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[MAYAKOVSKY’S LAST PLAY] Bania: Drama v 6 deistviiakh s tsirkom i feierverkami [i.e. The Bathhouse: Drama in 6 Acts with Circus and Fireworks]

Mayakovsky, V.

Moscow: Gosudarstvennoe izdatel’stvo, 1930. Item #1472

78, [2] pp.: ill. In original constructivist wrappers. Spine restored, small pale stains on front cover, otherwise very good and clean.

First and lifetime edition. One of 5000 copies.
Cover design by artist Alexander Surikov (1907-1946), one of newly discovered designers of the 20-30s. He was a remarkable artist and constructor of Soviet books who impeccably felt the style. In book graphics, Surikov worked from 1928 and was fond of complex compositions and constructivist design solutions until 1934. He started to work in ‘Nizhpoligraph’ [Nizhny Novgorod printing shop], then moved to Moscow and contributed to editions of central publishing houses.
The play ‘Bathhouse’ was commissioned by Vsevolod Meyerhold for his theater in 1929. Despite that, its debut occurred on stage at the Leningrad Drama Theater of the State People’s House in January 1930. Two months later, the Meyerhold Theater performed ‘Bathhouse’. It was too witty; the performance caused a scandal, so the play was removed from the repertoire.
This edition is illustrated with photographs of Meyerhold’s performance.
One month later this performance of ‘Bathhouse’, Vladimir Mayakovsky committed suicide.

Worldcat shows copies located in Yale, Iowa, Indiana, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago Universities, Getty Institute, Amherst and Wellesley Colleges.

Price: $2,500.00