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[THE RAT-CRUSHER: EARLY 1920s COLLABORATION OF THE GREATS] Krysodav [i.e. The Rat-Crusher]. #1-3 [full].

Item #237

Moscow: Mospoligraf, 1923. In original illustrated publisher’s wrappers. #1 and #2 have some restorations of the spines. Otherwise a very good set.

Extremely rare. Not found in the Worldcat. The print run of the issues is 16000 (#1), 12000 (#2) and 8000 (#3).

Krysodav was the meeting point of three important early Soviet art tendencies: LEF group, Krokodil group and 41 degrees from Tbilisi, Georgia. This satirical periodical is little-known but it’s a remarkable example of collaboration of many famous personalities that was only possible in the early Soviet times. The magazine was edited by young Ukrainian writers who lived in Moscow at the time: Leonid Nedolia (later the editor-in-chief of YUGO-LEF magazine) and Mark Gai.
The literary sections of the magazine were presented by Maiakovsky, Igor Terentiev, Sergei Tretiakov, Nikolay Aseev, Osip Brik, Alexey Kruchionykh, Vsevolod Meyrhold and others. Among artists were Kirill Zdanevich, Dmitri Moor, Boris Zemenkov, Sergei Makletsov, Boris Efimov. Nikolay Ilyin was the printing editor.
The magazine is filled with lithographic images including photomontages, occusatory poems and stories, portraying the enemies of the Soviet state in a ridiculous manner.
Maiakovsky wrote the poem ‘My’ [i.e. Us] for the front cover of the first issue of Krysodav. Sergei Tretiakov wrote the hymn of the magazine that also appeared in the first issue: in his poem Krysodav is the metaphor for USSR. Sergei Makletsov’s impressive collage ‘Nozhnitsy po Trotskomu’ [i.e. The Scissors according to Trotsky] showing Red Army soldier cutting ‘former people’ with giant scissors. This was made to illustrate Trotsky’s postulate about the difference in prices between industrial and agricultural goods during NEP. The magazine with such illustration would be dangerous to keep through 1930-40s and on.
The second issue’s cover includes very unusual photo-montage by Igor Terentiev showing the fight against contraband. In the same issue caricature of NEP-man could be found as well as interesting anti-Nazi caricatures by Kirill Zdanevich. The back cover is illustrated again by Zdanevich showing black Red-Army soldier proclaiming ‘Workers of the world, unite!’
Remarkable is the cover of #3 showing Lenin as a Red-Army soldier smilingly rolling over the map of Istanbul with scared people trying to escape from it. #3 is printed on a worse paper which suggests that Krysodav was closed down to paper shortage like many other periodicals of the early 1920s.

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