Valery Bryusov was born on 13 December 1873 (recorded as 1 December, according to the old Julian calendar) into a merchant’s family in Moscow. His parents were educated for their class but had little do with his upbringing, and as a boy Bryusov was largely left to himself. He spent a great deal of time reading “everything that fell into [his] hands,” including the works of Charles Darwin and Jules Verne, as well as various materialistic and scientific essays. The future poet received an excellent education, studying in two Moscow gymnasiums between 1885 and 1893.