A.V. Lavrov. “Prekrasnyi rytsar’ Parsifal’”: Michail Sizov – Andrei Belyi’s correspondent

When describing the informal circle of “Argonauts”, which was formed around him in early 20th century and which was both closely connected with literary, creative, religious and philosophical milieus of Moscow and at the same time largely autonomous from them, Andrei Belyi noted that “argonavty” “slivalis’ s “simvolistami”, schitali sebia po sushchestvu “simvolistami” ‹…›, no otlichalis’, tak skazat’, “stilem” svoego vyiavleniia. V nikh ne bylo nichego ot literatury; i v nikh ne bylo nichego ot vneshnego bleska; a mezhdu tem riad interesneishikh lichnostei, original’nykh ne s vidu, a po sushchestvu, proshel skvoz’ “argonavtizm””[1]. Essentially, only three of the “Argonauts” – Ellis, Sergai Soloviev and of course Andrei Belyi himself – became full-scale members of the symbolist movement. Others took part in literary life only sporadically – more or less actively – still, remaining rather representative bearers of symbolic outlook. Aesthetically, their personalities and fates were not outstanding embodiments of symbolism, but in terms of “zhiznetvorchestvo” (“life-building”) and their outlook they definitely were. There is little documentary evidence, mostly their letters from Andrei Belyi’s archive, which can be used to recreate the individualities of many participants of this union.

[1] Belyi Andrei. Nachalo veka. M., 1990. P. 124.