ty ▁Dem on . ▁( He ▁said ▁later ▁that ▁in ▁writing ▁the ▁novel ▁he ▁had ▁soft ened ▁the ▁facts : ▁" th ings ▁happened ▁that ▁no ▁one ▁would ▁believe ▁if ▁I ▁were ▁to ▁describe ▁them .") ▁He ▁felt ▁sympath etic ▁with ▁the ▁writers ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁journal ▁Sever ny i ▁vest nik ▁( N or thern ▁Her ald ), ▁including ▁Nikol ai ▁Min sky , ▁Z ina ida ▁Gi pp ius , ▁and ▁D mit ry ▁M ere zh kov sky , ▁who ▁were ▁beginning ▁to ▁create ▁what ▁would ▁be ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁Symbol ist ▁movement , ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 1 ▁he ▁visited ▁Petersburg ▁hoping ▁to ▁see ▁Min sky ▁and ▁M ere zh kov sky , ▁but ▁met ▁only ▁the ▁first . ▁ ▁Early ▁literary ▁career ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 2 ▁he ▁was ▁finally ▁able ▁to ▁re loc ate ▁to ▁the ▁capital , ▁where ▁he ▁got ▁a ▁job ▁teaching ▁mathematics , ▁started ▁writing ▁what ▁would ▁become ▁his ▁most ▁famous ▁novel , ▁The ▁Pet ty ▁Dem on , ▁and ▁began ▁frequent ing ▁the ▁offices ▁of ▁Sever ny ▁V est nik , ▁which ▁published ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁writing ▁during ▁the ▁next ▁five ▁years . ▁There , ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 3 , ▁Min sky , ▁who ▁thought ▁T et ern ik ov ▁was ▁an ▁un po etic ▁name , ▁suggested ▁that ▁he ▁use ▁a ▁pseud onym , ▁and ▁the ▁arist ocr atic ▁name ▁Sol log ub ▁was ▁decided ▁on , ▁but ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁ls ▁was ▁omitted ▁as ▁an ▁attempt