Maïakovski's Three Deaths: A Biography by Bengt Jangfeldt
Bengt Jangfeldt's biography of Vladimir Maïakovski recounts the poet's suicide on April 14, 1930, and the subsequent Soviet efforts to control his legacy. His brain weighed 1,700 grams, 360 more than Lenin's, forcing ideologues to adjust average brain mass for revolutionary purposes. Authorities dismissed the suicide as personal—'because of a woman' or a disease compromising 'virile dignity'—rather than political. Maïakovski's body was displayed in a futurist ceremony: a truck decorated by Tatline, escorted by military, before a massive crowd. After his death, Lili Brik wrote to Stalin to build a cult, but she was erased. Pasternak called the forced dissemination 'the second death.' After the USSR fell, Maïakovski was seen as a symbol of the hated system—his third death. The biography details his early antics: long hair, bad teeth, brawls, and a Kiev lecture attended by the governor, police chief, 8 commissars, 16 deputies, 25 inspectors, 60 agents, and 50 mounted police. His poems already dealt with madness, suicide, and existential void. The book was published by Éditions Albin Michel.
Key facts
- Maïakovski committed suicide on April 14, 1930.
- His brain weighed 1,700 grams, exceeding Lenin's by 360 grams.
- Soviet authorities claimed the suicide was due to personal reasons, not political.
- His funeral featured a truck decorated by Tatline and a military escort.
- Lili Brik wrote to Stalin to promote Maïakovski's cult but was later erased.
- Pasternak described the forced dissemination as Maïakovski's 'second death.'
- After the USSR collapse, Maïakovski was rejected as a symbol of the system—his 'third death.'
- The biography is published by Éditions Albin Michel.
Entities
Artists
- Vladimir Maïakovski
- Bengt Jangfeldt
- Lili Brik
- Elsa Triolet
- Tatline
- Pasternak
- Gorki
- Stalin
- Catherine II
Institutions
- Éditions Albin Michel
- Institut du cerveau
Locations
- Moscow
- Russia
- Kiev
- Soviet Union
Sources
- artpress —