I lived from 1893-1930. I was from Russia, and am in the European category.
Mayakovsky is considered one of the leading Russian poets of the Futurist Movement. This group believed that poets needed to challenge the established norm of such writers as Pushkin and Tolstoy and pushed for a form that offered shock, raw language and reflective themes that addressed the conditions of the "everyday" man. This group was demonstrative and vocal in its delivery of their beliefs. They often wore outlandish outfits, recited poetry while standing on city corners, threw tea at their audience and condemned the wealthy class people.
The range of Mayaknovsky's work consisted of film scripts, propaganda slogans/posters, stage plays, travel books, art renderings, lyrics and of course poetry. His passions and beliefs are boldly reflected in his works. He believed in exposing the rich for their uncaring attitudes towards the working class, attacked political leaders and systems for their policies of injustice (Lenin was upset when he read Mayakovsky's work 150,000,000 and ordered the art studio where the Futurist closed), condemned Monaco as a haven for thieves, criticized countries that he visited (America for it's racial policies, or playfully urged the Eiffel Tower to leave the corrupt city of Paris and live with him in Moscow).
His other themes that were reflected in his works were romantic affairs and thoughts about death/suicide. Of the former, he dated a married woman, Lili Brik (wife of his publisher) for years, Ellie Jones (whom he met during his visit in New York. This union produced a child, but he did not learn of this until he reunited with Jones in France for a short time. Elena Vladimirovna Mayakovsky revealed that she was Mayakovsky’s daughter in 1993. Until then, she went under her legal name, Patricia Thompson. She is a professor of philosophy and women’s studies at Lehman College, CUNY, and she is a graduate of Barnard College. She is the author of fifteen books, including Mayakovsky in Manhattan, the story of her mother and father.)Another love/muse of his was Tatiana Yakovleva du Plessix Liberman, who was 18 when she met him and inspired him to write a poem (with her name as the title) in 1928. Liberman's daughter, Francine du Plessix Gray details this romance in her book Them: A Memoir of Parents. Suicide was woven in both early and later works. Some critics use this to prove that he did commit suicide. Others believe, as his daughter, that the government arranged for him to be killed. One strong evidence that he did not commit suicide was his strong condemnation of poet Serge Yesenin's sucide.
The range of Mayaknovsky's work consisted of film scripts, propaganda slogans/posters, stage plays, travel books, art renderings, lyrics and of course poetry. His passions and beliefs are boldly reflected in his works. He believed in exposing the rich for their uncaring attitudes towards the working class, attacked political leaders and systems for their policies of injustice (Lenin was upset when he read Mayakovsky's work 150,000,000 and ordered the art studio where the Futurist closed), condemned Monaco as a haven for thieves, criticized countries that he visited (America for it's racial policies, or playfully urged the Eiffel Tower to leave the corrupt city of Paris and live with him in Moscow).
His other themes that were reflected in his works were romantic affairs and thoughts about death/suicide. Of the former, he dated a married woman, Lili Brik (wife of his publisher) for years, Ellie Jones (whom he met during his visit in New York. This union produced a child, but he did not learn of this until he reunited with Jones in France for a short time. Elena Vladimirovna Mayakovsky revealed that she was Mayakovsky’s daughter in 1993. Until then, she went under her legal name, Patricia Thompson. She is a professor of philosophy and women’s studies at Lehman College, CUNY, and she is a graduate of Barnard College. She is the author of fifteen books, including Mayakovsky in Manhattan, the story of her mother and father.)Another love/muse of his was Tatiana Yakovleva du Plessix Liberman, who was 18 when she met him and inspired him to write a poem (with her name as the title) in 1928. Liberman's daughter, Francine du Plessix Gray details this romance in her book Them: A Memoir of Parents. Suicide was woven in both early and later works. Some critics use this to prove that he did commit suicide. Others believe, as his daughter, that the government arranged for him to be killed. One strong evidence that he did not commit suicide was his strong condemnation of poet Serge Yesenin's sucide.
Links of interest include http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Mayakovsky, findagrave.com
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