''The West'' (russian: Запад) is a ten-poem-cycle by
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...
written in 1922-1924 after his extensive foreign tour which included visits to
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. It was followed in 1925 by an eight-poem cycle ''Paris'' (), inspired by the impressions from his visit to France. Originally the two cycles were seen as separate collections. Compiling the material for the first edition of ''The Works by V.V. Mayakovsky'' the author put them under one heading.
The 1922–1924 poems were published originally in the USSR, mostly by ''
Izvestiya
''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes i ...
'' newspaper. Five of his French poems first appeared in , a short-lived (1925–1926) newspaper which was based in Paris, sub-titled and supported by the Soviet Embassy in the city.
[Makarov, V., Zakharov, A., Kosovan, I. ''The West''. The Works by Vladimir Mayakovsky in 6 volumes. Ogonyok Library. Pravda Publishers. Moscow, 1973. Vol.I, pp. 496-502]
Poems
''The West''
* (, How Does the Democratic Republic Work?). , 23 May 1922. Inspired by Mayakovsky's first foreign trip, to
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, in May 1922.
* (, My Speech at the
Genoa Conference
The Genoa Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of 34 nations held in Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922 that was planned by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to resolve the major economic and political issues faci ...
). , 12 April 1922.
* (, Chain Them!). , 16 January 1923.
* (, Germany). , 4 January 1923.
* (, Paris. Conversations With the
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Locally nicknamed "'' ...
). , No.9, 1923.
* (, How
Curzon Curzon may refer to:
People Americans
* Aria Curzon (born 1987), American actress
* Walter de Curzon Poultney (1845–1929), one of Baltimore, Maryland's most colorful and flamboyant high-society members
Britons
* Christopher Curzon (born 1958), ...
's Appetites Grew As the Dinner Went On). , 3 June 1923.
* . , 20 May 1923. Published on the day of arrival to Moscow of the remnants of the Soviet diplomat
Vatslav Vorovsky
Vatslav Vatslavovich Vorovsky ( Russian: Ва́цлав Ва́цлавович Воро́вский; Polish: Wacław Worowski) (27 October Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._15_October.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title ...
, assassinated in
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, on 10 May.
* (, Movie Craze). ''
Ogonyok
''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, t=Spark, p=ɐɡɐˈnʲɵk, a=Ru-огонёк.ogg; pre-reform orthography: ''Огонекъ'') was one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia.
History and profile
''Ogoniok'' has issued since . I ...
'', No.8, 1924. Written in summer 1923 after his second trip to Germany, the poem is a response to the great success of the
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
films and the German's audiences' alleged failure to realise that it was Europe that 'Comrade Charlot' (as the actor is here being referred to) makes fun of.
* (
Нордерней). , 12 August 1923.
* (, Already!). , No. 3, 1924.
''Paris''
Mayakovsky spent November and December 1924 in France. These impressions inspired eight poems written from late 1924 to early 1925. On his way to the USA, in May of that year, he came to the offices of ''
Parizhsky Vestnik'' and left there five poems with the permission to publish them.
* (, Here I Come). , 3 June 1925. Later magazine, No.12, 1925.
* (, The City). , 3 June 1925. , No.12, 1925.
* ''Verlaine and Cezanne'' (
Верлен и
Сезанн). , 24 June 1925. , No.13, 1925.
* (
Нотр-Дам). , No. 1, 1925
* (
Версаль). ''
Krasnaya Nov
''Krasnaya Nov'' (russian: Красная новь, lit='Red Virgin Soil') was a Soviet monthly literary magazine.
History
''Krasnaya Nov'', the first Soviet "thick" literary magazine, was established in June 1921. In its first 7 years, under e ...
'', No. 1, 1925.
* (
Жорес). , No. 2, 1925. Mayakovsky was in France in November 1924, when the French Socialist leader's ashes were moved to the Paris'
Panthéon
The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...
. The poem was inspired by this event.
* (). , 3 June 1925. ''
Ogonyok
''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, t=Spark, p=ɐɡɐˈnʲɵk, a=Ru-огонёк.ogg; pre-reform orthography: ''Огонекъ'') was one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia.
History and profile
''Ogoniok'' has issued since . I ...
'', No 28, 1925.
* . () , 3 June 1925
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:West
1925 books
Poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky
Russian poetry collections