Vladimir Maïakovski

Vladimir Vladimirovitch Maïakovski (also in the Maïakovsky form, or in English: Mayakovsky; in Russian: ВладимирВладимировичМаяковский; born on July 7th/July 19th 1893 in Bagdadi, today Maïakovski, Georgia - April 14th 1930 with Moscow) is a Russian writer of origin Cosaque.

He was one of the founders of the Russian Futurisme, more particularly of cubo-futurism (the other connects being ego-futurism).

Biography

Poet, playwright, actor, theorist, painter, poster artist and scenario writer, Maïakovski were born in Bagdadi (Georgia) in 1893. Resulting from a modest family, it settles with Moscow in 1906, after the death of his father. It adheres to the democratic social Party (Bolshevik) at 15 years, takes part in the revolutionary demonstrations of 1905, it is stopped and twice made prison. Maïakovski begins its literary career at the 18 years age; a tragedy entitled Vladimir Maïakovski is assembled to Saint-Pétersbourg in 1913; it will copiously be whistled.

It quickly becomes one of the leaders of the futuristic movement after his meeting with the poet and painter David Bourliouk whom it knew in 1911 and which put “the foot with the clamp to him”. While exploiting this new poetry, it reaches tops of lyricism in the Flute in spinal column (also known under the name of the Flute of the vertebrae , 1915) or in its Nuage in pants (1914), genuine proclamation of the Futurisme, which is the fruit of its relation disturbed with Lili Brik (sister of Elsa Triolet) that it met in 1910 and with which it will write its more beautiful poetries. Of return to Moscow and after the Révolution of October of 1917, qu' it accommodates initially favorably, it uses its talent with the service of the political power, in particular in the poem “Lénine”. He also writes two satirical parts: the Bug (1920) and the Public baths (1929), as Mistère-Puffs out part dealing with the Revolution in epic way. Disappointed in its love life, misled by the revolution in which it actively had taken part and severely hooted by the literary press, it commits suicide at the 37 years age in April 1930, of a ball of revolver in full heart.

Various rumors circulate as for its last words. For some, they would have been: “Comrades! do not draw! ” For others, they would have been a little more sincere: “Be happy! ” A certainty, it wrote its own epitaph: “The boat of the love broke against the everyday life. Like one says, the incident is closed. ”

Futurism

The first used the term of “futuristic” was, the February 24th 1913, the poet Vladimir Maïakovski, at the time of a debate on the contemporary art, even if the Slavic neologism of boudetlianine (man of the future), that introduced the poet Vélimir Khlebnikov, a success much larger had. “ futurism is not a school, it is a new attitude”, wrote David Bourliouk, the Ukrainian artist who, in 1911, figure among the founders of the Groupe of Gileja, which the Russian Futurisme took as a starting point officially; an experiment which continued, with alternate results, until 1930, the year of died of Maïakovski and the end of the innovative dash.

“ Futuristic Russian described themselves as boudetlianines , people of the future, and pled for the destruction of the old art “eaten by the mites”. Futuristic Russian regarded the man as part of the ground and nature ”.

Works

the Cloud in pants , Thousand and One Nights.
Poems Claude Frioux, Textual, 1997.
Théàtre , Grasset, Books red; Grasset, 1989.
Letters in Lili Brik (1917-1930), Andree Robel, Claude Frioux, Gallimard Pocket, 1999.

From 1923 to 1925 Vladimir Maïakovski directed the review LEF.

A poem

“Towards on the Soviet passport”

I would devour the bureaucracy like a wolf,

I do not have the respect of the mandates,

and I send to all the devils paître

all “papers”.

But that one…

Skirting the face of the compartments and cabins,

a quite polished civil servant advances.

Each one tightens its passport, and me I donne

my small notebook scarlet.

For certain passports one has the smile,

others one would spit above.

With the respect has right, for example,

the passports with English lion in two places.

Eating eyes the honest Sir,

making hello and courbettes,

one takes as one takes a tip,

the passport of Américain.

For the Pole one has the regard

goat in front of the affiche.

For the Pole the face is plissé

in police a éléphanterie

from where that leave does and which are ces

innovations in geography?

But it is without turning cabbage of the téte,

it is without testing strong emotions

that one receives Danish papers

and various Swedish sortes.

Suddenly, as licked by fire,

the mouth of the Mister tord.

Mister the fonctionnaire

touched the purple of my passeport

It touches it as a bomb,

it touches it like a hedgehog,

like a razor with two edges,

it touches it like a rattlesnake,

with twenty darts, two meters of length and plus.

Complice blinked the glance of the carrier,

which is prét to carry your luggage for rien.

the gendarme contemplates the cop,

the cop the gendarme.

With which pleasure the caste policière

would have whipped me, crucifié,

because I have in my hands,

carrying sickle,

carrying hammer,

the passport soviétique.

I would devour the bureaucracy like a wolf,

I do not have the respect of the mandates,

and I send to all the devils paître

all “papers”, but that one…

I will draw from my pockets profondes

the certificate of vast a viatique.

Lisez well, enviez

I suis

a citoyen

of the Union Soviétique.

(1929)

External bonds

Site on Maïakovski
biographical Page
Some of its works
complete Works available on line.

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