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GIVEN THE SPECIAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED in this novel, any translator is well advised to avail himself of opportunities to consult other scholars who have worked in the literature and culture of Bely’s time.

It has been our good fortune to be acquainted with several such people, who have generously agreed to share their talents and insights with us. At the inception of this project, Nina Berberova helped solve numerous problems, and she has given us constant encouragement and friendly counsel throughout. Robert and Olga Hughes read sections of the manuscript and made useful suggestions for revision. Carol Anschuetz discussed with us some aspects of Bely’s theory of language and his use of anthroposophy, and contributed to our understanding of them. Franklin Sciacca, while a student in our seminar on the novel, presented a paper on some of the anthroposophical elements, which helped us in the preparation of the notes on Nikolai’s dream in Chapter V. William E. Harkins, a sensitive translator of Russian and Czech literature, provided English readings of all the poems in the text which made our final versions far better than they would otherwise have been.

Our greatest debt of gratitude goes to Simon Karlinsky. He took time from a busy writing and teaching schedule to subject the entire manuscript to a careful comparison with the original Russian, and made countless suggestions for improvement, most of which we have incorporated. His masterful command of Russian and English, his extensive experience as a translator, and his expert knowledge of Russian literature have all contributed to strengthening our text immeasurably.