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Novyi LEF (, ''The New Left Front of the Arts'') was a Soviet literary-critical journal published from 1927 to 1928 in Moscow. It was a revival of the earlier ''LEF'' journal and was associated with the LEF literary group, which promoted avant-garde and constructivist approaches to art and literature. The journal featured contributions from prominent figures like
Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ( – 14 April 1930) was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. During his early, Russian Revolution, pre-Revolution period leading into 1917, Mayakovsky became renowned as a prominent figure of the Ru ...
, who served as editor-in-chief, and
Alexander Rodchenko Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (; – 3 December 1956) was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design; he was married to the artist Varvara Stepa ...
, who designed many of its covers. ''Novyi LEF'' was known for its emphasis on factography and production-oriented constructivism, rejecting traditional aesthetics in favor of a revolutionary transformation of Soviet culture.


Ideology

''Novyi LEF'' included a variety of members of the Soviet literary and artistic avant-garde, as well as critics and academicians. In 1922, Mayakovsky offered a definition of LEF: “encompassing of the social theme by all the instruments of futurism”Brown, Edward J. “Lef (Levyi front iskusstva – Left Front of Art), and Novyi Lef.” ''Handbook of Russian Literature''. Ed. Victor Terras. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985: 244. – this emphasis on avant-garde methods in the service of Soviet social necessity continued to define ''Novyi LEF’s'' orientation five years later. ''Novyi LEF'' rejected aesthetics or belletrism as well as traditional methods of realist representation in favor of production-oriented
constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in the Soviet Union in t ...
. The journal’s contributors often polemicized against competing literary groups, including RAPP (The
Russian Association of Proletarian Writers The Russian Association of Proletarian Writers, also known under its transliterated abbreviation RAPP () was an official creative union in the Soviet Union established in January 1925. and both pro and anti-Bolshevik writers were targeted, notab ...
) and ''Pereval'' (“Mountain Pass”). Mayakovsky’s programmatic editorial statement in the inaugural January 1927 issue reflected on the challenges facing Soviet cultural life. He wrote: Mayakovsky and his affiliates argued that a return to factography and ''zhiznestroenie'' – two key planks in the ''Novyi LEF'' platform – would rejuvenate a truly revolutionary workers’ literary and cultural production.


Literature of Fact

The LEF emphasis on factual reporting heralded a return to the unvarnished objective world versus manufactured artistic unity. The material of life itself would generate artistic forms suitable for contemporaneity’s expression. The newspaper and attendant journalistic genres (e.g., reportage, sketches, travel accounts) were lauded: ''Novyi LEF'' contributors regarded the newspaper medium as being conducive to a fact-oriented marriage between the literary and journalistic spheres, one that would be sensitive to the social necessities generated by Soviet modernity. Tretyakov maintained: “Our epos is the newspaper…What the Bible was to the medieval Christian – a pointer for all the contingencies of life; what the moralizing novel was to the Russian liberal intelligentsia, that is the newspaper for the Soviet activist of our times." LEF contributors would sometimes publish their literary and critical projects in their intermediate stages. For example, Viktor Shklovsky’s study of Lev Tolstoy’s novel, ''
War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...
,'' was published in ''Novyi LEF'' No. 10, 1927, with the subtitle “Plan issledovaniia” (“Research Plan”). Mayakovsky also discussed his pre-writing for a screenplay entitled “Kak pozhivaete?” (“How Do You Do?”) in a question-and-answer format, publishing a portion of his storyboard skeleton of the film’s plot. By exposing research and creative processes, ''Novyi LEF'' attempted to demystify the process of artistic production and thereby began to initiate the reader into the ranks of cultural producers.


The Role of Poetry

Agitational poetry continued to be given pride of place under Mayakovsky’s editorship. Leading Soviet poets including Mayakovsky himself and
Nikolai Aseev Nikolai Nikolayevich Aseyev ( rus, Никола́й Никола́евич Асе́ев, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ ɐˈsʲejɪf, a=Nikolay Nikolayevich Asyeyev.ru.vorb.oga; July 10, 1889 - July 16, 1963) was a Russian and Soviet Futu ...
, as well as the futurist poets
Semyon Kirsanov Semyon Isaakovich Kirsanov (; – 10 December 1972) was a Soviet and Russian poet and journalist. Biography Still in his teens, Kirsanov was the organizing force in his native Odessa in 1921 behind the Southern Association of Futurists. In ...
and Petr Neznamov, all published rhetorical verse oriented toward contemporary life in ''Novyi LEF''. Their poetic contributions included: * “Literaturnyi fel’eton” ("Literary Feuilleton", Aseev) * “Puteshestvie po Moskve” ("Travels Around Moscow", Neznamov) * “Moia imeninnaia: Poema” ("My Name's Day: A Narrative Poem", Kirsanov) * “Oktiabr’” ("October", Mayakovsky) Interactions between the journal’s readers and its editors/contributors were publicized in the journal’s pages. One particular form of reader-editor interaction occurred frequently in the first few issues in 1928: beginning poets eager for feedback on their verse would submit their poems accompanied with a note asking for an evaluation of their poetry. ''Novyi LEF'' poets and critics – including Aseev, Mayakovsky, and Vladimir Trenin – in about a half-dozen instances in the 1927-28 print run, published the aspiring poet’s introductory note, their verse, as well as comments and remarks that indicated the correspondent’s strengths and weaknesses as a poet.


Changes in Editorial Vision

After editorial disagreements between Mayakovsky and Tretyakov, Tretyakov took over as chief editor in August 1928; he initiated a pivot away from poetry toward the supposedly more “progressive” genre of prose. In the September 1928 issue,
Igor Terentiev Igor Gerasimovich Terentiev (Russian: Игорь Герасимович Терентьев; 17 January 1892 in Pavlograd – 17 June 1937 in Butyrskaya prison, Moscow) was a poet, artist, stage director, and a representative of the avant-garde t ...
critically summarized Mayakovsky’s reasons for abandoning the ''Novyi LEF'' journal and the LEF movement overall, which included editorial disagreements with Tretyakov. Mayakovsky’s abdication from the editorship of ''Novyi LEF'' triggered an exodus among long-standing contributors. After July 1928, Aseev,
Osip Brik Osip Maksimovich Brik (; – 22 February 1945) was a Russian avant garde writer and literary critic, who was one of the most important members of the Russian formalist school, though he also identified himself as one of the Futurists. Life ...
, and poet Aleksei Khruchyonykh never again published in the journal’s pages. The final five issues of ''Novyi LEF'' display a marked increase in the number of essays and critical prose, with a conspicuous absence of poetry. It was in issues No. 10 and 11 that literary critic
Nikolai Chuzhak Nikolai Fedorovich Chuzhak (; real surname Nasimovich, ; 20 August 1876, Nizhny Novgorod – 3 September 1937, St Petersburg) was a Russian people, Russian Bolshevik journalist, literary critic and art theorist.The Great Soviet Encyclopedia', 3rd E ...
developed at considerable length his theory of “zhiznestroenie” (in effect, factographic literature as “life building”). Mayakovsky went on to form the short-lived REF group (, ''Revolutionary Front of the Arts'') in 1929 along with Brik, Aseev, and Rodchenko. He subsequently joined RAPP in 1930, before his suicide in April of that year.


''Novyi LEF'' in America

The eventual founding director of the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
(MoMA) in New York City,
Alfred H. Barr Jr. Alfred Hamilton Barr Jr. (January 28, 1902 – August 15, 1981) was an American art historian and the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. From that position, he was one of the most influential forces in the development of ...
, became acquainted with multiple members of the LEF group during his visit to Moscow in 1928.“LEF – the Soviet ‘left front’ of art (1923-1930).” ''The Charnel-House: From Bauhaus to Beinhaus''. https://thecharnelhouse.org/2014/11/02/lef-the-soviet-left-front-of-art-1923-1930/ Retrieved 2021-05-01. Barr’s letters and journal diary attest to his veneration of the LEF members' creative energies and vision. He wrote in his journal: “Russia has at least a century of greatness before her, she will wax while France and England wane.” The MoMA has digitized Rodchenko’s ''Novyi LEF'' cover artworks, which were displayed in the 2012-2013 exhibition, “The Shaping of New Visions: Photography, Film, Photobook.”


Contributors

After editorial disagreements between Mayakovsky and Tretyakov, Tretyakov took over as chief editor in August 1928; he initiated a pivot away from poetry toward the supposedly more “progressive” genre of prose. In the September 1928 issue,
Igor Terentiev Igor Gerasimovich Terentiev (Russian: Игорь Герасимович Терентьев; 17 January 1892 in Pavlograd – 17 June 1937 in Butyrskaya prison, Moscow) was a poet, artist, stage director, and a representative of the avant-garde t ...
critically summarized Mayakovsky’s reasons for abandoning the ''Novyi LEF'' journal and the LEF movement overall, which included editorial disagreements with Tretyakov. Mayakovsky’s abdication from the editorship of ''Novyi LEF'' triggered an exodus among long-standing contributors. After July 1928, Aseev,
Osip Brik Osip Maksimovich Brik (; – 22 February 1945) was a Russian avant garde writer and literary critic, who was one of the most important members of the Russian formalist school, though he also identified himself as one of the Futurists. Life ...
, and poet Aleksei Khruchyonykh never again published in the journal’s pages. The final five issues of ''Novyi LEF'' display a marked increase in the number of essays and critical prose, with a conspicuous absence of poetry. It was in issues No. 10 and 11 that literary critic
Nikolai Chuzhak Nikolai Fedorovich Chuzhak (; real surname Nasimovich, ; 20 August 1876, Nizhny Novgorod – 3 September 1937, St Petersburg) was a Russian people, Russian Bolshevik journalist, literary critic and art theorist.The Great Soviet Encyclopedia', 3rd E ...
developed at considerable length his theory of “zhiznestroenie” (in effect, factographic literature as “life building”). Mayakovsky went on to form the short-lived REF group (, ''Revolutionary Front of the Arts'') in 1929 along with Brik, Aseev, and Rodchenko. He subsequently joined RAPP in 1930, before his suicide in April of that year.Stephan, Halina. “Left Art.” ''Handbook of Russian Literature''. Ed. Victor Terras. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985: 244-45. *
Viktor Shklovsky Viktor Borisovich Shklovsky ( rus, Ви́ктор Бори́сович Шкло́вский, p=ˈʂklofskʲɪj; – 6 December 1984) was a Russian and Soviet literary theorist, critic, writer, and pamphleteer. He is one of the major figures asso ...
*Vladimir Trenin *
Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ( – 14 April 1930) was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. During his early, Russian Revolution, pre-Revolution period leading into 1917, Mayakovsky became renowned as a prominent figure of the Ru ...
*
Boris Arvatov Boris Ignatievich Arvatov (Russian: Борис Игнатьевич Арватов; 3 June 1896, Vilkaviškis – 14 June 1940) was a Russian and Soviet artist and art critic. He was active in the constructivist movement. His father was a special ...
*
Osip Brik Osip Maksimovich Brik (; – 22 February 1945) was a Russian avant garde writer and literary critic, who was one of the most important members of the Russian formalist school, though he also identified himself as one of the Futurists. Life ...
*
Nikolai Aseev Nikolai Nikolayevich Aseyev ( rus, Никола́й Никола́евич Асе́ев, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ ɐˈsʲejɪf, a=Nikolay Nikolayevich Asyeyev.ru.vorb.oga; July 10, 1889 - July 16, 1963) was a Russian and Soviet Futu ...
*
Nikolai Chuzhak Nikolai Fedorovich Chuzhak (; real surname Nasimovich, ; 20 August 1876, Nizhny Novgorod – 3 September 1937, St Petersburg) was a Russian people, Russian Bolshevik journalist, literary critic and art theorist.The Great Soviet Encyclopedia', 3rd E ...
*
Alexander Rodchenko Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (; – 3 December 1956) was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design; he was married to the artist Varvara Stepa ...
* Sergei Tretyakov *Viktor Pertsov *Petr Neznamov *Vitalii Zhemchuzhnyi *
Igor Terentiev Igor Gerasimovich Terentiev (Russian: Игорь Герасимович Терентьев; 17 January 1892 in Pavlograd – 17 June 1937 in Butyrskaya prison, Moscow) was a poet, artist, stage director, and a representative of the avant-garde t ...
*
Semyon Kirsanov Semyon Isaakovich Kirsanov (; – 10 December 1972) was a Soviet and Russian poet and journalist. Biography Still in his teens, Kirsanov was the organizing force in his native Odessa in 1921 behind the Southern Association of Futurists. In ...


See also

*
LEF (journal) ''LEF'' ("''ЛЕФ''") was the journal of the Left Front of the Arts ("Левый фронт искусств"''"Levy Front Iskusstv"''), a widely ranging association of avant-garde writers, photographers, critics and designers in the Soviet Unio ...


References


Bibliography

* Brown, Edward J. “Lef (Levyi front iskusstva – Left Front of Art), and Novyi Lef.” ''Handbook of Russian Literature''. Ed. Victor Terras. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985: 244. * Kornienko, Natalia. “Literary Criticism and Cultural Policy During the New Economic Policy, 1921-1927.” * ''A History of Russian Literary Theory and Criticism: The Soviet Age and Beyond''. Ed. Evgeny Dobrenko and Galin Tihanov. Pittsburg: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011: 17-42. * Shvetsova, L.K. “’Lef’ hurnal” ''Kratkaia literaturnaia entsiklopediia.'' Red. A.A. Surkov. Moskva: T. 4, 1967: 172. http://feb-web.ru/feb/kle/kle-abc/ke4/ke4-1721.htm?cmd=p&istext=1 Retrieved 2021-05-01. * Stephan, Halina. “Left Art.” ''Handbook of Russian Literature''. Ed. Victor Terras. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985: 244. * Svatukhina, E.N. “Zhurnal ‘Novyi Lef’ kak istoricheskii istochnik dlia izucheniia deiatel’nosti ob’edineniia ‘Levyi front iskusstv.” ''Kul’tura. Dukhovnost’. Obshchestvo.'' 1, 2012: 62-70. * Zagorets, Iaroslav. “Iz istorii vzaimootnoshenii ‘Lefa’ i ‘Novogo Lefa.’” ''Vestnik Tambovskogo'' ''universiteta. Seriia: Gumanitarnye nauki''. 2010: 127-132.


External links


Digitized issues of ''Novyi LEF,'' with plaintext
{{Improve categories, date=May 2021 1927 establishments in Russia 1928 disestablishments in Russia