Prozasedavshiyesya

Fragment from the Izvestia newspaper from March 5, 1922, with V. Mayakovsky's poem "The Over-Meetinged"

"Prozasedavshiyesya" (Russian: Прозаседавшиеся, lit. 'The Over-Meetinged') also translated as "In Re Conferences" and "Mayakonferensky's Anectidote",[1] is a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky. It was published on 5 March 1922 in the newspaper Izvestia (No. 52) under the title "Nash byt. Prozasedavshimsya"[a]. The poem addresses the pressing issues of that period: famine, post-revolutionary devastation, foreign intervention, and the dominance of bureaucracy.[2] This poem marked the beginning of Mayakovsky’s collaboration with Izvestia. Previously, the writer had not been published in the newspaper due to the stance of its then editor-in-chief, Yuri Steklov, who was away at the time the cooperation agreement was made and was being substituted by the executive secretary of the editorial board, Oleg Litovsky.[3]

The work exhibits features of the author's individuality, which introduced the word prozasedavshiyesya into the Russian language.[4] Furthermore, the poem displays the device of semantic intensification of a word, acquiring a grotesque character, a technique Mayakovsky employed very frequently in his works.[5]

On 6 March, Vladimir Lenin, speaking to the communist faction of the All-Russian Congress of Metalworkers, praised the poem.[3], despite his negative attitude toward Futurism, which Mayakovsky represented.[2] The poem became Mayakovsky’s first major statement against bureaucratism. Lenin saw in it the writer's response to a universal problem of the time. Lunacharsky recalled that the poem "greatly amused Vladimir Ilyich, and he even repeated certain lines."[2] Lenin subsequently assessed it as a very bold and correct act of self-criticism. The leader’s praise encouraged the poet. Following this, Mayakovsky intensified criticism and self-criticism in other publications; his satire targeted bigots and sycophants, slanderers and cowards, officials and servile functionaries.[6] Lenin’s response dispelled the atmosphere of distrust that Mayakovsky’s opponents had attempted to create around his name.[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ lit. 'Our Everyday Life. To the Over-Meetinged', Russian: Наш быт. Прозаседавшимся
  1. ↑ Hyde 1992, p. 90.
  2. 1 2 3 Naumov 1963, p. 21.
  3. 1 2 Katanian 1956, p. 164.
  4. ↑ Metchenko 1954, p. 223.
  5. ↑ Metchenko 1954, p. 353.
  6. ↑ Mikhailov 1953, p. 3.
  7. ↑ Naumov 1963, p. 23.

References

  • Hyde, G. M. (1992). "Mayakovsky in English Translation". Translation and Literature. 1: 84–93. JSTOR 40339622.
  • Katanian, V. (1956). Маяковский: литературная хроника [Mayakovskiy: literaturnaya khronika] (3rd, expanded ed.). Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya Literatura. p. 513.
  • Metchenko, A. (1954). Творчество Маяковского, 1917—1924 года [Tvorchestvo Mayakovskogo, 1917–1924 goda]. Moscow: Sovetsky Pisatel. p. 654.
  • Naumov, E. (1963). В. В. Маяковский: семинарий [V.V. Mayakovskiy: seminariy]. Moscow: Uchpedgiz. p. 454.
  • Mikhailov, A. (1953-07-19). "Разящее оружие сатиры" [Razyashcheye oruzhiye satiry]. Pravda Severa (Newspaper) (169). Arkhangelsk: 1–4.
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