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[the FIRST WORK about MAYAKOVSKY] Stikhi V. Mayakovskogo. Vypyt [i.e. Verses by V. Mayakovsky. An Attempt]

Kruchenykh, A.

Item #2709

Saint Petersburg: EUY, 1914. 32 pp., 1 ill. 20,2x15 cm. Wrapper is restored, contemporary owner’s inscription on the title page. Stamp of the Soviet bookshop on the rear cover. Rear cover has a small tear at the top. Otherwise very good. One of 1000 copies. Very rare.

This edition is the first dedicated to the life and work of V. Mayakovsky and considered by the poet himself to be the best. “Mayakovsky is like a tin fish that has found its voice — his essence is not a soul but a futurist orchestra, with electrically powered hammers pounding on a cacophony of pots”, Kruchenykh writes next to citing the verses. The cover features a zincograph reproduction of a portrait of Mayakovsky drawn by David Burliuk. The caption on the title page includes the word “podoben’” — a term first coined by Kruchenykh in reference to his own portrait, created by Kulbin and published in the almanacs “Vzorval’” and “Bukh lesinyi” [Forestly Rapid]. The largest part of the print run (including this copy) contains a lithograph based on a pencil drawing by Olga Rozanova titled "Street" (19.5x14.5 cm), executed on green-toned paper. Another part of the print run includes a lithograph from K. Malevich’s pencil drawing “World Landscape".
A unique experimental poet, Kruchenykh also made his mark as one of the first theorists and historians of the Russian avant-garde. His research into the expressive possibilities of the new poetic language was not limited to analyzing his own work. This research went hand in hand with a keen interest in the work of his friends. Kruchenykh even contemplated publishing a study of the budetlyane's poetry. Within this context, one may view his first attempt, or "vypyt" as he called it, at creating a poetic and personal portrait of Mayakovsky. This work would become the first in a long line of studies about the poet.
Staging his own tragedy, “Vladimir Mayakovsky”, launched him to new prominence, marking him as a leading voice in Russian Futurism. His fame was then solidified by the famous Futurist tour of Russia, which became a personal triumph for the poet. Little wonder, then, that he became the first Russian futurist poet (after Khlebnikov) to receive a book-length study focused on his work and persona. Khlebnikov, having been proclaimed a genius and "great leader of the present" in 'A Slap in the Face of Public Taste' (1912), was an exception. Marinetti's visit to Russia was instrumental in advancing Mayakovsky. It compelled the Russian Futurists to establish their own leader. With Khlebnikov unfit for the part, they bet on his antithesis— Mayakovsky. This likely prompted Kruchenykh to create this very book in 1914.

Poliakov, 63.
No paper copies found in Worldcat.

Price: $9,500.00