Main page > Books > Vladimir Mayakovsky

Vladimir Mayakovsky. Dreamer and Herald

Marking the 120th Anniversary of the Birth

I blurred at once the chart of trite routine
by splashing paint with one swift motion.
I showed upon a plate of brawny glutin
the slanting cheekbones of the ocean
Upon the scales of tinny fishes
new lips summoned, though yet mute.
But could you
play
right to the finish
a nocturne on a drainpipe flute?
But could you? [1913],
translated by Dorian Rottenberg

The exhibition Dreamer and Herald marks the 120th birth of Vladimir Mayakovsky. In the world literature, there are persons who are associated with distinct eras in history of their countries. They stand today as symbols of their time. One of them is the poet Mayakovsky. In his works, he was able to reflect the time period in which he lived. It was a period of tectonic shifts in social and public life of the early 20th century Russia. The life and poetry of Mayakovsky so closely fused, what we can say - they complement each other. And his power over the reader lies in this indivisibility.

V.V. Mayakovsky, 1910 Vladimir Mayakovsky. Moscow, 1924 Vladimir Mayakovsky in the office of the magazine 'Krasnaya niva'. Moscow, 1927 V.V. Mayakovsky, 1930 Vladimir Mayakovsky. 1924 V.V. Mayakovsky. 1923, Berlin
V.V. Mayakovsky. Moscow, 1924 Vladimir Mayakovsky with Skotik. Pushkino, 1926 V. Mayakovsky. Photograph. 1925 V.V. Mayakovsky. 1929 V.V. Mayakovsky at the exposition, 1930 Student of the Stroganov School for Drawing. Moscow, 1910

Vladimir Mayakovsky: pro et contra
Notworthy among the exhibits is the anthology Vladimir Mayakovsky: pro et contra. It covers a wide range of opinions and assessments of this outstanding Russian author and his poems. The book tells of the most important in his lifetime, and the first posthumous memoirs and critical responses of the poet's contemporaries. Many of the texts had never been reproduced after their first publication.

Larisa Kolesnikova. Other Faces of Mayakovsky
The materials of the anthology, brought together for the first time, allows us to trace the history of understanding of the phenomenon of Mayakovsky.

The book of Larisa Kolesnikova Other Faces of Mayakovsky narrates about another, previously unknown side of the life of Vladimir Mayakovsky: about the things that surrounded the poet, about what he liked, how he dress up, about his habits and hobbies. The book is illustrated with rare photos of Mayakovsky, includes letters and memoirs of contemporaries.



back to top