SOURCE: The preface and "The Call to Eternity," in The Apocalyptic Symbolism of Andrej Belyj, Mouton, 1973, pp. 5-6, 71-91.

In the following excerpt, Cioran analyzes the function of apocalyptic symbols in Bely's Symphony poems, asserting that the theme of apocalypse is the key to understanding his work.

Of all the Russian symbolists, Andrej Belyj offers the greatest challenge for interpretation. His problematic manipulation of enigmatic language, cosmic imagery and aesthetic theory presents untold problems for exegetical study. Yet, in spite of the differences, both aesthetic and ideological, which separate Belyj from others of his era, he shares with them the eschatological mentality of the pre-revolutionary period—the search for the new Adam in a resurrected spiritual paradise on earth. In a crisis-ridden age obsessed with religious symbolism, the Apocalypse, that most symbolic and mystical of biblical texts, had an enormous effect on both writers and thinkers alike. Belyj...