Braun, Nikolai L., Aleksandr A. Prokof'ev, V. Saianov and Kirnarskii, designer.

[RUSSIAN AVANT-GARDE] Maiakovskomu [To Mayakovsky].

[Leningrad]: Izd-vo pisatelei v Leningrade, [1931]. Octavo (17.5 × 12.5 cm). Publisher's black cloth, embossed in silver; 51, [4] pp. Cover, title and half-title designed by Mark Kirnarskii. Boards lightly worn and rubbed; still about very good. Item #P6356

First edition. A collection of verse commemorating the death of Vladimir Maiakovsky (1893-1930), considered the greatest Soviet poet at the time of his suicide at the age of 36. The suicide came as a shock to the fans of the poet as much as to the Soviet state, of which he was a previously a tireless champion. Concern that his suicide would be seen as a condemnation of the more recent cultural and political policies, the Soviet cultural authorities promoted the “disappointed love” narrative of his death and continued to celebrate his verse as truly Soviet, erecting monuments and publishing collections such as this one. The poets of the “Leningrad” group contributing to this collection -- Nikolai Braun, Aleksandr Prokof'ev, and Vissarion Saianov -- were all relatively party-loyal authors, who had long careers in the Soviet literary establishment. The graphic artist Mark Kirnarskii provided the striking modernist cover design for this edition, and later also designed covers for texts by Anna Akhmatova and Ilya Erenburg. Turchinskii, p. 90. One of 3200 printed copies. A version of this edition with red boards was also published. KVK and OCLC show copies Harvard, Yale, Michigan (marked as missing), Notre Dame, Getty, Stanford, British Library and Melbourne.

Price: €450.00

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