Arthur Symons was born in London in 1873. His father was a poet, portrait painter, and art critic. From his father's example, Symons developed an interest in the arts early on, and he read widely in literature and poetry.
Symons wrote several poems before writing his first novel "The Borough" (1904), a psychological story of a schoolboy's sexual awakening. "The Borough" was initially rejected by publishers, but through a friend of Symons' mother who sent the manuscript to the editor of the "New York Evening Post", it became a success when serialized in that newspaper.
Sometime after this period, Symons moved to Paris, where he worked as a freelance writer
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In 1910 he returned to London to pursue a career as a novelist.
In 1912 Symons published "Madame", a novel about prostitution set in France during the French Revolution. In 1916 he published "Venice", a history of Europe's leading city from its origins to its fall in 1797.
During World War I Symons served as an intelligence officer with the British Army of the Rhine. His experiences during World War I have been described as formative for creating the character Major Richard Cantrell in his novel "Sartoris". In 1917 Symons published "Pater", a novel about academic life at Oxford University, followed by two more novels: "Partner of My Youth" (1920), which was based on his experiences at Oxford, and "The Young Lady" (1922).
In 1923 Symons published "The Face of the Deep," which formed part of what some consider his most important and best work: The City Trilogy.
The City Trilogy is made up of three novels: The Face of the Deep (1923); A Fury for God (1925); and The Triumphant Coast (1927). It portrays modern man against his city; how men and women are moved by forces beyond their control; and how they must embrace love or die by it. A Fury for God describes an exiled Russian prince who returns to Russia only to be cursed with madness; The Face of the Deep describes how he tries to free himself from this curse; and finally The Triumphant Coast describes how he ultimately conquers all and becomes happy once again after many years spent seeking freedom from his curse.
A Fury for God was adapted into the film Mad Love (1935) starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas
