Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov was born into a family of merchants in Moscow. His literary activity started in the 1890s, together with Zinaida Gippius and Konstantin Balmont. Valery Bryusov became one of the pioneers of Russian symbolism. In 1894-1895 he made ready and published three books of poems “Russian Symbolists”, where he put mainly his original and translated poems (later combined into the cycle “luvenilia” by the author).

Atmosphere of the first Russian revolution of 1905-1907 had a great impact on changing of Bryusov’s poetry. His books of that period are remarkable for heightened social activity of the author, who welcomed the shattering tornado of revolution. However, by all appearance real aims of revolution were alien to him.