those that belong to
Poetic classics of the post-October years.
Particularly significant was the collection with expressive
The outstanding poet was born on December 1 into a wealthy family that had its origins in the serf peasantry. The father raised his son in the spirit of the sixties. Especially in the family of Valery Yakovlevich they loved to reread the works of Nekrasov. Valery Yakovlevich received his education at the private Moscow gymnasium of F. Kreiman, after which he came to the gymnasium of L. Polivanov, a famous teacher who had a significant influence on the poet. Bryusov was interested in literature, history, philosophy, and astronomy.
The poems of the overwhelming majority of that time were dominated by banality and inexpressive form. His early poems were born from that time. In 1894-1895 Bryusov compiled small collections of poems “Russian Symbolists”, most of which were written by himself and speak of the poet’s extraordinary talent. In 1895 he published the book “Masterpieces”, In 1897 - “This is Me”. In 1899, after graduating from university, he devoted himself entirely to literary activities. Works as a secretary in the editorial office of the Russian Archive magazine, takes part in the creation and development of almanacs and the Libra magazine. Bryusov received his recognition after the publication of the book “The Third Watch” in 1900. In 1903 he published the book “To the City and to the World.” And in 1906 - “Wreath” - these are his best poetic books. In subsequent years, new features appear in the author’s poetry: intimacy, sincerity, simplicity of thoughts and feelings.
Reading Bryusov’s works, it is impossible not to pay attention to the persistently repeated motif - the image of the path, wanderings, tireless movement forward and difficult ascent. During the First World War, Valery Yakovlevich was at the front, where he served as a correspondent for one of the newspapers. The October Revolution revealed in the poet the talent of an organizer of a new culture. Studying the works of Pushkin A.S. whose work he admired and bowed to all his life, Valery Yakovlevich found the answer to the question “What should a real poet be?” A real poet must be reborn, and instead of a heart there must be a flaming coal placed in him by an angel. He published five books of new poems, the best of which is “On Days Like These.” He contributed a lot to the study of the Russian language and the study of the works of famous Russian poets: Pushkin, Fet, Gogol, Blok and many others. Bryusov also gave lectures on ancient and modern Russian literature, Latin, and history.
Valery Bryusov is a Russian poet, prose writer, playwright, translator, literary critic, literary critic and historian. He is also one of the founders of Russian symbolism.
Personal life
Having reached the age of 23, the young guy married Joanna Runt, with whom he lived until his death. There were no children in the family.
By nature, Bryusov was a very collected, purposeful and strong-willed person. However, at the same time, he showed a weakness for gambling, late-night restaurants, erotica, etc.
His first three collections were called “Russian Symbolists”. They contained translations of some French symbolists, as well as poems by novice poets.
The next collections were “This is Me”, “Romances Without Words” and “Masterpieces”.
Soon, collections of poems “The Third Watch”, “Wreath”, and “All Tunes” appeared from his pen.
Bryusov's poems are full of historical, mythological and abstract subjects. They contain love, politics, philosophy and private human problems.
An interesting fact is that his work influenced such poets as Sergei Solovyov and Andrei Bely.
The poet never settled on one thing and constantly experimented with style.
For example, in his later work the ideas of urbanism were traced when it came to large and highly developed cities.
Literary environment
At the end of the 90s, Bryusov met such famous writers as Gippius, Minsky, Sologub and others.
In 1899, he was the head of the Scorpio book publishing house, which published works by figures of the “new art”.
The next place of work in Bryusov’s biography was the magazine “Libra”, where he was editor-in-chief.
Having reached the pinnacle of writing, Bryusov became one of the most prominent figures in Russian literature. He was called the "Emperor of Symbolism."
In 1909, the magazine “Scales” was closed, as a result of which Valery Bryusov began working in the criticism department of the publication “Russian Thought”.
There he published his own and other people's works written in the style of symbolism, the purpose of which was to destroy the isolation of the symbolic school in literature.
Historical novels and concepts
She has always occupied one of the central places in Bryusov’s biography. He tried to give an objective assessment of any events taking place both in Russia and abroad.
He perceived the revolution of 1905 as the inevitable destruction of the culture of the past. At the same time, he did not deny the possibility of his own death, since he was part of the old world (see the verse “The Coming Huns”).
Over time, Bryusov lost interest in political events. Instead, he began to actively study the patterns of historical processes.
In his works “Altar of Victory” and “Fire Angel”, he described in detail various eras, trying to show the crisis state of the world through historical analogies.
At the beginning of the First World War, the poet was a promoter of patriotism. However, working as a war correspondent and seeing firsthand all the horrors of war, he reconsidered his views.
Translation activities
In 1898, Bryusov met Bartenev, who was the editor-in-chief of the Russian Archive magazine.
As a result, friendly relations began between them, and soon Valery Yakovlevich began working in his publication.
Almost all of his working time he was engaged in translations, and every year his translations became more and more qualitative and detailed.
After the revolution
After the October Revolution, of which he was the main organizer, Bryusov accepted the power of the Bolsheviks.
At the same time, serious changes occurred in his biography.
He became the head of the Press Registration Committee. Soon he was entrusted with the position of chairman of the presidium of the Union of Poets.
In 1919, Valery Yakovlevich became a member of the Russian Communist Party, and a year later he founded a literary and artistic university.
He lectured to students and also continued to publish articles aimed at the development of literature.
In his collection “Dreams of Humanity,” Bryusov published works by Armenian and Latin poets, as well as Japanese tanka.
He seriously thought about the problems of poetry, after which he wrote a work in which he examined this topic in detail.
Last verses
In the last years of his life, Bryusov did not stop experimenting with different styles of writing poetry.
An interesting fact is that his latest works contain scientific poetry, the founder of which was the French poet Guillem.
Similar poems include “Reality”, “World of N Dimensions” and “World of Electron”.
Many of Valery Bryusov's contemporaries did not understand his works because of their excessive complexity. However, this once again spoke of his talent and the existence of unique methods of versification.
Bryusov's legacy
During his biography, Bryusov wrote not only many poems of symbolism. He also gained fame as an excellent translator of English, French, German, Italian and ancient poets.
In addition, he managed to write a number of critical articles that help to better understand the quality of certain works.
Bryusov left a deep mark on Russian literary criticism, and also became the author of new forms of poetry.
Death
Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov died on October 9, 1924 at the age of 50. The cause of his death was pneumonia. The grave of the great symbolist poet is located at the Novodevichy cemetery.
If you liked Bryusov’s biography, share it on social networks. If you generally like biographies of great people, be sure to subscribe to the site website.
Sergei Rachmaninov and Mikhail Gnesin, Alexander Grechaninov and Reinhold Gliere wrote music for Valery Bryusov's poems. However, the poet not only wrote poetry - he created plays and translated foreign authors, published magazines and directed a literary institute. Valery Bryusov became one of the founders of Russian symbolism.
“Huge bags of written paper”
Valery Bryusov was born in 1873 into a Moscow merchant family. He was the grandson of the poet Alexander Bakulin, author of "Fables of a Provincial".
At the age of four, Bryusov learned to read and literally settled in his parents’ library. He studied biographies of great people and foreign classics, and read pulp novels and scientific literature. The poet recalled his childhood: “They diligently protected me from fairy tales and all kinds of “devilish things.” But I learned about Darwin’s ideas and the principles of materialism before I learned to multiply. I knew classical literature poorly: I had not read Tolstoy, Turgenev, or even Pushkin; Of all the poets in our house, an exception was made only for Nekrasov, and as a boy I knew most of his poems by heart.”. Bryusov was also fond of scientific experiments: he conducted simple chemical and physical experiments and studied the nature of various phenomena from books. While still in preschool age, the boy wrote his first comedy, “The Frog.”
At the age of 11, Valery Bryusov became a student at the private Kreiman gymnasium - after the exam he was accepted straight into the second grade. He grew up at home without friends, did not know simple children's games, and his passion for science and literature alienated him from his classmates even more. However, later Bryusov became close with other young reading enthusiasts, and together they began publishing the handwritten magazine “Nachalo”. During these years, the aspiring writer tried his hand at prose and poetry, translating ancient and modern authors. However, Bryusov’s first publication was a completely ordinary article - at the age of 13, he appeared on the pages of the magazine “Russian Sport” in support of betting at horse races.
“I constantly began new works. I wrote poetry, so much that I soon filled up the thick Poesie notebook that was given to me. I tried all forms - sonnets, tetracines, octaves, triplets, rondos, all meters. I wrote dramas, stories, novels... Every day carried me further. On the way to the gymnasium, I thought about new works, in the evening, instead of studying my homework, I wrote... I had huge bags of paper covered in writing.”
The magazine “Nachalo” was published for several years, and then the high school students abandoned this idea. Bryusov resumed his editorial activities when he was 16 years old. He began to produce a handwritten “V Class Leaflet” at school. The newspaper criticized the rules of the gymnasium, so that the freethinking student was soon forced to move to another educational institution. He continued to study at the Polivanov gymnasium.
Dedication to “Eternity and Art”
In the 1890s, Valery Bryusov became interested in the works of Pushkin and the French symbolists - Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Stéphane Mallarmé. In 1893, he wrote a letter to Verlaine, in which he called himself the founder of Russian symbolism. In the same year, Bryusov created the drama “The Decadents (End of the Century)” - it told about some facts of the biography of the French poet.
In 1893, Bryusov entered the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University. He studied history and philosophy, art and literature. The young poet devoted a lot of time to foreign languages - sometimes only to read foreign authors in the original.
In his diary Bryusov wrote: “If I were to live a hundred lives, they would not satisfy all the thirst for knowledge that burns me.”.
Already in his second year of study, the poet published his first collection “Chefs d’oeuvre” - “Masterpieces”. In the preface, he wrote: “Printing my book these days, I do not expect a correct assessment of it... I bequeath this book not to my contemporaries or even to humanity, but to eternity and art.” Critics received the poems with skepticism, including because of the book's loud title. Two years later, the second collection, “This Is Me,” was published. Urban, historical and scientific motifs appeared in it. The poet dedicated the next book - a collection of poems “The Third Watch” with historical and mythological subjects - to Konstantin Balmont. The poet published his works in many Moscow and St. Petersburg magazines, and worked at the Moscow Scorpion publishing house.
In 1897, Valery Bryusov got married. His chosen one was Joanna Runt, the young governess of the poet’s sisters. The poet wrote in his diary: “The weeks before the wedding are not written down. This is because they were weeks of happiness. How can I write now if I can only define my state with the word “bliss”? I'm almost ashamed to make such a confession, but what? That's it". Ioanna Runt was very sensitive to Bryusov’s manuscripts, before the wedding she did not allow them to be thrown away during cleaning, and after that she became a real keeper of Bryusov’s works.
Valery Bryusov and his wife Ioanna Bryusova (née Runt). 1899 Photo: M. Zolotareva
Valery Bryusov with his wife Ioanna Matveevna
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Valery Bryusov became close to other symbolists - Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Zinaida Gippius, Fyodor Sologub. In 1901, their first joint almanac “Northern Flowers” was published - it was then that symbolism became an established literary movement. Poets and writers organized literary meetings in the Gippius circle, on “Wednesdays” with Bryusov, and also with his friend Alexander Miropolsky (Lang). Spiritualistic seances, which were fashionable in those years, often took place here. The lights in the rooms were dimmed and “spirits” were summoned, who moved the furniture and even “wrote” mysterious texts - of course, by someone else’s hand.
In 1903, Bryusov published the book “To the City and the World,” and in 1906, the collection “Wreath.” “Wreath” includes works from several previous years - mythological, lyrical, and also dedicated to revolution and war. In parallel with his literary work, the poet publishes the symbolist magazine “Scales”, heads the department of literary criticism in the magazine “Russian Thought”, writes plays, prose, and translates foreign authors.
Correspondent, translator, professor
During the First World War, Valery Bryusov worked as a war correspondent for the Russian Vedomosti newspaper. But the patriotic sentiments of the first years of the war quickly faded. Ioanna Bryusova recalled that he “returned deeply disappointed by the war, no longer having the slightest desire to see the battlefield.” During this period, Bryusov's critical poems appeared, but they remained unpublished.
During these years, Valery Bryusov focused not on the plots of his new poems, but on the form of the verse and poetic technique. He selected sophisticated rhymes, wrote classic French ballads, and studied the techniques of the poets of the Alexandrian school. Bryusov became a virtuoso of improvisation: he created a classic sonnet in record time. Bryusov created one wreath of sonnets, “The Fatal Row,” out of fifteen works in just seven hours.
In 1915, by order of the Moscow Armenian Committee, Valery Bryusov began preparing a collection of national poetry. The anthology covered one and a half thousand years of Armenian history. The poet was involved in organizing the work, translating, editing the book, and preparing it for printing. When the collection was published, Bryusov wrote several articles about Armenian culture and the book “Chronicle of the Historical Fates of the Armenian People.” Later he received the title of People's Poet of Armenia.
After the revolution, Valery Bryusov became a civil servant. At first, he headed the Committee for Press Registration, worked at the State Publishing House, was chairman of the presidium of the All-Russian Union of Poets, and helped prepare the first edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. In 1921, Anatoly Lunacharsky proposed to Bryusov to organize the Higher Literary and Artistic Institute. Until the end of his life, the poet remained its rector and professor.
In 1924, the poet passed away - he died of pneumonia. Valery Bryusov was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
