Beyer. Andrej Belyj. The Berlin Years 1921-1923

Andrej Belyj: The Berlin Years 19211923
Author(s): Thomas R. Beyer, Jr.

Source: Zeitschrift fr Slavische Philologie, Vol. 50, No. 1 (1990), pp. 90-142
Published by: Universittsverlag WINTER Gmbh
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Andrej Belyj
The Berlin Years 1921-1923
periods in the life and work of An
drej Belyj is the two year period which he spent in Berlin. Belyj's
stay abroad is troubling to both Soviet and emigre scholars. Peter
Drews describes the enigma: "So wenig seine Abreise aus der Sowjet
union im Herbst 1921 eine plausible Erklrung findet, so wenig gibt
1923.
im November
es einsichtige
Grnde fr seine Rckreise
One of the most controversial
Mocul'skij,
relying primarily on the memoirs of Cve
distracted
Xodasevic,
portrays Belyj as absent-minded,
critics
and
scholars
have
Soviet
depicted him, not
estranged.2
Konstantin
taeva
and
and
as an emigre, but rather a lost sheep returned to the fold of Soviet

literature.3 Neither view adequately
explains Belyj's extraordinary
burst of creative activity in Berlin. Not since the first decade of the
To
so in demand.
Century had Belyj been so prolific, so engaged,
dismiss Belyj merely as a sick and troubled eccentric is to ignore his
to date lacks an
role in "Russian
Berlin".
central
Scholarship
"berblick"
examining the entire period of Belyj's stay in Berlin
1921 to October 1923 missing in the views of Cve
from November
and others who arrived in Berlin in mid 1922,

taeva, Xodasevic
crisis in Belyj's life. With this in-depth
time of acute psychological
review of Belyj's activities, I hope to balance the reality, vividly re
1 Peter
In:
Anzeiger
2 Konstantin
Fedor
L.
236:
"A.
was
called
January
did not
Moul'skij,
Skorino,
by the
1934
11,
share
died
the
Slusaju
Bal'mont)
a Soviet
velikuju
Belyj,
In:
slipped
- Berlin
Scheideweg
p. 127.
Paris
1955,
pp.
Sovremennye
Zapiski,
1921-1923.
233-257.
56,
See
also
1934,
In: Znamja,
5, 1974,
muzyku
budusego.
in the fall of 1921 was not an emigration;
of life in the starving,

declares:
"It
obituary
of other
who
Belogo.
abroad
hardships
in Belyj's
fate
12, 1981,
Andrej
Andreja
departure
am
Schriftsteller
Philologie,
Pamjati
Belyj's
Gippius,
Belyj
fr Slavische
Stepun,
257-259.
3 See
Russische
Drews,
leaders
into
of that
the
devasted
Petrograd."
is important
to note,
movement
literary
of Whiteguard
swamp
pp.
p.
he
Pravda,
that
he
(Merezkovskij,
emigration.
writer."
A.
Andrej
called
in the
"
The
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
91
Russian
press in Berlin, with the perceptions

and Belyj's own harsh and one-sided recollection
Soviets
emigres,
Belyj.
."4
No
such
study
be
of
in
complete
without
considering the special roles played by Asja Turgeneva-Bu

Rudolf
Steiner and Berlin itself for Belyj's arrival and the
gaeva,
roles
Rudolf Steiner
Vasil'eva,
corresponding
played by Klavdija
and conditions in Berlin for his departure.5
There
are several
go abroad
4 Andrej
as early as 1920 for Belyj's desire to

in Dornach.6 Two events in August 1921
references
and rejoin Asja
Odna
iz
after
his
carstva
1924.
This work
obitelej
tenej,
Leningrad
and not unmotivated
return to Moscow
shortly
by certain
realities
of resuming
a career
in Soviet
Russia.
The work itself is dated
political
a lecture
with the same
title on January
1924, but he gave
14,
by Belyj March
1924.
The English
translation
of the title, "In the Kingdom
of Shadows",
ig
was
Belyj,
written
nores
word
the
In
or "abbey."
tery' doesn't
".
rov,
Stat'i,
obitel'.
was
Belyj
to Tomasevskij
we must
anywhere:
exist
B.
Yet
build
perepiske
Tomasevskij
Dokumenty,
Leningrad
is oft repeated.
See
it inside
The
"monastery"
'distant
monas
"this
of ourselves."
s Andreem
p. 239.
1982,
of this
he wrote:
(.
V.
Lav
In:
Dom:
Puskinskij
Belym".
for the emi
of "shadow"
concept
Sentimental'noe
Moscow
putesestvie,
and I myself am turning into
know I live among
the emigres,
p. 332 "And
a shadow
shadows"
[v ten' sredi tenej],
among
5
to an understanding
of Be
scholars
have
contributed
bits and pieces
Many
in
will
in
I
time
Berlin
and
their
works
be
cited
the
course
of
this
article.
lyj's
gration
V.
in search
constantly
in 1933,
a letter
Sklovskij,
1929,
am indebted
shared
and
to the many
and
reactions
with
individuals
who were generous
with their time, critical
those eyewitnesses
who
of the Berlin period
especially
suggestions,
me their memories:
Nina Berberova,
Aleksandr
Vera
Lur'e
Baxrax,
Gul'.
Roman
Alexander
von Humboldt-Stiftung
for travel
and research.
support
in Russkaja
note on Belyj
printed
was not received."
to travel
abroad
serts:
and
The
provided
generous
6
biographical
"Permission
Middlebury
College
1, 1921, p. 19 as
Kniga,
For some time there was
of the official status

of Belyj's
and Asja's
relationship.
Asja in a letter
- were married
"We
a formality
declared:
Vol'skij
actually
purely
the unfriendly
peasant
popula
civily in Bern in 1914 in order to not scandalize
not a church
I didn't
want a marriage
at all - and certainly
tion in Switzerland.
A. Belyj i . A. Turgeneva"
one."
by Gi.eb
p. 65 in "K biografii
Andreja
Belogo:
a question
to . V.
in Annali
Struve
poli,
p. 65.
1970,
and
Bugaieff
Zivilstandsamt
up
thorities
their
Anna
John
had
Turgenieff
on March
of Bern
residence
or
living
Universitario
Malmstad
des Zivilstandskreises
Eheregister
take
dell'Instituto
Both
to
on February,
avoid
scandalizing
and
their
23,
Bern.
1914
Orientale,
Ron
Peterson
marriage
1914.
Cf.
Sezione
have
Slava,
noted
13,
that
with
officially
registered
Band
1914
Seite
78 Nr.
in Dornach
Belyj and Asja had arrived
with the local
and to avoid
difficulties
the
"aunties"
at
Dornach,
they
Na
Boris
the
157
to
au
formalized
together.
Thomas
92
Beyeb
the death of Alexander

provided new impetus for Belyj's departure:
The most
of
Blok and the arrest and execution
Nikolaj Gumilev.
dramatic and profound event for the writer and the man was the
Blok on August 7, 1921. Their
of his friend-foe, Aleksandr
both
personal and professional, dominated
twenty-year relationship,
Russian Symbolism. Born in the same year Belyj and Blok had been
death
and aes
united and divided by a series of philosophical
alternately
thetic concerns throughout their brilliant careers. In a letter to Xo
only two days after Blok's death, Belyj described

:
reaction.
" -
."7
At
the
same time,
,
the loss was tempered by the sobering thought. of his own mortality
written
dasevic
his initial
the realization
that at the age of forty he must be resolute:
" :
:
.'
. '

."8
in mem
Over the next few months, Belyj would speak eloquently
brother.
Blok's
death
of
his
own
one-time
literary
provided
ory
and
focus for a flood of memories, especially

of the earlier days of
their literary careers from 1902 to 1905. He certainly saw Ljubov'
at the funeral who also opened the doors to retrospec
Dmitrievna
clear
tion
and
ments
was
ence
captivating
at
Vol'fila
of
re-evaluation
concerned
a
life.9
his
Often
these
retrospective
mo
more than
Belyj
and Belyj,
they did Blok, but their content

a hypnotic orator, spellbound
the audi
memorial
morning
at
ceremony
the
Petersburg
section
on August
28, 1921.
of
-
.
. . .
7
1921.
8
Sovremennye
Zapiski,
Belyj
here
quotes
prosilas'
ty/Pogibnut',
year later.
9
infatuation
Belyj's
one of his first crises.
55,
from
thinkingly
I need
and
her
258.
from
Quoted
poem
by . A. Del'vig
. . ." He will repeat
il' ljubit'
with
See
Aleksandru
dreja Belogo
a letter written
between
in Ljuba.
1934,
A.
Blok's
Lavrov,
wife,
Ljubov'
Stranicy
Literaturnoe
"Elegija":
these words
Dmitrievna,
istorii:
letter
of August
9,
dusa
"Kogda
to Cvetaeva
had
Iz neizdannyx
precipitated
pisem An
Bloku.
In:
obozrenie,
10, 1980, p. 105. In
1905 Belyj
admitted:
"I recognize
11-14,
April
myself
in spirit . . . But more than that I'm in love with Ljuba.
Un
completely."
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
. . .
93
.10
even
an intellectual
rebirth, his
Belyj was undergoing
health was by no means assured.11 Blok and Belyj had both
material
in Russian.
Just as ominous was the
hardship
Still,
physical
endured
threat
to those
his restraint).
Bloks
test
as
an
Schuld
too outspoken
Maria
had never been known for
(and Belyj
writes:
Razumovsky
Tod
bot Andrej Belyj Anla zu einem flammenden Pro

die Adresse der verantwortlichen
Stellen, denen er die
am vorzeitigen Tod seines Freundes gab, und auf die men
Lage hinwies, in der die russischen Intellektuel
muten. Mglicherweise
hat dieser Appell dazu
da ihm selbst und anderen die Ausreise ermglicht
schenunwrdige
len vegetieren
beigetragen,
wurde.12
arrest on the night of 3-4 August and subse

Nikolaj Gumilev's
execution
an end to the tolerance
for cultural fi
quent
signaled
gures.13
Belyj was finally granted permission to leave in September.14 For

the next month he moved between Moscow and Petrograd maintain
10 D.
pp.
Maksimov,
171, 172.
11 Il'ja
Erenburg
tom,
in an
ja
article
videl
i slysal
of 1921
Andreja
mentions
dessus
de la melee"
in Russkaja
7-8, July
Kniga,
12 Maria
Marina
Razumovsky,
Zwetajeva:
"the
-
Zvezda,
Belogo.
sick
N. Belyj".
p. 2.
1921,
August
und
Mythos
7, 1982,
"Au
Wien
Wahrheit,
1981, p. 162.
13 Prof. A. JaSenko
mits:
ject
ad
up the early years of the Bolshevik
powers
summing
be recognized,
that if the life of anyone
during this time was sub
In spite of the
to minimum
it was the life of writers
and scholars.
danger,
great
"it
must
terror
we
know
of only
a few instances
1916
and
careful
for induction
handling
into
the
of intellectual
of executions
in this
milieu.
This
from the very

displayed
of the revolution
and continues
to this day."
Cf. Russkaja
kniga posle
beginning
In: Russkaja
1, January
1921, 3.
perevorota.
Kniga,
oktjabr'skogo
14
from Switzerland
in the summer
of
had been
summoned
to Russia
Belyj
respect
armed
forces.
workers
First
the
was
war,
then
the
events
of 1917
and return to Asja.

In his letter to
his departure
abroad
prevented
following
"Don't
dated
November
1921 Belyj recalls:
her from Kowno
11-12,
forget, that
I wasn't
in February
I tirelessly
to leave.
permitted
simultaneously,
sought
and
94
Thomas
Beyer
ing an active
schedule of lectures, meetings and negotiations

for the
of
his
works.15
He
Russia
on
October
20, 1921
publication
departed
and after a few hours in Riga, where he was granted only a transit
visa, he travelled
two
lectures
on
on to the city of Kowno

and
poetry
one
on
where
(Kaunas)
From
Tolstoj.16
he gave
he
where
Kowno,
was
still awaiting a visa and the necessary permission to travel to

Germany, he wrote to Asja. Time was running out and Belyj desper
ately wanted to make his way to ", , ."
(Letter to
Asja, p. 301).17
in August
then
1920;
died,
they
shout:
'let
shot
1920
was turned
down
a
they were ashamed;
or he'll die, like Blok.'"
Belyj go abroad,
This
pp. 296-309.
edited
for Sovremennye
5, 1967,
is the
vi
Zapiski,
mind
and
desire
Rukopisnom
second
and
Gumilev,
to leave
Russia
time,
. V.
Lavrov,
Blok
to
young
people
began
(p. 306). In Vozdusnye
puti,
of the letter which Xodase
version
complete
55, 1934. For an overview
see
. . . Then
the
of Belyj's
Andreja
Materialy
otdele
state
Dorna.
In: Ezegodnik
Puskinskogo
Rukopisnogo
1979 god, Leningrad
John
Malmstad
1981, pp. 58-68.
to . N. Bugaeva,
Belom,
Vospominanija
p. 13 states:
Dorna
kinskogo
"Introduction"
of
Belogo
otdela
Pus
na
in his
"Offi
at the time, had been granted

an exit
cially he, like many others who left Russia
visa for reasons
of health."
15
on August
about
to record
his memories
11, 1921 Belyj was setting
Already
of Blok,
a task which
would
until it would
become
a major
grow and expand
thrust
rary
of his literary
life. He had written to the director
that copies
of his own correspondence
with
asking
to Klavdija
given
lyj's life.
On September
Nikolaevna
6, 1921
Vasil'eva,
who
would
later
of the
Blok
Lib
Rumjantsev
- a task
be made
play
key
role
in Be
returned
to Moscow
and gave his diary and notes
On September
in Moscow
26 he spoke
safe-keeping.
about
Blok.
See Literaturnoe
Moscow
In
nasledstvo,
92/93,
1982,
pp. 535-538.
October
tried to arrange
his professional
affairs.
Most
was to
Belyj
important
obtain
a release
from his contractual
with Grebin:
See Ezegodnik
. .
obligations
to
Ivanov-Razumnik
na
1979,
Also
Belyj
for
pp. 66-67.
in October,
a chapter
of Vol'fila
in Moscow
based
on the
Belyj organized
in Petersburg
and on October
9 gave
a lecture
there on "Dosto
group
and Tolstoj."
On October
16 Belyj
met with the Anthroposophical
Circle
evskij
in Moscow
and the Group
On October
17 he
(See L. Skorino,
Kuznecy
p. 236).
original
read
from his
Moscow
and
"Pervoe
was
hosted
svidanie"
at
at a special
meeting
dinner by the
a farewell
of the
All
Union
Russian
of Writers
Union
in
of Wri
ters.
16 S. S.
Greiskin,
. A. Lavrov,
stixovedeskom
nasledii
Andreja
Belogo.
universiteta,
5125, 1981, p. 109.
Ucenye zapiski
Tartuskogo
17 The
of course,
is Rudolf
Steiner
and Dornach
Doctor,
is the village
in Swit
zerland
where
Steiner
had located
his Anthroposophical
note in Rus
colony.
that Andrej
5, May
"Is preparing
1921, p. 20 had noted
to
skaja
Kniga,
Belyj
travel to Switzerland."
In:
Andrej
Belyj's
as
was
departure
it. was
need
. .
to
The
Belyj.
Berlin
tnotivaled
see
and
not
l!)21-l!)23
so
with
spcak
Years
much
"
Asja.
95
to
desire
leave
weites
in February of 1920.18 Their rclationship

is diffi
Belyj
cult to define, but they had been bound together uniquely by inysti
-
eal and spiritual experiences.
:
"
' ?'"19
, :
Belyj has de
seribed how in 1912 the two had experieneed
a mystiea! together
ness which to fll fruition in the person of Rudolf Steiner, and
tlius the triangle (Belyj's favorite form) of Belyj - Asja - Steiner.20
After his return to Russia
in 1916 Belyj kept alive the hope of a re

with
He
refers
to her with tenderness (albeit pater
Asja.
lationship
his
nalistie
she was ten years
junior) and harbored the eonvietion
that
the
face
to
face
between
unity
and
meeting
the
His
two.
baring
own
of
their
souls
would
expeetations
restore
in sharp
were
trast to those of Asja. In her own mind the relationship

ended before Belyj's departure in the sumrner of 1916.
eon
had already

.
,
,
.
.
,
'* <) koim: es Nivat.

du
In: Cahitrx
Lettre
Andrej
Belyj a la Camille d'Asja.
Monde
rux.il il oriilit/uc.
XVIII,
1-2, janv. - juin 1977. p. 138.
19 Andhej
. I. Berlin
1922. p. 73.
Bei.y.i.
zametki,
Putevye
-
in a letter of May
Ii ixt writes to Blk about
the experience
14, 1912.
Belyj
in "Zapiski
in artistie
cu
Later
he will deseribe
the lil'e "Nelli"
|Asjaj
prose
and
daka".
2,
xcila,
merno)
8.3-127.
pp.
to eomment
deseribed
he will
ultimatelv
1923,
in
them
these
detail.
deseribe
Asja
experience,
See
"Andrej
tu N. Valentinov
In a letter
p. 242.
Iiis
in
last works
Belyj
19(57-1908,
"Andr.
not
always
laithl'ully)
I eonsidered
Zametki'
separat,ed
. . ." pp.
own
lil'e
(),
Asja
that
eornplains
deseribes
our relationship
(in detail
subjeetively
- but in
"After 'Putev.
and tastelessly
!
eorreetly."
that we had
it necessary
to show
him in lil'e (ziznenno)
(ziznenno
Maoni
In
razoslis')."
L.h noohen,
The
Struve.
ream
"K
bionralli
of Rebirth,
Andreja
Stockholm
1
1982,
p.
biogralii
to explore
the man and
(intimnyj)"
l'ound 'her
in
she
had
deelared
that
Bogoluby
"Turgeneva
finally
asjiect.
to
she
was
no
able
and
that
in
as
an
asoetic.
longer
path'
anthroposophy
to him. Crom this moment
the role of his 'wil'e', but could
only be a 'sister'
80 refers
wil'e
in
(>4-(i5.
Iz vospominanij"
B<
detail. in
it would
be illejiitimate
(nepravo
says
were it not Cor the Caet that Belyj had
i Rudolf
13-14.
Steiner".
Belyj
Moxty,
|>ersonal
herseif
play
on Belyj
to Belyj
says
that
own
"Material
Turgeneva
categorically
rel'used
him sexual
eontaet
. . ."
Thomas
96
.
,
Asja's
remarks
that
not
com
.21
the
to send
Belyj
pletely
fers to one of her letters
ended
soon
correspondence
continued
accurate.
Beyer
are
to her and he re
letters
in 1920 (her Christmas present for 1919)

in 1918 for money.
on
and her request passed
by an acquaintance
of her perception, Belyj intended to join his wife and he
Regardless
of Belyj's true desire to see

from
Kowno.
After chiding her for
Asja
of Soviet real
the tone of her own letters, her lack of understanding

that "
ity and his accusation
refers to her often.22 The best indication
is in the November
letter
affirms: "
nonetheless
-

- '
'."
,
(. 307).
;
second motive for his trip abroad was Belyj's desire to rejoin
the Doctor - Rudolf Steiner. This relationship,
too, is complex and
(. 304), Belyj

."
controversial.
The
Doctor
Donner
Moscow
of Belyj's
novels
remains
an obstacle
in attempts to define Belyj's reaction to the man

today
foster father. This as
who was his spiritual mentor, and intellectual
with
is
to
of the Berlin
sociation
Steiner
central
any unterstanding
as well as to Belyj's
period
ther-son
Steiner
bond
was
between
so
the
central
to
mental
two
and while the strnge
state,
men
has
been
treated
fa
elsewhere,
during the Berlin years, some

own
father had died in 1903, and
repetition. Belyj's
in
the
novel
is merely one indica
complex
""
Belyj
deserve
aspects
the Oedipus
of Belyj's
him. Rudolf
ambiguious
feelings toward
stepped into that gap and there are references that make
tion
that
Belyj
looked
21
Tukgeneva,
upon
Andrej
Steiner
Belyj
as
i Rudol'f
a father.23 Belyj
In:
Stejner.
believed
13-14,
Mosty,
Steiner
it clear
that
1967-1968,
p. 248.
22 In a letter
from December
1920 Belyj writes to Konstantin
Erberg:
"My en
life is in Asja
. . . My soul longs for Asja.
and in 'Epopeja'
I was ready
to
."
. V. Lavrov,
Rukopisnom
otdele
Puskin
Materialy
Andreja
Belogo
In: Ezegodnik
Dorna.
otdela
Dorna
na 1979 god,
skogo
Rukopisnogo
Puskinskogo
to Grzbin
on October
refers
1981,
6, 1921
Leningrad
p. 60. In a letter
Belyj
tire
twice
to his desperate
need
"I
for money:
and my wife." ibid. 67.
23 See
Thomas
R.
Beyer,
Jr.,
Andrej
Steiner":
1981,
pp.
Review
76-86.
Artiele.
more
Slavic
recent
and
East
discussion
must
again
Belyj's
European
appears
earn
a living
"Reminiscences
Journal,
in my
for myself
of
"Belyj
Rudolf
4, Winter
XXV,
and
Steiner:
Andrej
Steiner
The
Berlin
Years
97
1921-1923
could
easily arrange his entry into Berlin, and while he

he did not want to bother the "great one" with a re
that
wrote
Belyj.
quest for intercession,

behalf. This conflicts
he clearly hoped for Steiner's support on his

with Asja's
who quotes
Steiner as
account,
saying
-

,'
'
,
.

,
.

,
,
,
(
. .)
.'
Asja recalls, these words made their way to Belyj, who found
them "offensive."24 Already in Kowno, however, Belyj realized that
visa and currency problems would preclude moving to Switzerland.
he decided to travel to Berlin.
Consequently
Several factors at the beginning of 1920 combined to make Berlin
an appealing
Berlin had
Community for the Russian
intelligentsia.
War
I
and
wiser
than
before
from
World
somewhat
poorer
emerged
- but its cultural and architectural
In
1920
were
intact.
heritage
Berlin became
with the uniilcation of the surrounding communities
a metropolis of four million
thirties have overshadowed
The events
inhabitants.
of the nineteen
In the
the city's heritage of tolerance.
had granted refuge to the Jews of Eu
seventeenth
Century Berlin
In the early 1920's some
and
later
to the French Huguenots.
rope
were scattered
lived
here
and
another
Russians
300,000
100,000
factors likewise favored
around other parts of Germany.25 Political
The
Berlin
1921-1923."
Period
26 and
"Andrej
Belyj's
von Sivers."
to Marie
ters
76.
First
An
excellent
overview
and
Journal
46,
for Anthroposophy,
of Steiner
and Anthroposophy
22 (1984).
in Der Spiegel,
17-20,
series "Anthroposophen"
24 A. Turgeneva
p. 248. This
sis of Belyj's
letter from Kowno.
sent.
Could
which
the
when Belyj
25 Little
strasse
it be that
landlady
left?
perished
in the
the
of their
remains
(
)
Asja
at
city
reaction
Most
of Steiner
have
returned
the
Crampe
Pension
physical
guards
Newsletter,
6, 1987, pp. 13
Belyj Society
Steiner:
Two Let
Encounters
with Rudolf
Andrej
Last
peacefully
after 1917
letter
presence.
comes
assumed
to
The
can
including
the
of the
grave
trunk
and
cemetery
Berberova
Witte
at
few hundred
of V.
ba
left it in the
Xodasevi
Russian
on the
never
letter
the remains
found
was
the
who
pp. 71
in the
1987,
be
apparently
that
to Belyj
gave
Winter
D.
Russians
Nabokov.
Most
who
of
98
Thomas
Beyer
Berlin.
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

had brought an early cessation
of hostilities between Russia
and Germany.
The Bolshevik
regime
needed trading partners and the Weimar Republic still
desperately
from the brden
smarting
economic
of the Treaty of Versailles

had signed an
on May 6, 1921 which resulted in de
1921 Russia would
Russia. By November
in Berlin
agreement
facto recognition of Soviet
have permanent
diplomatic
representation
16, 1922 the Treaty of Rapallo
extending
relations
was signed.
Nemirovic-Dancenko
Vasilij
described
in Berlin
diplomatic
and on April
and economic
the conditions
as follows:
.
"

."26
,
Differences in the value of currencies resulted in a particularly
low
cost of living for those with access to the more stable currencies.
This seemingly favorable arrangement
would soon have drastic con
for those living in Germany, but for the years 1921 and
sequences
most of 1922 there was a real window
1923
Berlin
would
have
forty Russian
of opportunity
in Berlin.
By
houses,
language
publishing
and more than twenty Rus
three major daily Russian newspapers

sian journals. There was a more or less free interchange
of ideas as
well as persons between Berlin and Moscow. The emigration, which
still
many
was
hoped
only
was
temporary,
pre-war days when Russia's

intelligentsia
the major cultural centers and universities
much
like
frequently
of Europe.
return
spent
to
time in
- victime
of the bombing
of Berlin.
of
gone too
Twenty
percent
all the buildings
were
and another
destroyed
fifty percent
severely
damaged.
The Cafe Landgraf,
the Grand
Casino
Nollendorf
and the Cafe Leon
(actually
the Cafe and Conditorei
of Gustav
where Erenburg,
Pas
Remizov,
Leon)
Esenin,
the
houses
ternak,
Majakovskij,
would
Diele
come
are
and
are
in
house
together
gone. Here
the
at
words
A. Tolstoj
and
A. Belyj
Cvetaeva,
Xodasevi,
Sklovskij,
are no longer
to be found. The Prager
Pension
and Prager
at Erenburg's
"Stammtisch"
the literary
elite would
gather
of Belyj
curious
is the
"".
exception
Viktoria
Luise
Platz
9 where
the top floors were occupied
by the wi
Pension.
Xodasevic
lived here with
Nina Berberova.
Crampe's
So, too
for a time, did Andrej
and Nikolaj
Nikitin.
For one of the first
Belyj, Gersenson
discussions
of the Berlin
see Hans
von
Ruland
Rimscha,
emigration
jenseits
dow
der
in
Ella
Grenzen
Fritz
Weinheim
26 Vas.
2, June
raturnye
1921-1926,
Jena
Russen
Mierau,
1927.
in
recent
Berlin:
and
excellent
overview
is contained
1918-1933:
Eine
kulturelle
Begegnung,
1988.
I.
23,
Pis'mo
Nemirovi-Danenko,
1922,
Zapiski,
pp.
10-11.
3, August
See
also
1, 1923,
the
pp.
iz Berlina.
continuation
In: Literatmnye
Zapiski,
"Pis'mo
iz Berlina",
Lite
14-15.
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
99
1921-1923
The emergence of the Russian press and printing industry in Ber

lin is a topic once well documented.
As they Consolidated
their poli
in stifling
tical gains in 1918 the Bolshevik
authorities
succeeded
and journals unsympathetic

to their cause and views in
where they had military control. The Civil War pre
sents a complicated
picture of temporary papers in pockets unoccu
newspapers
those areas
At least as effective as the political and le

pied by the Bolsheviks.
to printing were the material difficulties and shor
gal obstructions
ink and paper
of newsprint,
tages
allocated
to
more
and
mundane
which
available
even when
were
areas.
pragmatic
little was
precious
and Grzbin,
printed. There were the Publishing houses of Alkonost'
in 1920 were disap
but the figures for new titles which appeared
Great Britain
32,345,
11,026, America
8,329, Germany
pointing:
numbers
of
of
the
Russia
742.27 Meanwhile
the explosive
growth
within
Still,
the
borders
Russia
of Soviet
elite, con
living abroad, including many of the intellectual
ven
of publishing
stituted fertile grounds for literally hundreds
tures. Figures vary on this account.
"
and
lists
1923, . 26-28)
(Berlin
forty-six publishers
"
Russians
one periodicals.
Volkmann
notes that Berlin had fifty five
in 1922 and forty seven in 1923. He also finds 471 Rus
periodicals
sian language books published in the city in 1922 and 667 in 1923.28
twenty
were short-lived
Many
doom
The
each
but while
them),
publishing
for
other
(the collapse of the German economy would

writers prospered.
they flourished Russian
which
houses
writers
and
works
in the newspapers.
Berlin:
their wares
become

1922
(,
as
Wrzburg
1966,
pp.
as
with
compete
they
advertised
, ,

from Publishers
Quoted
28 Hans-Erich
Volkmann,
vigorously
soon
would
),
27
up would
And the center of this activity
1929,
sprang
Weekly
Die
in Novosti
Literatury,
russische
Emigration
1922,
I, August
in Deutschland
p. 39.
1919
121-126.
Thomas
100
"
"
()
Beyer
.29
- he had considerable
intellec
Belyj was stranger to Germany
tual ties to the country. In an autobiographical
note he had writ
ten:
"),
,
(
("
.
()
), (, , ),
(, , , ),
(, , ), (, , ,
, ), (,
, , .) (,
- ). , ,
- .30
29 .
JaSenko,
12, Nov.-Dec.
"Literatura
za pjat' isteksix
let."
overview
of this
p. 2. recent
contained
in Habtmut
Walravens,
1922,
is
bibliography
. .
Zum russischen
5, 1987,
tiquariat,
30 Andrej
Belyj
Literatura
XX
im Berlin
Verlagswesen
195.
pp. 189-A
veka,
"Avtobiografieskaja
2, III, pp. 9-10.
der
spravka"
For
an
Novaja
Publishing
"Blaue
in S. A.
overview
an excellent
Nchte
Jahre."
zwanziger
Vengerov,
of Belyj's
11/
Kniga,
Russkaja
with
in
Aus
Berlin
dem An
Russkaja
thoughts
on
Andrej
Belyj.
The
On the eve of his departure

less enthusiastic:
"
Ausland,
,
not be alone in Berlin
Berlin
Years
101
1921-1923
for Berlin, however, he was decidedly

... ,

, ."31 Belyj would

and his plans to finish and publish his works
He boarded
be fulfilled far beyond even his expectations.

and then on to Stettin in a journey de
ship in Pilau to Knigsberg
From

scribed in "
."
(. 13-28).
would
a train for the journey to Berlin where he arrived

1921.
19,
Belyj's first day in Berlin coincided with a lecture that very even
And
und Wissenschaft."
ing by Rudolf Steiner on "Anthroposophie
there he boarded
on November
so on the evening of November

off to the lecture -
19 just having
arrived,
he hurried

""
, ,
"",
.32
The Doctor,
ance
at
his
however,
lecture.
for the Prodigal
The
was likely not prepared

result
was
far
from
the
for Belyj's
appear
welcome
expected
Son.
,
,
, ,
,
- ?",
-

:
",

:
"
1921

."
[(sie) ]
(. 114).
The German
Germany
see
also
polite
Thomas
but cool greeting,
R. Beyer,
Jr.
the crash
"Zwischen
Moskau
of reality
und
against
Goetheanum
in der russischen
in Deutsche
und Deutschland
Lyrik des frhen 20.
Belyj"
Mnchen
1988, pp. 41-58.
Jahrhunderts,
31
puti, 5, 1967, p. 307.
Vozduinye
32 A.
It was
Ann Arbor 1982, pp. 112-113.
Poemu
Belyj,
ja stal simvolistom,
of this
the true impact
Kozlik
that I realized
in a discussion
with FrdIsric
resource
for scho
work is a valuable
monumental
Kozlik's
coincidental
meeting.
- Steiner
sur
L'influence
de l'anthroposophie
connection:
lars
of the Belyj
1981.
d'Andrei
l'oeuvre
Bieli, Frankfurt
Andrej
102
Beyer
Thomas
the inflated
set the tone
expectations
for the personal
crises
that
Belyj would experience in Berlin.33

For the Germans Belyj (Boris Nikolaevic
other statistic, one of 17,500 foreigners and
would be an
Bugaev)
1,040 Russians who en
His arrival was officially reported
the country in November.

(No. 820, November
tered
in
22,
1921,
The
."34
p. 3) "
first
few
even
director of
of Evgenij Lundberg,
in
into
Passauer
house
Berlin
before
moving
publishing
des
3 bei Boraus across the street from KaDeWe
(Kaufhaus
ings Belyj
the
strae
at the residence
spent
one of the largest department stores in the world.

a clear
Germany of 1921 and the bustling Berlin presented
Westens),
con
The mate
and hunger of Moscow and Petrograd.
were
rial side of Berlin and its Russian
Community
piain to see.
look at the Sunday issue of (No. 825, November
27,
with a selection of Cau
"Alerverdi"
1921) highlights the restaurant
trast to the cold
casian
and Russian
dishes.
bar at Spichernstrae.
33 V.
Xodasevi
tone:
ing
'Na,
and
about,
wie
Casino
at the Russian
was advertising
Re
Paris
1976,
Nekropol',
pp. 88-89.
much of Belyj's
remark
that "Finally
at
- and
in Berlin,
saw Steiner.
He rushed
Belyj
up to him
delivered
in a paternalistic
condescend
prosaic
question,
understood
that
there
was
to talk
Belyj
geht's?'
nothing
in
peated
by Moul'skij,
some sort of meeting,
heard
the emphatically
dine and dance
One could
The Kurfrstendamm
"Andrej
Xodasevi
answered
with
Belyj",
makes
contemptuous
rage.
mit
'Schwierigkeiten
Woh
dem
nungsamt!'"
who
Xodasevi,
in late
Berlin
U-Bahn
who
ein alter
June
recalls
1922.
in
emigre
While
as
the
past
1922.
on
of 1923
events
Golos
from
Stejnere"
with regret his illness

at the time and
own apologies
contained
in let
Belyj's
and "Poemu
came to
ja stal simvolistom"
and
were
not general
in the Russian
years
knowledge
which continued
to speak
of Belyj's
alienation
from Steiner.
was no doubt
nor very long-lived
real, it was not permanent
will show.
At any rate, contacts
did take
the
place
during
between
Rossii
own words,
had arrived
in
Belyj's
line is spoken
on the
by Belyj
and shout out "Herr
Sie sind
Doktor,
memorable
few
arrival
days
following
Belyj's
dreams
and leave
his personal
34 In
Information
gathering
Russian
language
newspapers
tion
of this
more
to go to Dornach
recall
(p. 90). Belyj would
outbursts.
Unfortunately
Community
the conflict
events
The
threatened
Affe!"
his intemperate
ters, and "Vospominanija
light
most
ceases
1921
in
Berlin,
and
the
result
was
to
shatter
Belyj's
life in shambles.
on this period
I have
in Berlin.
Rul'
printed
and
1922.
Nakanune
publication
in October
1922,
relied
on
heavily
valuable
provides
the
daily
Informa
in March
began
publishing
but is quickly
replaced
by
Dni.
Andrej
restaurant
kists.
There
Berlin
tea with a Russian
its five o'clock

der"
The
Belyj.
at
Behrenstrae
were
103
1921-1923
offered
chocolates,
The
orchestra.
Gypsy
57
Russian
Years
an
orchestra
coffee,
"Alexan
balalai
of
papirosy,
cigars.
in Buying and selling Dia

and lawyers and shop at the
at Passauerstrae
4, next door to Belyj.
- the Russian
"parti-de-plaisir"
promenade
were doing business

jewelers
monds. You could find Russian doctors
Several
Modehaus
There
Petersburg
also the
was
Tauenzienstrae.
along
night life of cocaine,
was
however,
Berlin,
last
week
Berlin
shocking was the incomparable
clubs.
bars
and
transvestite
women,
easy
gay
More
also
1921
of November
center
of
Russian
culture
and
in
the
the opening of the

of Chexov's
" ".
one could
attend
with a Performance
a public reading by Aleksej Tolstoj of his new play,
- ",
and by Lev Sestov on "Dostoevskij."35
"
to this other side of Berlin that Belyj
It was quite naturally
assumed an active and leading role in the
turned and immediately
Moscow
There
Art Theater
was
also
of too
artistic and literary Community. For one who had complained
much outside activity which distracted him from his writing, Belyj
ties with the literary elite of
was quick to establish organizational
Berlin.
asserted:
Lundberg
,
"
."36
two
Only
after
days
his arrival, on Monday evening November 21, 1921, Belyj attended

at the Cafe Landgraf
of a group
an organizational
meeting
of the
the
establishment
to
discuss
75)
(Kurfrstenstrae
Nov.
of
the
24, 1921, p.
Arts) (GR, 822,
(House
3).37 week later on November 29 the board of directors which in

Belyj was chosen. (GR, 829, Dec. 2, 1921, p. 4). Belyj had al
a penchant for forming groups. On November 30 a group
had
ways
of friends and co-workers of Skify met to open a chapter of the
in Berlin.
(Vol'iila)
Among
Lev
were
the
those at
Sestov, II'ja Eren
Nikolaj Minskij,
meeting
cluded
Sestov was chosen honorary president,

Aleksej Remizov.
was elected president, a position he held in the Moscow
and Petrograd
chapters. (GR, 831, Dec. 4, 1921, . 1 and Rul', 318,
burg and
but Belyj
36 See
36 E.
37 See
Golos
822,
Rossii,
Lundberg,
Thomas
Zapiski
R.
Beyer,
Berlin
1921-1923.
In:
Ersten
Weltkrieg",
Berlin
Nov.
1921,
24,
Jr.,
The
pp.
1922,
House
Autoren
"Russische
1987,
p. 3.
Berlin
pisatelja,
p. 177.
Arts
and
Verlage
in
of the
und
Writers'
Berlin
Club
nach
9-38.
in
dem
Thomas
104
Beyer
3, 1921, p. 4). Belyj had also made

two lectures on behalf of Russian Student
Dec.
ion of Russian
would
have
and Writers
journalists
1921, p. 4).
One other
note
in the
to deliver
for the Un
organizations
in Berlin. (Rul', 310, Nov. 24,
Berlin press that fall

language
for
consequences
Belyj: "
Russian
far-reaching

a commitment
''
." (GR,
802, Oct. 30, 1921, . 5).38 In spite of this flurry of activity B. re

. . .
calls in his "
"
for November
"
."39
Berlin had not reunited Belyj with Steiner or with
Asja but it would permit him to publish the works he had written
since 1916, and so he turned for consolation

to his work.
If Belyj was looking for a rest, his activities in December
seemed
to preclude it. At the regulr weekly meeting of the House of the
3, Belyj read from (GR, 834, Dec. 8, 1921,
5, there was a meeting of Vol'fda to elect new
p. 3).40 On December
members attended by I. V. Gessen, the editor of Rul' and director
Arts on December
of the Committee for Aid to Russian Writers, and A. Jascenko, edi

tor of , the valuable
of the
journal
bibliographical
Russian emigration (GR, 836, Dec. 10, 1921, p. 3). number of open
Vol'fila
38
was
meetings
the House
also
announced.
of the Arts had
Ultimately
Belyj
and
journal
Epopeja,
faithful supporters.
39 "The
Raccoursy
would
the
been
several
publish
publisher,
A.
first
Belyj's
scheduled
G.
works
Visnjak,
public
lecture
for that evening
with
would
Gelikon,
be one
for
of the
the
including
of Belyj's
most
is quoted
in Klavdija
Nikolaevna
An
Bugaeva,
Diary"
zizni i tvorestva
in GEB Saltykov
Scedrin
F 60 ed. xr. 107.
Belyj:
Letopis'
cited by John
Malmstad
in his introduction
to Bu
They have been extensively
gaeva's
1981.
Scholars
have
ref
Belom,
Vospominanija
Berkeley
repeatedly
ered to the diary indirectly
Nikolaevna.
The actual
"Rakkurs"
Klavdija
through
drej
is preserved
Central
chives
notes,
and
in CGALI.
therefore
to Professor
cannot
Maria
life.
Belyj's
40 These
are
the
Nov
In
a letter
to me
of March
6, 1986,
the
Director
of the
. B. Volkova
wrote:
"This material
entered
the ar
Archives,
Literary
with the note of the author
'For personal
use.' This means,
that the diary
in the cited manuscript,
contained
bear an extremely
character
personal
be provided
Carlson
presumably
of Epopeja
by
1, 1921, pp. 2-3.
review
for examination
for sharing
excerpts
Marietta
with
from
and
me her notes
research."
I am
for the Berlin
"Prestuplenie
Nikolaja
Saginjan
in Letopis'
doma
grateful
in
period
Letaeva."
literatorov,
See
1,
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
105
1921-1923
Years
On December
10, the House held its
fifth, but had been postponed.
regulr Saturday meeting with readings scheduled by Tolstoj, Remi
zov and Minskij. On Monday,
December
12, there was a closed
his
14, Belyj finally delivered

meeting of Vol'fila.41 On December
"
earlier promised lecture on "
the Logenhaus
(Kleiststrae
10).42
at
Belyj's first public statement is both profoundly personal, as well

as a daring defense of Soviet Russia and too veiled criticism
of the emigration.
;
,

,
, ,
; (. 2).
Belyj points to those who "
."
The
accusa
arrive at "a
Belyj too will eventually
tory tone is ironic, because
the
land of Memories."43
Belyj defends the new culture, especially
and con
proletarian
poets with whom he had labored in 1918-1919
,
cludes
"
" (. 6).
41 As
of the Arts and

of the Organizers
and key figure in both the House
Where
attended
most of their meetings.
it is likely that Belyj
Belyj's
or
commented
on after the
to
the
event
is
either
announced
prior
participation
one
Vol'fda,
of the
or journals
to the newspapers
references
I have provided
specific
meeting
to confirm Belyj's
no citation
is given, I have been unable
presence.
day. Where
42 Mixail
in Oolos Rossii,
grjadusej
845, Dec.
Rossii,
Svarc,
Andrej
Belyj
Rossii"
in
"Kul'tura
his
article
sovremennoj
21, 1921, p. 2. Belyj
published
with an introduction
The article
Nova ja Russkaja
1, 1922, pp. 2-6.
by
Kniga,
Thomas
R.
Jr.
Beyer,
was
republished
in Andrej
Belyj
Society
Newsletter,
5,
13-28.
1986, pp.
43 W.
Polensky,
pondenz,
Flusses,
1-3,
der
Jan
sehr
Die
-
Suche
March,
wasserreich
nach
der
1922,
p.
zu
werden
objectiven
216.
"Wir
stehen
- des
verspricht,
ber
die Memoirenliteratur
. . . Schon
jetzt zhlt
ungen
von Bnden."
volution
nach Dutzenden
die
Korres
Russische
Wahrheit,
an
der
Flusses
groe
Quelle
der
eines
Erinner
russische
Re
Thomas
106
Beyer
If we look to the beginning for a hint of the end, we can see one
reason Belyj would choose to return to Russia: the young poets and
in
people
young
being alone
especially
because
from
general
eise.
unavailable
whom
drew
he
which
sustenance
was
to Asja, he had spoken of

her not to repeat his comments
In his letter
anywhere
in Berlin, but cautioned
because of Cheka agents who might arrest his mother and
did
he
not
want
to
spoil
return
entry
"
- "
(. 308). Indeed, if Asja did not love him

he could, he believed, always return to his fans.

,

(-
,
-
"
:
,

, \"
,
,
, ,
, ,
!
(. 306-307)
then with curiosity and eager an

15 in
him. On December
If not with love and adulation,

Berlin crowds waited
ticipation,
to hear
along with Ol'ga Knipper of the Moscow Art

and
Theater,
Tolstoj, Belyj was featured at an evening or
Social Committee where he was scheduled
ganized by the Russian
the Philharmonie
Hall
Remizov
to
read
from
and
share
his
impressions
839, Dec. 14, 1921, p. 3). On December

held at the House of the Arts to choose
tistic and musical
an address
section.
to the YMCA
about
Russia.
(GR,
17, another meeting was

officers of the literary, ar
On the 18th Belyj was scheduled

to give
in the Cafe Abazia am Knie on "
(Rul', 329, Dec. 16, 1921, p. 5). Belyj read at the House
."
of the Arts on the 24th from his "
"
(GR, 852, Dec.
to deliver the Vol'fila
30, 1921, p. 3), on the 26th he was scheduled
lecture
"
"
(GR, 836, Dec.
10, 1921, . 3). On

for the li
"
29 he read from his

"
Students at
terary Thursday
get-together of the Union of Russian
the Speisehaus
Platz
Dec.
851,
29,
1921, p. 3).
20)
(GR,
(Stuttgarter
On the 30th the House of the Arts held its final meeting before the
December
new year and a switch of meeting night from Saturday to Friday.

Also in December Gelikon somewhat prematurely announced
that
1
2
as
well
as
were
"
",
Belyj's "
"
in print and would soon be on sale. Another milestone
of his "
pletion of the first installment
which would
appear
in the journal
was the com

"
that Belyj would
edit. In
Andrej
spite of this activity,

speaks of "
The
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
Belyj was not happy.

. . . ".
New
His diary for the month
Year 1922 opened with mixed emotions.

he wrote:
15, 1922 to Ivanov-Razumnik
January
107
In a letter
of

:
...
;
- . . .
:
, ,
,

. . .
. . .
,

"".
".".44
And
or perhaps in spite of
yet even given his disappointments
them the year 1922 would be one of the most crucial in the writer's
career. It was a time of intense and incredibly productive
literary
- and the most
activity
prolific publishing year of his life.45
Much of January 1922 was devoted to writing the second install
ment
of the
They would
which would serve
44
1782 op.
Puskinskom
CGALI,
Belogo
which are dated January

in the journal
be
published
eventually
as a center of Belyj's activity in 1922. "-
"
1922.
1 No.
"
73 quoted
Dome",
in A. Lavrov,
Ezeqodnik
arxiv Andreja
"Rukopisnyj
na 1979 qod, Lenin
Dorna
Puskinskoqo
grad 1981, p. 54.

45
own list of completed
for the year is contained
in
works and projects
Belyj's
in Berlin
in November
1921
an autobiographical
note
"Andrei
arrived
Belyj,
...
the manuscript
re
3 bei Boraus)
Poetic
(Passauerstrae
1)
Meaning'
in Russia,
of Life, Crisis of Thought,
Crisis of Cul
mained
2) Four 'Crises'
(Crisis
Crisis
ture,
lets;
the
3) work
and
after
in 'Zapiski
metatelja'),
house
Helikon,
blishing
in Russia),
first three
Crisis
a Latvian
crises
I lost
(there
editor
took
appeared
are rumors
with
it (I did
Gesture'
(a small study,
Rhythmic
2 volumes
of "Travel
Reworked
again
7)
will
soon
in the
book
found)
the work
not
6) 'On
in Russia),
as separate
it has been
for a Latvian
edition;
, - in the condi
of copying
what had
permit myself the luxury
a povest' (a part of it has been published
of an Eccentric'
book in the Pu
the story will come
out as a separate
could
not appear
a
book
of
verse
Star',
5)
(everything
(brief):
4) 'Notes
written),
the
last
it he disappeared
life I could
not
taking
of Russian
tions
been
of Consciousness);
of the
manuscript
on 'Tolstoj'
Berlin
house
have
supposed
Notes".
to have
The
appeared
first volume
Gelikon.
8) 'Glossolalija'
(a poem
and
written
lay for years
anywhere).
Everything
published
I am finishing
work on Blok
. . . At present
in part to lie in Russia
continues
on the first
and I am also working
will appear
in the journal
which
'Epopeja',
Chinaman'
is
'The
Christened
the first part
of which
volume
of 'Epopeja',
appear
about
sound)
1922,
(never
in No.
printed
pp.
publishing
of 'Zapiski
metatelej.'"
In:
Novaja
Russkaja
Kniga,
1, Jan.
38-39.
Thomas
108
Beyer
1922 .

."46

On January 4 Belyj delivered the inaugural lecture of the Berlin
at Kleist
at the Logensaal
section of Vol'fila
"
"

''
strae
ond
at the sec
10 (Rul\ 343, Jan. 3, 1922, p. 5) and participated
Berliner
Secessionssaal
the
of
Vol'fila
at
session
public
238, on January 24 (Rul\ 358, Jan. 20, 1922,

including Belyj
3). Minskij read a paper followed by a discussion
"
and Lundberg.
Remizov
,
."47
Kurfrstendamm
seems to have filled the gap left by

temporarily "Vol'fila"
and Anthroposophy.
at the
"
On Jan. 15 Belyj delivered a lecture "
lecture to
of his December
billed as a continuation
Berlin YMCA
At least
Steiner
that group (Rul\ 350, Jan. 11, 1922, p. 7). The House of the Arts
continued to flourish with meetings on January 13, devoted to the
and on January 20 and 27. On the
memory of V. G. Korolenko,
of the journal
the publication
20th they discussed
House of Arts" in Petrograd.
Belyj was presumably
he
is not
in
mentioned
the
present,
announcements
newspaper
of the
"Bulletin
or
though
reports.
1922 was likewise filled with meetings for Belyj. Vol'fila

a
public session devoted to Blok on February 2. On Feb
organized
of the Arts dedicated
the evening to the memory
3
the
House
ruary
Arthur
at
which
of the conductor,
Nikisch,
(Rul\
Belyj participated
368, Feb. 1, 1922, p. 4). On February 4, Gessen and V. D. Nabokov
February
joined together
Student journal
with Belyj in a panel

at the Logenhaus
sponsored
by the
at Joachimstaler
Strae 12.
discussion
" (RuV, 367, Jan. 31, 1922,

topic was "
. 5). The House of the Arts met again on February 10 and the wri
ter Boris Pil'njak and the poet Aleksandr Kusikov, both recently ar
Belyj's
46
character
of the new journal
can
I, January,
1922, p. 22. "The
Volja Rossii,
of the directors
be judged
statement
of Gelikon:
the publishing
by the following
house
is apolitical,
its tasks is to shed more light on problems
of new art
among
rather
than surveys
of the former:
the interests
of the Publishing
house
are di
rected
toward
Russia,
both
to literary-artistic
materials."
47 Andrej
Belyj,
Vol'naja
1, 1922, pp. 32-33.
in the
sense
filosofskaja
of the
market
associacija.
In:
for books
and
in relation
Novaja
Russkaja
Kniga,
Andrej
rived
from
Russia,
Belyj.
were
The
Berlin
scheduled
Years
to
109
1921-1923
read
there
on
17.
February
Kusikov
would publish poems in Belyj's , but would play an

even more painful role in the Belyj-Asja relationship.
The February
24 meeting was devoted primarily to a musical program.48 Belyj's
own literary and artistic
sonal schedule.
An ad
Output continued alongside of his busy per

for the forthcoming
listed as
for March announced

that
monthly with the first issue scheduled
the editor [Belyj] was now receiving on Wednesdays
between 1:00
and 4:00 PM at the offices of Gelikon on Alte Jakobstrae
129 (GR,
Feb.
On
he
finishes
an ex
902,
26, 1921, p. 7).
February 20, 1922,
for
and on the 26th he pu
cerpt from "
"
blishes
"
(GR, 902,
. 5). Finally

"
of the

with a number of items relating to Belyj.
the first issue
appears
and Sumskij-Kaplun,
Published
this nineteen
by Minskij, Remizov
on the Petrograd
version. Issue III
page brochure was modeled
was dated February
17, 1922. The first article contains a request
from the Committee
for the Preservation
all
"that
other
letters,
manuscripts,
of the Dom-Muzej
the establishment
of the Memory of Blok

be turned over for
materials
imeni A. Bloka."
The next arti
cle is a report of Belyj's speech at Vol'fila on August 28 (Much of

this material was taken verbatim from the journal of the Dom Lite
ratorov). Other articles concerned the founding of Vol'fila in Berlin
There is also a satiri
and a report on Belyj's lecture " ."
cal interview with Andrej Belyj, which gently chides his foibles, and
is likely a total fabrication by the master of practical jokers, Remi
of February
is the
zov. Belyj's
most fascinating
poetic creation
Com
" "
first published with the title "".
in
Be
in
the
also
before
arrival
Berlin,
appeared
Asja's
poem
posed
find
and
em
reaches
out
to
The "lost poet"
lyj's " ".
brace her, the soul of light, hidden behind the pale of years and the
if
of space and time. ", ,"
boundaries
for
re-unifica
mind.
In
could
still
in
his
hope
February
Belyj
only
for his own re-inte
tion with Asja, which he considered
necessary
invisible
gration of body and spirit.

for Belyj and the Russian Com
March 1922 began optimistically
in
but
it
would
end in tragedy and signal
in
Berlin,
munity
general
48 .
notes
Bugaeva's
kitaec"
at
the
House
nyj
indicate
that
of the Arts
Belyj read
in February.
both
poetry
and
from
"Krese
Thomas
110
Beyer
active during the month

Belyj was particularly
which was rieh with cultural and social events. In fact, in the next
hard times to come.
peak and descend

Belyj would ascend to a professional
nadir. Asja arrived in Berlin, but little is known
a personal
about her activities. On March 1 Vol'fda held another in a series of
few months
into
On
the keynote
Braun,
Speaker.
5 Belyj published his article " ''
" in which he weighs the hardships of life in Russia against the
and spiritual rebirth.49 Two articles
of intellectual
special "-"
with
lectures
public
March
in March
Professor
his work with the Proletkul't.50
recalled
He also published
in
in the hospital
which had been written

the
""
1921 (GR, 914, March 12, 1922, p. 5). In addition, Belyj was busy
for the republication
of his significantly revised
with preparations
version
of "".51
10, there was a public meeting at the Philharmonie

Hall, Bernburger Strae 22-23. This activity was sponsored by the
of Russia.
Russian Social Committee to Aid the Starving Population
D.
of
with
Gessen
and
V.
was
one
the pri
Nabokov,
Belyj, along
On March
and convincing (GR, 914,

mary Speakers. Belyj was both eloquent
March 12, 1922, p. 3). Testimony to his power of persuasion
was

note printed a few days later "
100 2
, ,
'
."
'
(GR, 919, March 18, . 5). In all the evening raised eighty-iive thou
sand
marks.
49 Golos
from
Rossii,
Dostoevskij's
"Dux"
(the
908,
March
story
Spirit).
Belyj
also
the title of his article

pp. 5-6. Belyj draws
in which "dux"
is juxtaposed
to
(scent,
smell)
an article
"0 duxe
i 'duxe'
Rossii
published
5, 1922,
"Bobok"
in Novaja
Rossii"
50
"Moskovskij
2, 1922, pp. 145-147.

Rossija,
II"
Golos Rossii,
926,
prolet-kul't
in Berlin,
1921-1923.
Addenda
Belyj
stad,
Andrej
In: Andrej
Works.
try onto
the
Newsletter,
Belyj Society
in late
of Golos Rossii
4,
1985,
March
for
Malm
p. 5. John
of His
Bibliography
notes that Belyj's
en
26,
a
p. 21
1922 was
connected
with
pages
February
in the paper's
editorial
board.
change
51 The
of Belyj's
revision
of "Peterburg"
has been the source
of
subject
major
much
and
with Ivanov-Razumnik's
"Ver
scholarship
speculation,
beginning
siny" written
examined
by
Moscow
1981,
in March-April,
Dolgopolov
L.
and
in his book,
1923.
in
More
the question
of texts has been
recently
A. Belogo
in Peterburg,
'Peterburg'"
Belyj i ego roman
"Peterburg",
Leningrad
"Roman
Andrej
1988.
Andrej
in
Starvation
was
Russia
factions
political
focused
on
the House
Berlin
served
in the
the
The
Belyj.
and
einshaus
1921-1923
common
a week
organized
various
uniting
Worldwide
later
a concert
111
cause
Community.
emigre
problem
of the Arts
as
Years
on
ball
attention
March
Sunday,
19,
at the Brderver
to aid the hungry. Among

115-116)
were Belyj, Remizov, and the poet Kusi
19, 1922, p. 9). The following evening, the
of Thomas
major event with the appearance
(Kurfrstenstrae
scheduled
to appear
those
kov
March
920,
(GR,
House
another
staged
who spoke at a benefit Performance for writers in Petrograd.
At 8:30 PM at the Logenhaus
on Kleiststrasse
10, Mann spoke lirst
on the theme of Goethe and Tolstoj after which Belyj thanked the
Mann
writer (in German) for his help. At the second half of his Perform
ance Mann read from his "Das Eisenbahnunglck."52
On March
Belyj
strasse
24, the regulr meeting of the House of the Arts with

scheduled
to attend was held at the Flora Diele at Motz
65
(on the corner of Martin-Luther-Strae).

on March 31 was dedicated
to the memory
meeting
kov who
shot on March 28. This assassination,

perhaps
the new emerging intoler
other
event, symbolized
any
ance in the Russian emigre Community. Nabokov, a leading figure in
was shot several times
the Kadet Party (Constitutional
Democrats)
more
had
The regulr
of V. D. Nabo
been
than
as he attempted
to protect
the first half of his lecture.
murdered
cally
liberal
by Miljukov's
angered
one
Miljukov, who had just finished

terrorist, a monarchist apparently
stance within the Kadet Party, ironi
Pavel
The
of
the
defenders
staunchest
of
the
monarchy.
30, the funeral Service was held at the old Russian Em

Church, which had continued operating at Unter den Linden
On March
bassy
7 even
after
of Russian
52 .
the
fall
groups,
of the
Belyj
.
Azadovskij,
In: Russkaja
skimi pisateljami.
53 V. D. Nabokov
was the
young
man
at the
time.
Romanovs.
was
Novoe
Literatura,
father
Vladimir
(Rul\
present
Lavrov,
of the
returned
other
Among
vstreax
4, 1978,
writer
representatives
418, March
Tomasa
31, . 3).53
Manna
pp. 146-151.
Vladimir
Nabokov,
to Berlin
after
his father's
who
s rus
was
death
and
recalls
in "Strong
Rul'.
Nabokov
to the newspaper
Opin
restaurant
where
in 1921 or 1922, at a Berlin
"Once
pp. 62-64:
to be sitting back to back with Andrej
I was dining with two girls, I happened
Nabo
behind
me."
.
.
.
at the table
with
who
was
Aleksej
Tolstoy,
Belyj
dining
"
and
knew and admired
novel,
twenties,
kov, in his early
Peterburg",
Belyj's
was clearly
influenced
studies
in "Simvolizm",
his metric
by his style and yet
began
to
ions",
NY
here
and
lyj might
contribute
1973,
elsewhere
have
had
he seemed
upon
determined
to understate
any
influence
which
him.
Be
112
Thomas
Beyer
On March
31, the body was transferred to the Orthodox Church at

tached to the cemetery in Tegel, and on the next day, April 1, Nab
okov was buried.
The March
31 meeting of the House of the Arts found the group

41. cu
location, the Nollendorf Casino on Kleiststrae
between A. Belyj and Aleksej Tolstoj,
developed
argument
in another
rious
which was reported
in the new Russian
language
daily ,
:
. .
,
,
, ,
,

- " ",
" " . . .
"",
.

,
. (. 7, April 2, 1922, . 5).
The
was
tongue-in-cheek
an
issue
of
great
of Belyj
description
concern
to
and
many
this
notwithstanding,
one
which
would
seri
divide
the emigre Community in Berlin. The Bolshevik

news
would announce
in the April 5 issue that it was
ously
paper
with the April 5, 1922 issue,54 and

ceasing publication
had begun just a few days previously. There was widespread
belief
that
the
writes
parties
were
the
movement
lowers
road
was
paper
Struve
nevertheless
and
back
sponsored
by
and
controlled
from
Soviet
Russia.
of the group and notes that while the established

this idealized
view of Bolshevism,
quick to denounce
in
some
ways
in
succeeded
served
as
to Russia.55
attracting
an
number
intermediary
would
stage
of fol
on
the
become
the literary
Aleksej Tolstoj
editor of the newspaper and many found it difficult to reconcile the
one time "Count"
with his newfound political views. Tolstoj would
become
a figure of considerable
over the next few
controversy
months, and Belyj would be unable to avoid taking a stand. There

was also the arrest in Russia reported in March of the Social Revo
lutionaries, which would further divide the Berlin Community.56
54 The
its
article:
demise
of Novyj
"Konina
of clothes.
change
in its own successor
55 Gleb
Struve,
56 S.
0
Sumskij,
Mir caused
few tears at Golos Rossii
which reported
in
Mira'"
that:
"This
is simply
a renaming
and
'Novogo
Mir' is dying, so that its heir can be immediately
born
'Novyj
- 'Nakanune'"
(Nr. 935, Apr. 6, 1922, p. 2).
literatura
izgnanii,
NY 1965, pp. 30-35.
Russkaja
literaturnyx
nravax.
In:
Golos
Rossii,
932,
Apr
2, 1921,
p. 7.
Andrej
Belyj.
The
Berlin
Years
113
1921-1923
April was a troubled month for Belyj. On April 5 he spoke at

in the Flora Diele on the subject "
meeting of "Vol'fila"
"
(GR, 934, April 5, . 4).57 He again partici
pated fully in the meetings of the House of the Arts. On April 7 at
the House,
and Belyj were supposed
to speak
Tolstoj,
Vengerov
about the theater. Instead, Belyj delivered an impromptu explana
""
tion on Eurythmy
(the basis of his idiosyncratic
based
on Rudolph Steiner's teachings) (Nakanune,

13, Apr. 9, 1922,
14.
Another
was
held
on
April
Belyj was listed as the
p. 4).
meeting
moderator for the April 15 meeting of "Vol'fila"
(GR, 942, Apr. 14,
1922, p. 6). But at a public lecture by Minskij on April 24, Belyj
did not appear
as one of the discussants
been announced
(Rul', 438, Apr. 26, 1922, p. 5). On April 28, he did show up at the
House to attack the journal
. The first issue (March-April,
to
III) was an attempt
expand the cultural horizons of Russians.
who had
title page is in three languages,

German, French and Russian.
by I. Erenburg and E. Lisitckij, the journal was defended at
in its customary fashion reported:
the meeting by both. Nakanune
The
Edited
,
,
",

.
""
.58
, ,
,
"
""
If Belyj was still comical at this point in time, he would soon be

come pathetic. Earlier in the month he had signed an introduction
to
(April 6, 1922). The collection published by
of works brought from Moscow
a
number
contained
by
Ogon'ki
Pil'njak plus works by Belyj and Remizov
mer "Moscow"
writers). In his introduction
ters in one volume Belyj writes:
(both who had been for

to this collection of wri
,

, ,
... : ,

Tolstoj's
alignment
questions
coming trial of the SR's.
57 This theme of "Individualism
and
Sumskij
i 'duxe'
ticle "0 duxe Rossii
58
29, April 30,
Nakanune,
with
Nalcanune
collectivism"
especially
had
appeared
given
the
in Belyj's
Rossii."
1922,
p. 5.
up
ar
114
Thomas
Beyer
.59
had been
part of "
Belyj's own contribution,
"
dated February
arrival when
20, 1922, just days after Pilnjak's
there had been no question about his participation.
By April he feit
called upon to justify his own presence
Soviet writers.
alongside
Harmony was similarly absent in Belyj's own personal Situation in
April. Still publishing prolifically he prints excerpts from "
. . ",
with a footnote citing the permission
from Gelikon to publish from his book on Blok (GR, 934, Apr. 5,
of "
1922, pp. 2-3). The appearance
",
Berlin: Skify, 1922, a reply to Vjaceslav
Ivanov's
"
caused
to
for
his
failure
to
check
the
",
Belyj
apologize
proofs of the work written in 1918. In Belyj's words: ",

1918
. . .
, ,

,
."60
days later Belyj
the issue did not end here. Five

Unfortunately
an
"Du gleichst dem Geist den du
article
publishes
begreifst" (GR, 954, Apr. 30, 1922, pp. 1-2) which in spite of the ti
tle was a reply in Russian to an attack on him and the publishing
house Skify in a Nakanune
article ""
of April 28,
1922.
Belyj's inner peace was also shattered by the departure of Asja.
Their conversation
had made clear that Belyj's hope of a reconcilia
tion were unrealistic.
" ;
- ;
- .

;
:
described
The
was
(
, . 232).
break-up
with uncharacteristic
Understatement
by Be
'!'"
prosaically,
in prose was
lyj, but the reality, unembellished
and
almost
physically
psychologically
disabling.61
59 Andrej
60 Andrej
Belyj,
"Vstuplenie"
Belyj,
"Pis'mo
in Al'manax,
redakciju"
Berlin
in Golos
cruel,
painful
and
1922.
Rossii,
949,
Apr.
25,
1922,
p.
2.
61 L.
Dolgopolov,
"V poiskax
IAN, 39, 6, 1980, p. 510 writes:
sebja".
samogo
with another
him, began
man, demonstratively,
simply
dropped
appearing
she turned
Dmitrievna
had previ
away from Belyj before his eyes, just as Ljubov'
Note:
when he dates
this break
as 1921.
errs, however,
ously done."
Dolgopolov
"she
Kusikov
did
not
arrive
in Berlin
until
February
1922.
It is difficult
to establish
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
115
1921-1923
May and June of 1922 are marked by an attempt at imposing sol

itude. Belyj moves to Zossen around May 5, a village to the south
of Berlin.

;

, ...
",
("
. 63).62
In letter to Jascenko
Belyj complains that he is suffering from

and has moved because of his doctor's orders:
case
of frayed nerves
quoting his physician
3
,
:
"
he writes
In
."63
words, he was working twenty hours a day.

All of this came against a background
of increased
the Russian
in Berlin.
Community
own
in
nervousness
would
Intolerance
his
grow as Soviet
of the
but for a brief period Asja was seen in the Company
chronology,
Kusikov.
Cvetaeva
recalls
that Belyj had seen Asja and Kusikov
poet Aleksandr
in a cafe in June 1922. Asja would
to explain:
"Dear
from
feel compelled
Borja,
for second
time.
I don't
time to time rumors
reach
married
me, that I have
the exact
for the outside

world . . .
you could think and say about my behavior
I
I
had
no
desire
to
that
besides
the
fact
that
repeat
marry,
you
personally
in
I could
unite my life only with a man, with whom I was connected
by mutual
In any case,
who saw me together
with
and mutual
terests
aspirations.
anyone
know
what
For
not
have
concluded
that
from
Kjusikov]
could
published
in "Kursiv
Berberova
moj",
by Nina
of Belyj their actione
were tasteless.
quaintances
that Kusikov,
who
with
affair
Asja
received
Kusikov
62 Aleksandr
and
Zossen
considered
a ladies'
man
with fond memories.

Turgeneva
some of the letters which Belyj
Baxrax,
only
himself
recall
p.
that
300,
the
trip
letter
was
The
my behavior."
Mnchen
1972, p. 188. For ac
Nivat
noted
Professor
Georges
recalls:
"I
there
was
recalled
Nivat
had
later
recalls
sent
visited
in life his brief
that
at
to Asja.
several
Belyj
very difficult,
of melancholy
that
one
time
in
times
from
the
ar
life
and barracks
of the town came the smells
paysage
was lo
for nothing
that during the war some important
headquarters
in which Belyj lived lay on a wide highway,
ac
cated
there and that the house
no one to
But I also recall that there in Isolation,
ross from a spacious
cemetery.
chitectural
(it was
disturb
husen
not
him,
he
mentioned
could
to me
write
that
almost
it was
a printer's
the
page
per
Oberkommando
until March
1945.
detection
ently avoided
63 L. FlejSman
Paris
Berlin
et alii,
1921-1923,
Russkij
as Stubenrauchstrae
Zossen
address
ter also gives Belyj's
Johannes
day."
and
des Heeres
1983, p. 222.
68 bei Lai.
Holt
appar
The
let
Thomas
1I0
At
began to exercise its rights under the Treaty of Rapallo.
Union
from
the
Berlin
would
be
A.
the end of May
Tolstoj
expelled
There was a June 1 deadline
of Russian
Writers and Journalists.
Russin
or find their citizenship

Revolutionaries
began;
to apply for Soviel passports

In June the trial of the Social
for Russians
revoked.
was
Rathenau
the
and
assassinated
in
printers
on
went
Berlin
strike.
within eominuting distanec of Berlin, and Bclyj
to visit the city. On May 10, he attended
similar
to diseuss
of Vol'fda
" ".
Still, Zossen
had
several
closed
was
occasions
meeting
was
meeting
for
seheduled
topic.
Escnin
flights
hetween
and
Moscow
17
May
on
laier
the
in one of the first regularly
in May
arrived
on
week
Berlin
with
and
seheduled
Dunean
Isadora
sanie
caused
at the May 12 meeting of the House of the Arts

that all join in a rendition of the Interna
when thcy demanded
on Esenin's
arrivai in Berlin in May. Skifv re
tional. Capitalizing
and Es
"
(Belyj's
"
"
printed "
a mild scandal
enin's
The
her
Ariadna
15)
brg
and
bis
with
that
Bolyj
would
61 Without
Belyj's
varstva"
by
"The
ciety
Belyj.
was
Philosophical
been founded
been
ehosen
1922,
p. 8).
those
who
it,
are
searching
and
those
who
22.
have
not
their
gradually
first
(See
zizn'",
III.
in Sobranie
socinenij,
drop Crom sight.

"Sirin
ueenogo
Skil'y,
var
philosophical
So
Golos
Sestov
had
954,
Rossii,
"Accepts
society
found something,
8, Moscow
1966,
Diele
encounter:
as
Apr.
30,
members
all
whether
physical
to nie indi
or spiritual,
in things or in ideas,
is irrelevant."
Baxrax
in a letter
cated
this was probably
another
practieal
joke of Remizov's.
65
has recalled
the Berlin
in his own memoirs
Erenburg
Il'ja
period
gody,
in
instrumental
(
Cooperative
a counterweight
to Vol'lila
and Lev
the
famous
in establishing
Tt was at the Prager
had
on April
honorary
president
Also
known
as "Zwovierson"
Ereil
the
was
and
day
wherc
only
published
a curious
note that a new
also
as
was
will
VolTiIa
to
Free
had
)"
dosest
There
It
and
previous
Pension
Efron,
on
Cvetaeva
the
Berlin
Prager
Sergej
Marina.
participation
hou.se
Publishing
Ivanov
by
encounter
Cvetaeva.
Pragerplatz
with Oelikon.65
ineet
the
who had been helpful
husband.
Cvetaeva's
her ""
Publishing
the
on
Here
was
in
arrived
in
of 11'ja Erenburg,
Stammtisch
contaet
lived.
month
with Marina
residente
up
wife
article
introductory
the
had
Efron,
taken
and
(May
the
Diele
16 at the Prager
daughtcr,
of
event
important
an
in 1920).64
first published
most
May
with
"
"
Razumnik
pp.
"Ljudi,
399-433.
Andrej
Marina
had seen Belyj
blished
literary
Marina
and
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
117
as a schoolgirl when he was already

was also a curious connection
an esta
flgure. There
Asja
how competed.
was the Berlin
The
Belyj.
for
Turgeneva,
whose
affection
she
and
between
some
Belyj
But for Marina, the first real encounter with Belyj

one. At the Prager Diele she recalls their first con
in which Belyj eagerly grasped at the straws which con

their lives, not only the earlier meetings but the fact that
both were offspring of professors, Professor Cvetaev
and Professor
That same evening, Belyj was given of "",
Bugaev.
versation
nected
Cvetaeva's
slim volume
of verse
dedicated
to her husband, whom

Separation from her beloved
she had not seen since 1916. Cvetaeva's

seemed
from Asja. The

amazingly similar to Belyj's own Separation
in Belyj's life had almost supernatural
coincidental
significance for
him. Hadn't he and Asja experienced
identical dreams and curious
in 1912
encounters
which drove them both to seek out Rudolph

this be the beginning of a new life?
We do know that ""
had a profound effect on Belyj. He
read the book that very evening and immediately
dashed off a let
Steiner? Could
ter
to
Cvetaeva
"
''."66
Marina
replied and Belyj answered with both a letter and a re

view article "-"
in Golos Rossii on May 21 (No. 971,
was
also
7-8).67
pp.
Belyj
probably at the May 19 meeting of the
House
in
of the Arts at which

of poetic
burst
for May
:
has
writes
Inspiration,
the following
Cvetaeva
Soon
new
"
entry:
read.
several
thereafter,
Belyj,
His
poems.
diary
Cvetaeva,
".
the metrical
the affair, exclaims that she did not understand
of
and the
of
to
his
readers
Simvolizm)
(familiar
Belyj
explanations
calling
effect of her upon his own poetry is difficult to assess.
actual
own
66 Cvetaeva
Sovremennye
ter
was
however,
perception,
has
described
Zapiski,
55,
her
1934,
pp.
own
her
that
version
198-255.
work
of the
recent
was
events
description
in
also
printed
in Saakjanc,
op.
identifies
the
newspaper
as
Dni.
dux"
encoun
of this
"Vstrea
Saakjanc,
Andrej
Belyj
poetov:
by Anna
Moscow
tvorestva,
1988, pp.
Andrej
Problemy
Belyj:
Razluka
Beyer:
"Marina
Cvetaeva
and Andrej
Thomas
Belyj:
sle razluki."
(forthcoming)
67 Note
Marina
incorrectly
it
"Plennyj
is provided
In:
Cvetaeva."
See
Belyj's
miracle:
The
i Marina
367-385.
and
article
cit. 374-376.
Po
is re
Thomas
118
Beyer
poetry, but music, a song and for the next few weeks Belyj
himself would try to capture the same music in his own poetry.68
After that, Belyj would be a frequent visitor, often staying with
his editor, Visnjak.
(The kids put rubber animals fdled with water
wasn't
of her "-
in his bed). He helped to arrange for publication
and
house
" with the publishing
Epoxa,
published a few of her
in his own journal . Sud
poems and her article on Pasternak
did not
for a week or ten days. What Cvetaeva
denly he disappears
know was that he was working feverishly over the text of "
and his diary for the month concludes that in June: "
"
The significance of this po
".
etic
by Belyj years later when he claimed:

.

outburst
is captured
'
"'
When
."69
he
finally
reappears,
he is a lost man. Everyone knows but I, but let me be un

happy. In a cafe three days ago, life ended.
Belyj was in love again, always in need of a woman. First Nina
Dmitrievna
and then the tragic affair with Ljubov'
Petrovskaja
he claims
and
Blok,
finally
neue
eine
nen."70
Frau
But
zu
Belyj
of
parading
Asja.
"Andrej
sondern
suchen,
had
Aleksandr
been
um
wounded
Kusikov
kam
Belyj
nicht
seine
and
was
his
eyes.
before
nach
alte
Berlin,
um
wiederzugewin
outraged
He
was
by Asja's
convinced
. 1
that Asja's behavior was revenge for the "
",
which had appeared in May. Asja later wrote: "
'.
'
."71
Belyj
quotes
claims:
in Zossen
68 It is difficult
solalija'
reads
a conversation,
after
to agree
my 'Razluka'."
to Cvetaeva
actually
with
Cvetaeva's
In letter
from "
a letter
assertion
to Baxrax
She
".
24 in which he
of June
that
of April
wrote his 'Glos

"Belyj
1923 quoted
in Sa
20,
379.
dates
he had been
1, 1922,
Belyj
Although
"Glossolalija"
July
on the manuscript
at least since April when he had read excerpts
at the
working
House
of the Arts.
69 In an introduction
to the unpublished
Vremen"
in Novyj zumal,
102,
"Zovy
1971, p. 9.
70 Maria
Marina
Razumovsky,
Wien,
1981, p. 172.
Zwetajeva,
71 In Struve
"K biografii
. . .", p. 65. Belyj still refers to Asja
Andreja
Belogo
akjanc,
as
his
Anna
'wife':
"I
Alekseevna
dedicate
this
book
Turgeneva-Bugaeva
to the
one
who
wrote
it together
with
. . ."
me,
Andrej
Belyj.
119
,
?
1921-1923
Years
. . . ,
Berlin
The
:
,
.72
The
delightful days which Belyj and Cvetaeva

spent together
were some of his most productive.
His plans and projects were enor
mous and his works would soon flood the marketplace.
In May the
first issue
of the long awaited

appears with an introduction
his
what
of
first
of
will be four major installments
by Belyj
"
".
"",
"
"
and
and "
with the offending passage
are available.
"
An article from the unpublished
. 2 "
",
"
in
Golos
Rossii
June 4,
982,
"
(No.
appeared
lent
to
a
call
for
He
his
1921, p. 5).
help to the
signature
general
and
along with other cultural figures including Remizov
Tolstoj and several Germans in Golos Rossii (No. 985, June 9, 1922,
p. 3). He was working on a revision of the poems from his first col
";
lection of poetry "
several of the revisions would
starving
be printed in " ".

He was finishing Chapter III of the
Blok Memoirs, which contained
the painful reliving of the love tri
- Blok.
Ljubov' Dmitrievna
(They are signed Zossen
Belyj
angle
which ap
June 1922). One article in Nakanune
Swinemnde,
May
in
peared
early
May
noted
the
special
Status
and
aura
of
the
man.
in "
, "
(Literary Sup
ev
No
40, May 14, 1922, pp. 5-6) recalls how unbelievably
plement
erything changes after direct contact with him.
Cvetaeva
is the tenderest of memoirists: he was so different, so
not
of this world. Her description of his colors, their rela
special,
E. Gollerbax
tionship
and him vs. others culminates
"

in a declaration:
: ,

72
Saakjanc,
. 381.
Thomas
120
Beyer
"
(Cvetaeva,
. 250).
She would leave
Berlin in a few weeks for Prague. Her Separation

from Sergej Efron had finally come to an end. Belyj's post-separa
tion from Asja was just beginning.
the Berlin period
Other memories
of Belyj which characterize
ar
and Berberova
from this second half of his stay. Xodasevic
rived in Berlin at the end of June 1922. For a good part of the sum
mer Belyj escaped
to the sea along with the other members of the
date
on the Baltic coast. Cvetaeva

Community to Swinemnde
On July 1,
speaks not of a farewell but simply of a disappearance.
- "his
to his ""
1922, Belyj initials the introduction
Russian
best
It
poem."73
"
and
are
"
that
published
summer
the forthcoming
by Epoxa,
in
Also
and
as
well
as
.
July Belyj
Tag"
publishing house to publish
agrees with "Der Kommende
which
also
translation
German
announces
of his
series.74
"Crises"
In August Belyj sees Xodasevic

and ""
with major cor
rections appears in an edition of 3000 copies for Epoxa. Golos Rossii
an announcement
house Logos:
"
publishes
by the publishing
(1037,
:
20,
August
1922,
Belyj
would
9).
later
. . ."
refer
to
this
as
new
slander:
"
"
);
!75
the summer months which he spends at

Belyj will characterize
the resorts of Swinemnde,
Heringsdorf and Misdoy as "
".
His "encounter"
with Cvetaeva
had given him a brief re
73
p.
had
Belyj
in Mnchen.
1913
74 "Die
lyj
to Margarita
According
first
373,
Krisis
publishes
an
des
Gedankens"
article
in
Die
Woloschin,
become
acquainted
is the
German
in
with
grne
Lory
1968,
Schlange,
Stuttgart,
in
Smits
and Eurythmy
to appear.
only volume
the Anthroposophical
is one clear
indication
und Russland".
This
"Anthroposophie
Steiner
and the teachings
of Anthroposophy
75 "Poemu
ja stal simvolistom",
p. 115.
had
not been
Also
in 1922
Be
Die
Drei:
journal
that his ties with
severed
completely.
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
121
1921-1923
spite from the stress and strain of his professional and personal life.
But as the summer came to a close, Belyj would find himself again
in too many projects. Xmel'nickaja
involved
writes: "

descent
1922-1923
was
about
to
On September
Crampe Pension
houses
The peak
."76
had been reached,
begin.
6, 1922 Belyj returned

at Viktoria-Luise
Platz
to Berlin, this time to the

9.77 (This is one of the few
in Berlin
connected
with Belyj which remains standing

and Gersenson;
lived
Berberova
Xodasevic,
day.)
walk in either direction could bring them to Erenburg
or to the
Platz.
This
to
a five minute
Here
Diele
the
at the Prager
on Nollendorf
Arts
House
of the
meeting place
would place Belyj in almost daily contact
arrangement
-
with Xodasevic,
who with others witnessed Belyj's
"dancing"
did not experience, perhaps because her own
phase which Cvetaeva
departure was a partial cause of Belyj's behavior. At any rate, most
of those who recall Belyj at this time, Berberova,

Xodasevic,
remember
when
""
76
1966,
77
""
Andreja
(Baxrax
In:
A.
. . .
Belogo."
"Poezija
(""
"".
."78
"
Belyj
"",
,
?)
301, 302).
Belyj,
Stixotvorenija
i poemy,
Moscow
p. 65.
118 but in a letter

as No.
Nikolaevna
Vasil'eva
lists the house
Klavdija
as No. 9,
in November
from Belyj to Nadezda
1922, he gives the address
Supak
Pension
at No. 9.
lists the Crampe
Adrebuch"
and the "Berliner
78 John
the literature
on Belyj's
reviews
"Notes"
Malmstad,
pp. 342-343,
"It
on the foxtrot:
in Belyj's
variations
Xodasevi
of hysterics
speaks
dancing.
was
of a drunken
not just a dance
in himself, a blasphemation
the best
to demonstrate
Paris
1976,
through
p. 89.
himself
man:
it was,
of course,
of himself,
against
Dornach."
a diabolical
"Andrej
a symbolic
violation
grimace
at himself
Belyj"
in Nekropol',
of
-
Thomas
122
Beyeb
by
Belyj was constantly in motion, his lectures were accompanied
and he was fascinated by eurythmy. For a while this
gesticulations,
itself in
internal rhythm and pent up nervous energy expressed
(Lourie), his twenty year old
wild.
the
dancing as exceptionally
dancing partner,
in
of
Be
some
the
reaction
the
part
Perhaps
generation gap played
was
im
feit
his
conduct
Nonetheless
many
lyj's contemporaries.
proper, if not ridiculous and pathetic.
in German
dancing
cafes.
does
In the cheap
Lur'e
Vera
not recall
bars of Berlin
then and now for its night life,

or drive it away. Most
noted
tried to drown
his sorrow
Belyj apparently
were repelled. Belyj has a history of alienating those close to him.
Dring this time one woman in particular stayed close to him. Vera
in the Pet
a young poetess, had been a Student of Gumilev's
She left
in
.
House
the
Arts
the
of
group
rograd
Russia with her parents in the Fall of 1921 and arrived in Berlin
Lur'e,
she met Belyj and others at the Berlin House of the Arts,
like others, she feil under his spell. In her own words - there
that she loved him
"some sort of affair." Baxrax remembered
where
and
was
her like a dog. Lur'e clearly loved him

abandoned
him, she watched over
Nikolaevna
arrived in January of 1923. In 1922
like a kitten while he treated

in those
and
days,
him until Klavdija
and
1923
she
when
published
others
several
reviews
of
his
works
for
Nova
ja
Kniga and Dni and a number of her own poems appeared

Russkaja
in the press at that time. She was one of the few who remained in
Berlin
and
has
recently
borne
witness
to
those
events
of
Russian
Berlin.79
In spite of his frenzied state and maybe because of it, Belyj threw
for the remainder of
himself into several activities whole-heartedly
1922. He attended the first meeting of the new season at the House
of the Arts now in a new home, the Cafe Leon at Blowstrae
1,
held on September
15 with Viktor Sklovskij, Nikolaj Ocup, Vera
on the program, and the September
and Xodasevic
22 meet
which
featured
who
read
from
his
novel
and
""
Tolstoj
ing
Boris Pasternak,
who read his poetry.80 There was also a flurry of
Lur'e
79 See
Vera
by Thomas
80
Belyj's
debted
to
them
R.
LouRif),
Beyer,
ed.
Stixotvorenija,
Berlin
1987.
is noted in the daily

presence
Nina
Berberova
and Professor
available
to me.
with
an introduction
and
bibliography
Jr.,
Belyj's
encounters
list of meetings
David
Bethea
by Xodasevi.
for making
with
are
Pasternak
an
I am
interesting
in
of
side
Andrej
activity
as
with
recalls
lishing house
Sept 25. Belyj
Berlin
Years
the thirtieth jubilee
surrounding
writer,
berova
The
Belyj.
the
of his
publication
1921-1923
123
of Maksim
story
Gor'kij's
debut
udra."81
Ber
"Makar
a meeting of Belyj and Xodasevic

at the Grzbin Pub
on September 18 to discuss the jubilee and another on
a few articles on Gor'kij: one dated Sep

published
1922
in
20,
Novaja Russkaja
Kniga (No. 8, Aug. 1922, pp.
slightly different version appeared in Golos Rossii (No. 1069,
tember
2-3).
and
a third
version
24,
1922,
6-7)
September
pp.
signed
in
issue
No.
3
of
in
1922.
On
""
appeared
Epopeja
Septem
ber 30, messages and flowers were presented to Gor'kij by a delega
tion which included Belyj as the representative
from Vol'fda.
Belyj
also frantically working on his re-edition of his poetry for
Grzbin, a milestone in his poetic career, and the largest collection of
his poetry published in his lifetime. Belyj dates the introduction
in 1923). The alterations
September 21, 1922 (the volume appeared
are part of the never-ending attempt of the poet to re-examine his
was
personal
and
experiences
to
re-evaluate
from
them
the
of
standpoint
the present. All this was, of course, directed at breaking through

the limitations of time and space in the phenomenal
world, to gain
into
the
noumenal
of
Friends,
critics, scholars
entry
sphere
reality.
always suf
fered, but little attention has been paid to the underlying aesthetic
which guided the work.82 Belyj's own theory and prac
assumptions
feit that the artistic
tice
of revision
merit of the revised
defended
was
works
almost
later:
years
there would
evolve
a correspondence.
Pas
light. After their return to Russia,
of
in Izvestija,
Jan 9, 1934, p. 4 a statement
ternak
with Pil'njak
along
signed
the
Ber
for
But
here
we
can
see
the
of
even
support
difficulty
explaining
Belyj.
in Berlin
lin period
"From
1921 to 1923 A. Belyj was abroad,
for Soviet
critics.
literature
and
Soviet
and anti-Soviet
he was a literary
watershed,
determining
After
banner
he carried
for those abroad."
confirmation
of Soviet
whose
culture,
on
Nikolaevna's
pension
that Unele
Kostja
convincingly
Ron Peterson,
is based
on Belyj.
"Andrej
Belyj
Wiener Slavistischer
Almanach,
9, 1982, pp. 111
death
Pasternak
interceded
Belyj's
Ron Peterson
with the authorities.
in the
and
novel
Nikolai
118.
81 See
"
"
Vedenjapin".
I. V.
Koreckaja,
In:
Gor'kij
good
vation
them
taste'
to such
gone
of Andrej
to.
Belyj's
Belyj.
Pjast
say,
his
In:
in Vstreci,
-
poems,
to wonder,
Gor'kovskie
Moscow
Mos
ctenija,
1929,
Andrej
Belyj,
where had his
pp.
154
actually,
'inherent
that you had

the Society
for the
to institute
we got together
of them."
from his own harsh treatment
Works
an extent,
And
of Klavdija
written
i Andrej
cow 1968, pp. 189-206.

82
of Vladimir
is the opinion
Typical
155.
so to
developing,
"Reworking,
ruined
behalf
has
Preser
Beyek
Thomas
124
""
.
""
1907 .
""
"
"
"

"
;
,
, "";

, ;
-
,
.
.
,
.. ,
,
,
.83
Also in September,
II
""
Rul'.Bi
"
are
Belyj had published poems in Golos Rossii and

and "
is on sale and "
",
any
promised
now,
day
as
well
as
"
III. Roman Gul' has a review of " ".

",
On October 1 a special meeting in honor of Gor'kij at the Cafe
Leon
replaced
the
customary
program
at
the
House
of the
Arts.
Be
149, Oct. 3, 1922, p. 5). He

lyj was one of the Speakers (Nakanune,
meets
with
Xodasevic
frequently
twenty times in all. The life of
the House
of the Arts is varied
and alive.
On October
6, Erenburg
On October 13, Yu. Ajxen
("").
val'd, recently expelled from Russia with other intellectuals,
appea
red and Belyj read "."
The election of new officers which
had been scheduled
was postponed
to a later meeting. On October
reads
from his new stories
another recent arrival, gave a brief intro

20, Vladimir Majakovskij,
duction
to Futurism
and read from his works. On October
27,
83
vremen:
In: Novyj zumal,
Vmesto
102, 1971, p. 91.
"Zovy
predislovija".
84 "Iz osennix
. . ) Rul', 550, Sept. 20, 1922, p. 2. This
pesen"
(My balagurim
the only work by Belyj
which
I have
in Rul'.
been able
to identify
"Zamanja
. .
In: Golos Rossii,
of the poem
1067, Sept.
24, 1922, p. 6. The typography
curious.
Belyj uses three different styles of identation

for a way to capture
his own inner rhythms.
in his never
ending
search
is
is
Andrej
Belyj.
The
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
125
and the Cinematograph"

and Belyj
Sklovskij read on "Literature
took part in the discussion afterward (Nakanune,
172, Oct. 29, 1922,
p. 6).
Elections
were also held that evening and Belyj was chosen Presi
Remizov, Vengerov, Minskij, Eren
Xodasevic
and the painter Ivan Puni. (Na
burg, Tolstoj, Sklovskij,
Nov.
kanune, 176,
3, 1922, p. 5). Belyj's reign would be short-lived:
a lovely caricature
in
(No. 3, Nov. 1922, p. 15) would
dent. The other officers included
the
contortionist
over his
gesticulating
presiding
celebrated
his
27
n. s.) in
single meeting. Belyj
birthday (October
Berlin with Xodasevic
and others. Vera Lur'e, who is not invited
along will write:
capture
wildly
,
,
"".

.85
Vera's
abscence
is not all that surprising. Belyj, according to Xo

Mariechen
for a time at the end
took on a German
dasevic's
notes,
of October, an innkeeper's
daughter from a cafe on Lutherstrasse.
But Belyj was not happy. He writes in "Rakkurs":
" ''
- ."
. - ; '
'
Even so in October he continues work on the fourth and final sec
tion of his "
."
As the fifth anniversary

of the October Revolution
approached,
Soviet Russia was flexing its muscles. The country had re-establi
shed relations with Germany and formally re-occupied
the old Tsa
In the process, they closed the Orthodox Church atta
rist Embassy.
ched to the Embassy and confiscated its holdings. Public show trials
of the Social Revolutionaries
had been held and sentences passed on
was being put on the emi
or risk never being able to
change was the closing of the
of Russia) which was almost im
in spite of world public outrage. Pressure

gres to choose between Soviet citizenship
return.
of the
Perhaps
symbolic
Golos
Rossii
(The Voice
newspaper
replaced
by the more modestly titled Dni which began
on
October
29, 1922. Belyj would be a frequent contribu
publication
mediately
85 Veba
Lourie,
. 104.
126
Thomas
Beyer
Soviet Russia
tor in the early days, but as November 7 approached,
looked like it was here to stay.
On November 3, Ivan Puni, one of the House of the Arts' officers
founding members, spoke on Continental
Russian
Exhibition in Berlin. This exhibition
Russian
and
October
15 at the Galerie
Von
500 works by over
sented
Art and
the
opened on
at Unter den Linden 21, pre
were
Among those displayed
Diemen
150 artists.
which
had
Burliuk, Chagall, Kandinskj,

Kustodiev,
Malevich, Benois, Wasiliev,
turned into
Zetlin and Tatlin.86 After the talk, the discussion
shouting match with a number of insults hurled around the hall, in
spite of Belyj's plea at the beginning of the meeting.87 The major
controversy which erupted was followed by a request that Aleksej
Tolstoj be expelled from the House of the Arts. On the next even
and others organized
the
4, Belyj with Xodasevic
ing, November
as an alternative
outlet for their artistic and crea

tive energies and within days they would resign their positions at
the House of the Arts. Belyj was there and at a subsequent
meeting
of the
Club.88
Belyj continued his activities in other forums, and he would be

confronted with a memory of the past, "
,
-,
, ,
8 ,
.

86
catalogue
found in Berlin's
87 See Beyer
of the
"The
88 Aleksandr
1975,
p.
Writers'
terview
only
writes:
Club
after
that
House
"I
the
Russische
Preuischer
of the Arts
Po
Baxrax,
293
on
"Erste
Bibliothek
pamjati,
to
ought
unavoidable
9, 1984
August
the Organization
write
. .
pp.
po
zapisjam:
schism
[of the House
had
no
to me
and
no
Arts
in November
Baxrax
Nov.
3 meeting,
taneous
never
ernate
of Klub
founding
again
go
December
the
1922.
subsequent
House
and
resignations
that
pisatelej,
of the
be
reports
indicated
their
formation
3,
1985
in the
press.)
in the
to
In an in
he
recalled
accounts
(This
me
positions
for the
I think
House
that
and
Xodasevi
and
others
Belyj,
While
would
many writers
speak
of the Arts and then at the Writers'
as
participants
Club see the
at the
article
K.
of the
after
the
Arts.
first at the
Home
evenings
and Xodasevi
were never
mentioned
Belyj
again
of the Arts. For a good
of the Writers'
description
111, Mar. 11, 1923, p. 15.
3,
of the
of the Arts]."
to work
from
Kontinent,
Belyj,
the
of March
records.
continued
and
Andrej
about
separately
in a letter
can
1922,
27-32.
nature
of meeting
announcements
sporadic
N. Bugaeva
errs in her note that Belyj
the
Berlin
Kunstausstellung",
Kulturbesitz.
and
rules
,
,
the
simul
would
on alt
Club,
House
in Dni,
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
127
November
11 Belyj was at the Wri
."89
ters' Club and on the 12th he went with Xodasevic
to Saarow.
To
with
was
at
the
to
celebrate
Remizov,
gether
Belyj
present
meeting
the 60th birthday of Gerhart Hauptmann

on November
15 (Dni, 17,
Nov. 17, 1922, 6). In a letter of November
17, Belyj writes to Na
dezhda
Oseevna
He
Shchupak.90
the newspaper
vember 5 and
became
an
active
contributor
to
Dni
and published excerpts from his Memoirs on No

19.91 He also could read in Dni a review of "Glosso
lalija"
by Vera Lur'e, most of it dictated to her by him (No. 10,
Nov. 9, 1922, . 12).92
- a two hour
Belyj would journey again to Saarow
trip from Ber
lin
on November 23 to visit Xodasevic,
who had moved there not
far from Maksim
Gor'kij. Finally there is a report that Belyj at

tends the opening of the Russian Religious
Philosophical
Academy
on November 26, capitalizing
on the recent arrival of so many pro
minent
and other intellectuals

from Russia.
philosophers
expelled
Nov.
same
Some
of
these
25,
28,
1922,
(Dni,
p. 4).
figures would be
attendees
of
the
Writers'
Club.
regulr
In December,
in Dni.93 He
Belyj continued to publish extensively
attends and speaks at a lecture of Fedor Stepun on December
11.
The newspaper
accounts attest that Belyj had not lost his ability to
an audience.
captivate
89
XODASEVI,
90 See Boris
XLIX,
. 91.
An Unknown
Correspondent
pp. 450-452.
Curiously,
Belyj
for his return to Russia.
116,
ers "put'
91 The
articles
following
12,
Lur'e
and
1922,
13
1922,
view
p.
in an
that
Dzaljuli"
from
his
pp. 2, 3; review
of Blok "Molnija
African
No.
19, Nov.
me
admitted
a general
3,
p.
1922,
"Zverinoe
52, Dec.
31,
1922,
19,
form"
novyx
her with
impressions;
of Erenburg
mysl'",
1922,
pred"osuseniju
with
provided
30, Dec.
Belyj's
19,
Basne"
interview
Belyj
No.
over
appeared
19, Nov.
p. 10; "Na
Ivanovskoj
his article
idem
"My
1922, p. 2.
the work
93 "Ali
in SEER
he consid
in November
in Dni
signature
was apparently
p. 11 (the speech
then copied
in his own inimitable
Remi
Script by Aleksej
No. 7, Nov. 5, 1922, p. 16, 17; "Na putjax"
No. 13, Nov
No.
1922,
Nov.
92 Vera
Belyj
that
will
1971,
July
otrezan"
Gauptman",
"Gergardt
written
and
by Belyj
zov.) "Iz vospominanij"
blished
of Andrey
indicate
Sapir,
that
she
outline
9; "Sidi-by-Said",
"Tomoka-Pesik"
teplo."
1922,
pp.
42, Dec.
p. 9. He also pu
in Veretenys,
3
understood
little
of
for the article.

No.
No.
17,
36,
48,
1922,
Dec.
10,
Dec.
24,
p. 13;
17-18.
re
Thomas
128
621, Dec,
(Rul',
Beyer
13, 1922, . 6).
Jle
16 Belyj read from "
at
the
Cafe
Leon.
Writers'
Club
at
the
"
(Dni, 41,
meeting
Dec. 16, 1922, p. 5). On December
17, another curious note concer
ning the elusive "Doktor Donner" appeared in Dni:
On December
"

"
.
""
"

,
."

""
[sie]

,
"".
"
.94
"
on the 6,
For few days he travels to Saarow to visit Xodasevic
he
fourth
and
final
9
and
13.
Most
finishes
the
7, 8,
importantly,
This section is espe
".
installment
to the "
in it Belyj will make the transition from
cially important because
Dmitrievna
Blok to the subject of
the painful memory of Ljubov'
of Ljubov' and
There
was
this
coincidental
correlation
Asja.
always
in which Ljubov', Asja and Ru
Asja. (Baxrax recalls a conversation
dolf Steiner are all grouped together. [p. 306]) It also marks a shift
in focus in the memoirs from Blok to Belyj himself. Belyj will ask

rhetorically:
:
?
94
1982
Dni,
noted
possibility
was
tainly
trates
that
42,
socinenij,
Dec.
that
that
the
even
want to offend
95 Mabietta
Vol.
17,
11.
1922,
Nina
Belyj
Donner
often refered
- "thunder"
source
of this
before
Steiner,
denial.
was
an
The
Saginjan,
1, Moscow
as
Doktor
to me
Donner
is clear
of March
and
raises
7,
the
allusion
to Zeus.
almost
cer
Belyj
is significant,
because
it illus
in Berlin,
Vasil'eva
Belyj does not
timing
the arrival
at least
in a letter
Berberova
to Steiner
of Klavdija
in public.
in a review
1971,
of "Vospominanija
in Sobranie
Blke"
a slice of his own
"Belyj
gave us simply
of his fate he permitted
Blok to ap
background
p. 732:
and against
the
autobiography
For a discussion
of the evolution
pear."
4, 1922, . 128).95 There
(,
of the
"Vospominanija
Blke"
into
the
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
cut sequence
of Belyj examining
he had
prose. In "Glossolalija"
Years
1921-1923
129
his own life through his poetry and

written "
"
(. 97). The death of Blok and the subse
method
on
the
memoirs
would provide an alternative
quent
for self-examination,
and analysis.
evaluation
But it was still one
work
step removed from the purely personal. Belyj would spend the next
ten years examining his life one more time, but this time more di
rectly, without the filter of poetry, prose or third person memoirs.
As the year drew to a close, Belyj could recall good times and
professional
triumphs and personal failures and tragedy. He
. . . . . . "
and
writes in the "":
"
bad
his troubled
of mind can be examined
state
in "
",
Had he taken
which he writes in December.
of his accomplishments
in Berlin, he would have found that
stock
his expectations
for writing and publishing were amply fulfilled. Mo
Seven are
cul'skij cites sixteen works printed between 1922-1923.
republications:
"",
",
"",
"
in
" "
"
"
",
(1923),
"
were
Another
nine
,
(1923).
""
new
works.
"
",
"
",
",
"
"
"
"",
"
",
",
"
"",
",
Belyj had continued to contribute to the

in Russia and to
journal
in
Die
the
in Paris.97 He had published
Drei,
jour
Anthroposophical
would
in Stuttgart, and his "Krisis des Gedankens"
nal published
be published in 1923.98
in
"
"Naalo
unrealized
(1923).96
veka"
see
Literaturnoe
nasledstvo,
614-615.
96
Moul'skij,
p. 239, Most other scholars
and "0
slova"
list omits
"Poezija
smysle
"Pervoe
97 In
in issues
Zapiski
Sovremennye
11, 12, 13 for 1922.
preinej
to publish
Zelinskij,
98 "Die
1922,
quoted
these
and
poznanija"
same
the
1937,
pp.
The
figures.
of
republication
svidanie."
"Otkliki
ued
have
Moscow
27-28,
pp.
In
novel
1923
"Belyj
i 'Zapiski
Keuchel
metatelej'"
und Ruland",
Drei,
and
II,
a Wolfgang
"Tjaielaja
publishes
"Arbat"
in issue
18.
of Blok
in Znamja,
Die
6, 1922,
Letaeva"
Nikolaja
"Prestuplenie
Belyj
in issue
16 and
Moskvy"
articles
and memoirs
poetry,
Anthroposophie
In Die
376-385.
Belyj by Ernst
p. 445.
the
Drei,
pp.
Groeger
in Zapiski
12, 1957,
II,
437-444
4, pp.
there
translation
lira"
Belyj
appears
in issue 15,
also
mectatelej.
contin
See
pp. 152-157.
and
317-328
is an article
of one
II,
K.
5,
about
of his poems,
130
Thomas
Beyeb
But his attempts at reconciliation

with Asja had lead not only to
a final break with her, but with a loss of faith in Rudolf Steiner.
What were his resolutions
for the New Year? New Year's
Eve was
Berberova
at Gor'kij's.
spent with Xodasevic,
Goetheanum
in Dornach was burning!
At the same time, the
The new year (1923) did not bode well for the Russians
German Inflation mixed with civil unrest would reverse
able
conditions
which
Indeed,
previous year.
shers had agreed
had
fostered
most
the outburst
of the Berlin
in Berlin.
the favor
of publishing
the
Russian
publi
language
co-efflcient to re
upon a uniform multiplication
place the set prices on their books in Germany. Belyj would awake
in Saarow with plans for a gigantic work, which would only be reali
zed some ten years later. He describes the high points of the year in
his letter to Ivanov-Razumnik:
23 : "" (
); - : . .,
;

: ; . . (
- 23-) 1)

( "") 2) "" (. .
);
."
23
After spending the first and second

Belyj returned to Berlin. On January
in Saarow
10 he was
""
with Xodasevic,
back in Saarow.
The
Ja
nuary
the
Writers' Club had several meetings during the month: on

15 - Pasternak;
on the 22 Viktor Sklovskij;
on Jan. 29
Irina
Odoevceva
Ivanov,
"young poets" Georgij
Nikolaj Ocup,
Vera Lur'e read from their works. (Novaja
Russkaja
Kniga, 1,
and
Jan
notes that Belyj participated

in at
1923, p. 37). Vasil'eva-Bugaeva
least one of these evenings. Belyj's ""
in
appeared
(1, Jan 15, 1923, pp. 1-19) and he published an article written
in Moscow
in 1920: "
in ,
"
1, Berlin:
1923, pp.163-188.
The central event of January
kolaevna
who would
Vasil'eva,
99
Monde
"Andrej
russe
1923 was the arrival

serve
as the catalyst
Lettre
a Ivanov-Razumnik",
Belyj:
autobiographique
et sovietique,
XV, 1-2, janv. - juin, 1974, p. 80.
of Klavdija
for Belyj's
Cahiers
Ni
re
du
Andrej
conciliation
Belyj.
The
Berlin
Years
and his return to Soviet
with Steiner
131
1921-1923
Russia.
Granted
by Menzinsky, who was hoping to convince Belyj to return to

that she was sent by the Anthroposophists
Russia, some speculate,
She had
concerned
about Belyj's
drinking and wild behavior.100
known Belyj in Moscow, where they worked together and Belyj had
visa
In 1921, Klavdija
Nikolaevna
had
been given the task of transcribing the Belyj-Blok correspondence.
in the West
The picture of Klavdija
Nikolaevna
among Russians
often taken
was
not
meals
very
tale - an image
Baxrax
at her house.
one.
complimentary
of Asja
remembers
or Nina
as
her
was
She
not
clearly
or Ljubov'
Petrovskaja
"
femme
fa
Dmitrievna;
Even though she would ultimately divorce her hus

."101
band and marry Belyj, her interests seem maternal, in a long line of
to
women who have made it possible for their husbands
Russian
write.
Belyj was like a wounded
animal, snarling and lashing out in all directions, often most ve
at precisely those people, even Klavdija
Nikolaevna,
nomously
who most wanted to help. Her quiet stability, her undemanding
she came
When
to Berlin
in 1923
and
constant companionship,
devotion,
faith nursed him back to life (Malmstad,
shared
anthroposophical
p. 28).
was the death of Belyj's mother in

be
Nikolaevna
a foster father, then Klavdija
came an adopted mother. The main point is that in 1923, Anthropo
sophy as a theme and driving life force returns to Belyj.
Life continued in Berlin, but Belyj's gradual return to Anthropo
sophy was made public in his article on the Goetheanum.
An additional
If Steiner
1922.
consideration
was
,
,
; . . .
,
100
memoire
. 15 cites this from the unpublished
overview
of the
an excellent
Malmstad
provides
Gagen-Torn.
.
.."
"Po
here. Baxrax
which we need not repeat
p. 313.
pamjati,
was taken
to
mind
close
"In
of
a
state
away
frenzy
Belyj
says
relationship
. .
see
135.
101 Aleksandr
March
Ivanovna
Dolgopolov
[uvezen]
"Introduction",
Malmstad,
of Nina
21,
1982,
"Neizvedannyj
Baxrax,
materik".
"Vospominanija
In:
Voprosy
Belom"
in
literatury,
Novoe
3,
1982,
Russkoe
p. 5.
p.
Slovo,
132
Beyeb
. . .
Thomas
!102
Lur'e
Vera
whose
in
that the burning of the Goetheanum
was
had
extraordinarily
pain
participated
Belyj
as if "he had lost his head." This return to ear
has
recalled
construction
ful for him. It was
lier beliefs is paralleled

by a more outspoken defense of the intellec
tual and artistic life in Soviet Russia. But Belyj still refused to cut
off all ties with the Berlin Community. He continued to lecture and
discussions
on the
12 Rafalovic
with Stepun
read
scenko
preparations
On
March
On Feb.
spoke on "
and Zajcev was at the February
"
3, Remizov
read;
Belyj along
".
26 meeting where Ja
Part
".
of
the
month
was
four days together with Gor'kij where

for the initial issue of were in high gear.103
and
with Xodasevic
spent
Club.
at the Writers'
enliven
7,
read
Stepun
at
the
Writers'
the
about
Club
"
replied. (NRK,
" to which both Belyj and Pasternak

2, Feb. 1923, p. 40). On March 11, Belyj lectures on "
" written in February for the Union of Russian Students. (Dni,
112, Mar 13, 1923, p. 5). On March 14, he reads from his "
at the Writers' Club. (Dni, 113, Mar 14, 1923, p. 5).
"
Nikolaevna
to visit Xodasevic.
On March 16, he goes with Klavdija
a week there along with a few evenings with Gor'kij. Be
were all editors of the journal, Beseda, al
lyj, Gor'kij and Xodasevic
was nom
though Gor'kij would later write that Belyj's participation
He spends
inal.104 He
would, nonetheless,
first two issues of the journal.
102
Dni,
duction
1984,
103
100,
Feb.
27,
1923,
R.
Beyer,
by Thomas
pp. 18-27.
Belyj was
i'rorn the 18-21
104 Xodasevi
in Saarow
and
with
make
pp. 6-7. The

Jr. in the
Xodasevi
article
was
Andrej
Belyj
on February
to the
contributions
lengthy
reprinted
Society
18, 19, 20,
with
an
intro
Newsletter,
21,
24,
3,
25 and
25 with
also
Gor'kij.
remembers
"The
literary
editorship
was
composed
of
Andrej
The crucial
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
133
event of the month was the meeting which took place

of March in Stuttgart,
where Belyj had travelled
on
at the
end
March
23 to attend
a meeting of the Waldorf Schule teachers

spoke with Steiner face-to-face. The meeting was the result
number of behind the scenes negotiations.
Nikolaevna
Klavdija
and
of
was
in arranging for the meeting. She had travelled

clearly
to Stuttgart in February and met with Steiner. On March 11, 1923
Belyj sent a letter to Marie von Sivers-Steiner.105
instrumental
. ,
, - ; 15

;
,

.
,
Finally on March 30 came the long overdue face to face discus

sion with Steiner. It was decisive by all accounts. Maksimov recalls
that in 1930 Belyj had a portrait of Steiner above his bed in Ku
"
cino. (p. 175) In "
and "
"
Belyj recalls the crucial nature of their conversa
is at
and lasting effect of the encounter
tion.106 The signiflcance
tested

Asja recalled, "
to by others.
."107
The
also
week
served
to
close
the
book
with Asja: "

relationship
on Belyj's
Gor'kij,
me
and
Andrej
1952, p. 207.
105 See Klavdia
Steiner",
Stuttgart,
R. Beyer,
in
aus
Mitteilungen
pp.
"Belyj
Steiner:
and
"Andrej
Belyj
only
einer
Russin
Anthroposophischen
Arbeit
in
Also
and
The
see
the
Berlin
letters
period"
article
in Andrej
Christy
of Rudolf
Steiner",
ed.
i Rudol'f
Stejner",
p. 238.
29,
Zumal,
Novyj
nominally)."
"Erinnerungen
der
134-137.
Newsletter,
6, 1987, pp. 13-26.
106 See also
"Reminiscences
1987.
dale, N.Y.
107
Turgeneva,
latter
Vasil'eva/Bugaeva,
1980-1982,
Jr.,
(the
Belyj
an
Rudolf
Deutschland,
by Thomas
Belyj
Society
Barnes,
Hills
Beyer
Thomas
134
."108
even
old
was
as he pre
but surely Belyj

issues,
resolving
pared for his return to Russia.
On April 1 he returns to Berlin and his article "
in Dni (No. 128, Apr. 1, 1923, pp. 9-10).
"
appears
On April 4 he attends a reading at the Writers' Club by Xodasevic.
Slowly
1923, p. 430). Other meetings of the Club

(NRK, 5/6, May-June
were held on April 11, 14, 18, and 25. He is working feverishly on
his revision of the Blok memoirs, which he now envisioned as a four
volume
"
opus:
and with Volume
Local
news
--
the
cussing
issue
but
cluding
"
for
difficulties
also
for Rus

(Rul' 716, April 8, 1923, .

that the League
of Nations was dis
reported
of passports
economic,
"";
the changing scene in Berlin

on increased
reported
.110
items indicate

9). On April 26 Rul'
from
resigns
publication.
"
sians:
also
he
April,
ceases
In
".109
4 the journal
the
Russian
for Russian
new
and
emigres
refusal
of
the
on
abroad,
publishers
Soviet
27th
it
in
to
government
accept works printed in the old orthography.

The Writers' Club held meetings in May on the 2, 9, 16, 23, and
and at the
30, but Belyj spent the 9, 15, 18, 22 and 23 at Saarow
end
of the
month
he
and
Klavdija
Nikolaevna
moved
to
Harzburg.111
ties with the emigre Community in Berlin would

in the first issue
by his article which appeared
Belyj's
shaken
be further
of Beseda.
108
letter in Stbuve,
pp. 65-66.
Turgeneva
109 See the note in
Dni,
139, Apr. 15, 1923, p. 13. Belyj
refer to this work as "Natale
In Beseda,
veka".
2, 1923,
gust,
Andrej
an advertisement
"Vol.
Belyj:
Revoljucija".
Volumes
but they never

110 Andrej
Belyj,
111
burg.
Dni,
172,
The
paper
I:
and
announces
the publication
of "Nacalo
veka"
by Epoxa
by
Blok i ego vremja,
Vol 2: Sumerki,
Vol 3: Krizis,
Vol 4,
25 1 and 2 were scheduled
to go on sale on September
27,
printed
later
in Au
appears
and
appeared
"Letter
May
will
others
which
the fate of the manuscript

is unknown.
to A. G. Visnjak
of Gelikon"
in Epopeja,
that Belyj had departed
1923, p. 12 reported
a correction
in No.
174,
May
30,
1923,
IV,
1923.
for Ham
p. 4.
Andrej
Rul'
The
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
135
announced
on May 6 that the first issue had appeared.

The ar
had been written in December

of 1922, " ''
ticle, which
Belyj.
"
''
is
rationale
for
Belyj's
return
to
the Soviets.
.

:
- . :
,
;
(
)
. . . ,

;
-

, ,
;
;
""
-;
",
""
"
.112
of "why I can't do cultural work" re

Belyj was terribly impatient, and in spite of large num
appearing.
ber of works which he successfully completed, his vision was always
beyond his grasp. He was too intolerant, a work-horse who lacked
One see the old themes
the ability to see most projects

polished end product. Somehow
with a hammer
Goetheanum
He was equally
blunt about
through to their conclusion

the image of him working
and
on the
and chisel seems appropriate.

Soviet Russia.
- :
; ,
,
();
,
.
.
.
,
; , -
, "" (. 218-220).
Belyj tries to persuade
himself, as it were:
( ,
,
:
; .
.
.

);
- .
: .

""
, . . . , :

!
"
"
""
(. 228, 232-233).
Belyj the polemist, role he had enjoyed in the heydays of Sym

bolism, would emerge even more forcefully that month of May. In
112
Beseda,
1, 1923,
. 213.
136
Thomas
the same
issue of Beseda,
Beyer
I, there was an article by Dr. Hans Leise

a translation
from the German which be
gang, "Anthroposophy,"
gan with a short biography
of Steiner
but went on the characterize
his philosophy
as "mystical speculation."
The expose type of article
who
at
the
end
of
the
month
was in Harzburg with
prompted Belyj,
Nikolaevna
to come to Steiner's defense in the next issue
Klavdija
of Beseda,113 In the article dated May 26, 1923 Harzburg,
Belyj
characterizes
himself
as
of Dr.
"student
Steiner
and
a member
of
the Anthroposophical
Society."
(p. 392) Belyj would ultimately fall
victim to the same sin of memoir writing that he had criticized in
1921. Harzburg was a particularly
productive spot; his article "
"
is also dated May 1923 at Harzburg
There was also
16,
1923,
zapiski,
(Sovremennye
pp. 190-209).114
section
of
""
in
Beseda
which
recalled
long
Belyj's
first encounter with Steiner and Anthroposophy
and the early mys
tical experiences
of him and Asja. Asja was not exactly pleased with
this
of intimate details
of their relationship;
but, of
publication
had ceased.
course, by this time all communication
These memoirs pick up where the "
"
had left
off in Brssels in 1912 where the mystical experiences
of Asja and
Belyj caused them to take a train to Kln to see Steiner. This more
factual
account
(as
to
opposed
previous
fictional
stylized
memoirs
as in the article) indicate a major trend in Belyj's work from

this point on. Belyj had from the beginning of the Century reviewed
almost his entire life in his prose. " "
and "
had
moved him from childhood
to adolescence.
"
"
such
dealt
" and "
"
the following years. "
"
and Nelli (Belyj and Asja) in Dornach.
review
his life in the "
with the writer of 1905 and

covered
Belyj
"
the life of Ledjanoj

already begun to
had
which encompassed
"
for 1910-1911.
the years 1904-1909

and the "
From this point on, beginning in 1923, Belyj would for a third and
final time review the experiences
of his life - this time not through
the rosy-colored filter of fiction, or the third persion of Blok.

Nikolaevna
and it
Belyj and Klavdija
spent June at Harzburg
was here that the final decision to return to Russia was made, al
113 Andrej
378-392.
114 An
Belyj,
excerpt
Antroposofija
of this
article
i D-r
appeared
Gans
in Dni,
Lejzegang,
202,
July
Beseda,
1, 1923,
2,
pp.
1923,
9, 11.
pp.
Andrej
The
Belyj.
though
it was not made
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
to friends. "
public
137
. .
; '' ( 3- ' ')

"
he
",
writes
on
sons for the decision?

He needed
. . .
June
27
Klavdija
to
What
Zajcev.116
."115
the
were
rea
Nikolaevna
was clearly a major factor.

not physically as much as intellec
someone
desperately,
tually and spiritually to be by his side. He longed again for recogni
he
tion and his memory passed over the sickness and deprivation
had experienced
in Russia.
had taken
His renewed
faith in Rudolf
Steiner
and
hold.
Anthroposophy
Belyj had always been the teacher,
the prophet. He was going back to continue Steiner's mission - the
apostle of the New Creed called upon to spread the faith among the
Russians.
Did Steiner give him Instructions

of
And,
course, the Iure of Asja was now truly
still had acquaintances
in Berlin: Remizov,
But others like Aleksej Tolstoj had gone back
follow. The material
There
was
only a memory. Belyj

Xodasevic.
Jascenko,
and more would soon
in Berlin were rapidly deteriorating.

incredible Inflation. On January
1,
conditions
a dramatic,
cost 70 RM.
to return?
or advice
almost
On June 1, it was 400 marks, July 1-1000

1923, Rul'
1
it
marks. By October
would be 5,000,000 marks. When Belyj had
arrived in 1921 $ 1 (one U.S. dollar) was worth 209 marks, by Oc
marks. There were
tober 23, 1923 $ 1 was worth 40,000,000,000
strikes
seemed
and
shortages
ready
events
in
Russia
to
in Berlin.
collapse.
of
1917,
For
the
The
anyone
Situation
entire
who
was
structure
lived
had
like
of the state
the
through
rerun
newsreel
of
that time. If things were indeed to get that bad, wouldn't he be bet
could be valuable?
ter off where friends and language
Belyj would
upon his return to Moscow.

29 Belyj takes up residence "
to
Berlin
on
June
Having
sees Belyj in Berlin
Bahnhof
Xodasevic
Anhalter
(sie)."

several times at the beginning of the July (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11). From
move in with the Vasil'evs
actually
returned
July 14-17 he travels to Ahlbeck. On July 23 he takes . N. Va

sil'eva to Stettin and then travels on to Ahlbeck where he anxiously
awaits
Baxrax
115
116
117
to return to Russia.
Writing
permission
on July 26 Belyj complains that he cannot
"Andrej
Quoted
Belyj's
from Ahlbeck
to
work.117
Ivanov-Razumnik",
Lettre
Belyj:
autobiographique
121.
in Bugaeva,
Letopis',
p.
of July 26, 1923 and August
letters to Baxrax
16,
p. 81.
1923
are
found
in
138
Thomas
Beyer
On August 1 Belyj is notified that he has been granted permission

to return by the Berlin Narkompros.
He will still have to wait for
visa. Part of the month is spent at Ahlbeck - there is another letter
on August 16 in which he expresses the hope to leave in
of September
and stating that he needs his suitcases
he visits
26th and 28th of August.118 Apparently
four times, but never gets to reside there as was his wish.
to Baxrax
the beginning
between
the
Prerow
On August
was
part
27 Belyj
common
was
knowledge.
in Berlin
back
"
and
'
to de
his intention
',
."119 would join an ever increasing flood of
Russians
recalls a farewell photograph
leaving Berlin. Berberova
taken on September
8: B. Zajcev, Xodasevic,
M. Osorgin, A. Bax
and Belyj, plus Berberova
and P. Muratov.
Xo
rax, A. Remizov
dasevic
was
by Belyj that evening and there is no indica

tion that they ever met again. On the next day Dni announced
edited by V. A. Kadasev
forthcoming
containing
insulted
",
"
by Belyj.
(No.
260, Sept.
9, 1923,
10).120
The final months

He himself writes
read
from
his
for Belyj must have been excruciatingly

lonely.
of the "
Nonetheless
he
".
memoirs
on
15
September
at
the
Writers'
Club.
(Dni,
p. 6) and again was there on October 6. The

continue weekly meetings until October 20 its
after which it dissolved
because
of a lack of mem
265, Sept. 15, 1923,

Writers' Club would
last
meeting,
bers.121
remembered
Stepun
fore his departure.
Vera
which
took
he
apparently
as
Belyj
Zajcev
when
sick
gave
he
and
him an
nervous
icon
shortly
of the
be
Virgin
left.122
Butler
at Columbia
Portions
of them are printed
in Baxrax,
Library
University.
"Po pamjati,
in
315-316.
Kontinent,
3,
1975,
po zapisjam,"
pp.
118
is also recalled
"Vozvrasenie
Andreev,
Belyj's
stay in Ahlbeck
by Vadim
in Zvezda,
zizn'"
6, 1969, pp. 105-107.
119
Dni, 254, Sept. 2, 1923, p. 10.
120 I have not found other references
or evidence
of its publication.
121 "On
October
Club'
is closing
in light of the de
20, the 'Writers'
Saturday
parture
from Berlin
possible
that
transfered
the
of a significant
majority
of the Club which
activity
to Berlin,
will
be resumed
p. 5.
122 Boris
Zajcev,
Dalekoe,
lin somehow
made
him cruder".
of the
organization's
in Moscow
originated
in Paris."
Washington
1965,
See
pp.
Rul\
36,
880,
37.
members.
and
October
Zajcev
It is
was
then
20,
1923,
notes:
"Ber
Andrej
There
Berlin
Years
1921-1923
139
is a brief flurry of activity at the beginning of October.

one last doubt before his final departure.
apparently
lyj had
writes
The
Belyj.
to
in
Cvetaeva
Be
He
desperation.
. - ,

!
,
:
!
!
!
,
-
,

,
1923
[sie]
- .123
On October 4, Cvetaeva
contacts ,
claiming she has found
a position for Belyj and will for him. But it is essential to get
Belyj to Prague.

..
, (!) ,
, , ,
saire)
,
-
(stricte neces

, ,
.124
Did
get the message to him in time? There was more than

a little confusion concerning Belyj's intentions. "
,
,
weeks
"
Oct.
But
then
two
later
290,
14,
(Dni,
1923).
Dni
"

(No. 302,
"
Oct. 28, 1923).125 Belyj left Berlin on October 23 and arrived in
recorded:
123
Her
ceived
124
love
Cvetaeva,
own
letter
Belyj's
the month.
mistakes
dux",
"Plennyj
p. 251. Cvetaeva
clearly
in October.
in reply to Baxrax
comes
She must have
re
early
letter before then.
Mosty, 6, 1961, p. 337.

. N. [Boris
Nikolaevi]
See
also
her
...
tenderly
he is completely
of July 20, 1923 to Baxrax

"I
In life he is even
is a lonely being.
I am with him I feel that
mad. When
letter
He
than I am,
helpless
a dog, and he is - a blind man! . . . My finest memories
him." Mosty, 5, 1960, p. 311.
125 See John
1921-1923.
Malmstad,
Andrej
Belyj in Berlin,
more
in Berlin
I'm
of his
bliography
Malmstad
Supplements
et journalistique
critique
tique,
Works.
XVIII,
extensively
1-2,
janv.
in collections
raturno-xudozestvennye
In:
the
-
Cahiers
du
Belyj
juin 1977, pp. 22-39.
and in Russia.
both in Berlin
also
d'Andrej
al'manaxi
Belyj",
i sborniki
in
in "L'Oeuvre
1918-1927,
See
Vol
monde
about
for a Bi
Addenda
4, 1985,
Newsletter,
Andrej
Belyj Society
work of Georges
Nivat
are
pp.
20-29.
polemique,
russe
et sovie
continued
.
P.
to publish
Lite
Rogoin,
3, Moscow
1960.
140
Thomas
Moscow
on October
recalls
seeing
the
publisher
of
how
she was
two years to the day when he had

Belyj off at the Station with Kaplun
26, almost
left. Baxrax
Sumskij,
Beyer
Years
Epoxa.126
Berberova
later,
recounts
told
his departure
in
by Vera Lur'e who described
terms.127
It
is
all
too
we'll
never
know.
glowing
long along, perhaps
And the mystery of memory is more comforting than the reality
which no longer
and
Berberova
week
matters.
left
for
later,
on November
4, Xodasevic
Prague.
Belyj returned to Russia and began to write. His Moscow novels

would be monuments
to Belyj's verbal fireworks but they are not
the mysteries en
masterpieces.
They are simply too inaccessible,
closed
are
largely
locked
ignored
from
away
them
and
the
most
of most
eyes
Western
readers.
scholars
Soviets
are
at
loss
have
to
ex
but the bare outlines
of plot. He continued his stud

plain anything
ies of poetic form. On January 3, 1924 he gave a talk on "
for the Moscow Circle of Poets. On January 14 he deliv
"
ered
a talk
"
which would later
"
into
a
short
book
concerned
with
the Berlin experi
grow
primarily
ence. Later he performed a rhythmical-mathematical
of
analysis
Puskin's "
and engaged in a polemic with Viktor
"
2irmunskij. There was also a comprehensive
study of Gogol's style
a dictionary of stylistic devices
For many
".
"
the
and
critics
readers,
his
scholars,
three
volumes
most
contribution
important
of
memoirs
"
(1982)
was
"
published
" (1933) and "

(1930', "
in the
" (1934). There was also significant work still unpublished
Soviet Union which has only come to light in the last few years, in
"
cluding
"
" (1982).
Back
and
"
in the USSR
in Berlin.
Later
memories
were,
Belyj was highly critical of his two year stay

he would admit that he was ill at the time, and the
of
course,
painful.
"
"
is searing indictment of Berlin, its mores and its morals.

There were also plans to publish a full-scale novel entitled "
".128
126 Baxrax
127
"Po
Berberova,
128 See
S.
S.
pamjati
Kursiv
GreCiSkin
. .
p. 320.
moj, p. 188.
and . V. Lavrov,
Neosusestvlennyj
zamysel
An
Andrej
The
Belyj.
Berlin
Years
141
1921-1923
he happy upon his return? Perhaps that isn't the right ques
tion. Belyj remained until his dying days an enigma, both to former
friends in emigration and to those who knew him in Russia. The Sil
Was
ver Age of Russian literature and Symbolism had already become

historical memory, and Belyj was a living relic. Even the youth of
the country upon which Belyj had placed so much of his hope would
disappoint him. The saddest commentary is delivered by Maksimov,
who
notes
Berlin
guished.129
the
that
when
light,
It
would
Belyj in 1924 after his return from

in Belyj's
eyes, had been extin
he saw
that
""
never
return.
and reappraisals
death
Belyj's
brought remembrances
And the
and Xodasevic.
from Cvetaeva,
Osorgin, Stepun, Pasternak,
ever trying to justify Belyj, who was
Soviets would find themselves
writers.
one of the least Soviet "Soviet"
In Berlin - the papers folded, the printing houses which did not
in the 1933 Verlagsvernde
fall victim to economics
disappeared
in 1934
rungen. Most of the "Russian

others to Paris,
to Prague,
departed, some
intelligentsia
re
Jascenko
later to America.
Berlin"
then
in Berlin but little of his archive is left. Most of the newspa

and
journals, and even many of the books, did not survive the
pers
war. What remains are the cemetery and the antique shops selling
icons and Easter eggs. Vera Lur'e remained behind, but even her
mained
voice is one of memories:
,
.

(Plan
dreja
Belogo
197-200.
129 D.
Maksimov,
romana
"0
tom,
'Germanica'),
,
!
ja videl
Russkaja
i slysal
literatura,
Andreja
XVII,
Belogo",
1, 1974,
p. 172.
pp.
12
Thomas
Middlebury
. . .
Vermont
College,
Beyer
!130
U.S.A.
Thomas
R. Beyer,
Jr.
13 in November
and extensive
access
to
1989, I received
complete
Cooperation
at the Institut
holdings
concerning
Belyj's
stay in Berlin
Russkoj
ANSSSR
the Rukopisnyj
otdel Gosudarstvennoj
Dom),
Literatury
(Puskinskij
pu
biblioteki
im Saltykova-Sedrina,
the Rukopisnyj
otdel
blinoj
Gosudarstvennoj
biblioteki
im. Lenina
and the Central'nyj
arxiv
i is
gosudarstvennyj
literatury
the
archival
skustva
x. 100),
coincides
ally
riod,
cies,
mostly
place.
which
Rakkurs
has
been
just recently
Information
presented
with
"Dnevniku"
made
available
(CGALI,
f. 53,
to scholars,
gener
Berlin
pe
the
in my article.
For the
from memory,
the Rakkurs
contains
several
inaccura
primarily
concerned
with months
in which
a particular
lecture
or meeting
composed
took
in A. Belyj,
Information
(CGALI).
1, ed.
op.
A. Belyj,
Sebe na pamjat'.
Perecen'
procitannyx
referatov, publicnyx
besed (na zacedanijax),
s 1899 do 1932 goda (CGALI,
f. 53,
lekcij,
opponirovanij
on pages
devoted
to the Berlin years:
op. 1. ed. x. 96, p. 14/2, 15/1) admits
"My
and perhaps
there are errors (omissions,
or an inaccurate
re
memory is failing,
cord
new points,
not reported
in the press
or
of the months) in the list." Three
do emerge
from these
documents.
did see Asja in Berlin
in
sources,
Belyj
November
1921 and there was a painful
encounter
with her again
sometime
in
the last ten days of June 1922. He was exeeptionally
in the Berlin section
active
other
of Vol'fda,
the
fall
reasons.
The
provides
its
Belyj
Finally,
partially
Rakkurs,
own
"I
to the
know
in journals
to characterize
ticipation
1922
and
business
a meeting
meetings
of Vol'fila
between
was
fascination
with dancing
Belyj's
a attempt
to increase
his physical
the most frank and honest
perhaps
footnotes
writes:
lectures
In October
May
Organization.
of 1922 was
1923,
sixteen
atten'ding
1922.
and
1921
that
and
Berlin
Under
period.
in Moscow
after
life
literary-public
November
held
in the
to dissolve
summer
and
for medical
activity
of Belyj's
memoirs,
the
of October
heading
article
about
me par
off-limits
to me (p. 116/2).
Trockij's
are
the
between
1916 and 1923, he adds:
"An active
period
seven year period, I sum it up, because
literary-public
after it I ended up in dif
- the accounts
with literature,
and public
ferent conditions-,
life, you could
say,
were closed"
(p. 117/1).
Stopping
I want
the
to thank
archives.
addition
sischer
Prof.
of the
. V. Lavrov
Dr.
article
Schriftsteller
P.
for his insights
Brang
kindly
H. Riggenbach
by
an Gerhart
and
useful
to my
brought
and R. Merti
suggestions
attention
the
"Eine
on use
of
important
Grussadresse
rus
Hauptmann".

Beyer. Andrej Belyj. The Berlin Years 1921-1923

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Andrej Belyj: The Berlin Years 19211923

Author(s): Thomas R. Beyer, Jr.

as an emigre, but rather a lost sheep returned to the fold of Soviet

and others who arrived in Berlin in mid 1922,

of life in the starving,

press in Berlin, with the perceptions

considering the special roles played by Asja Turgeneva-Bu

as early as 1920 for Belyj's desire to

and rejoin Asja

of the official status

the death of Alexander

only two days after Blok's death, Belyj described

focus for a flood of memories, especially

they did Blok, but their content

had never been known for

bot Andrej Belyj Anla zu einem flammenden Pro

arrest on the night of 3-4 August and subse

Belyj was finally granted permission to leave in September.14 For

from the very

and return to Asja.

schedule of lectures, meetings and negotiations

on to the city of Kowno

still awaiting a visa and the necessary permission to travel to

at the time, had been granted

in February of 1920.18 Their rclationship

in 1916 Belyj kept alive the hope of a re

trast to those of Asja. In her own mind the relationship

'* <) koim: es Nivat.

in 1920 (her Christmas present for 1919)

of Belyj's true desire to see

in attempts to define Belyj's reaction to the man

and while the strnge

during the Berlin years, some

easily arrange his entry into Berlin, and while he

quest for intercession,

he clearly hoped for Steiner's support on his

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

of the Treaty of Versailles

three major daily Russian newspapers

pre-war days when Russia's

The emergence of the Russian press and printing industry in Ber

and journals unsympathetic

At least as effective as the political and le

tures. Figures vary on this account.

(the collapse of the German economy would

And the center of this activity

On the eve of his departure

for Berlin, however, he was decidedly

, ."31 Belyj would

be fulfilled far beyond even his expectations.

a train for the journey to Berlin where he arrived

so on the evening of November

for the Prodigal

was likely not prepared

but cool greeting,

set the tone

for the personal

Belyj would experience in Berlin.33

the country in November.

one of the largest department stores in the world.

dine and dance

with regret his illness

tea with a Russian