Andrei Bely was the pseudonym of Boris Nikolaievich Bugaev, the most prominent symbolist author in Russian history, and symbolism's greatest promoter as a new genre of Russian literature. Bely had deep religious and philosophic convictions, studying the great religious texts of history and the influential philosophers. He was the greatest promoter of anthroposophy in Russia, having studied under Rudolf Steiner in Europe. Beyond this, Bely graduated from Moscow University in honors, completing physics and mathematics curriculums and later studying history and language. He was a genius beyond our comprehension. His untimely death at age 53 was due to a brain aneurysm caused from stress for his refusal to capitulate to Soviet demands and become a socialist writer. This volume is his life, as well as a history of symbolism, and it includes a selection of his symbolist writings translated from Russian into English. Daniel H Shubin has written several books on Russian history, religion and philosophy.