Family Photograph 58

The family viewed this painting of M.K. Morozova by Stember at the Pushkin Museum Annex on Arbat Street in Moscow in the Andrey Bely home. We purchased a book there that had the following translation beneath the picture:

'However, the 'Symphony' has a personal edge: Arbat Street in the Spring, being in love with a lady whom my 'democratic friend' perceives to be a 'Fairytale' (Andrey Bely, Beginning of the Century). (This piece is from AB's book of memoirs).

'Sometime in the spring of 1901, I received a letter signed 'Your Knight'.  I felt very much interested in this letter because of it's non-standard content, unique language and the overall thoughts in it, which reminded me of Vladimir Soloviev...I kept receiving those letters from time to time during three years...

In the Spring of 1903 I bought in a bookstore a small book by poet Andrey Bely, of which book I heard from many people.  I opened the book and was astonished seeing in it the phrases from my letters.  Thus I realized that in the Symphony he spoke about me under the name of Fairytale.'  (M.K. Morozova, Andrey Bely)

An Excerpt from the book 'Andre Bely    Alexander Blok     Moscow' published in 2005.