Andrei Bely The Princess & The Knights (James Ginzburg Translation

Written between 1909 and 1915, this short collection of poems by Russian symbolist master Andrei Bely is available in English translation for the first time. While loosely thematically linked, these psychedelic pieces create a kaleidoscopic and fragmented coherency out of the shattered stained glass of romantic tales of chivalric knights. This limited edition is a faithful recreation of the first edition, which was published in 1919 by Alkonost in St. Petersburg, and follows Bely’s experimental typography. Bely used visual devices in his poetry as a musical score, guiding the reader’s recitation, and is generally considered the first Russian poet to experiment with the layout of text, having perceived it as an essential dimension of the poetry itself.

Author Bio: Andrei Bely (1880-1934) was a Russian author, poet and essayist best known for his novel Petersburg, which was regarded by Vladimir Nabokov as one of the four greatest novels of the 20th century. Often associated with his symbolist peers, Bely’s writing, with its colourful, mysticism inflected, and virtuosic prose and poetry is singular. Bely was a close follower of Rudolf Steiner, and while deeply influenced by him, Bely’s personal syncretism gave rise to a metaphysical expression within his work that is distinct from Anthroposophy.