''The West'' () is a ten-poem-cycle by

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 ...

written in 1922-1924 after his extensive foreign tour which included visits to

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France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

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. 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, r=Izvestiya, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in February 1917, ''Izvestia'', which covered foreign relations, was the organ of the Supreme Soviet of ...

'' 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

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, in May 1922. * (, My Speech at the

Genoa Conference The Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of representatives from 34 European countries held in the ancient Palazzo San Giorgio of Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922. Unlike the previous International Monetary and Econo ...

). , 12 April 1922. * (, Chain Them!). , 16 January 1923. * (, Germany). , 4 January 1923. * (, Paris. Conversations With the

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). , 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 (; 27 October ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. 15 October1871 – 10 May 1923) was a Russian Bolsheviks, Bolshevik revolutionary, literary critic, journalist, and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Soviet dipl ...

, assassinated in

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, on 10 May. * (, Movie Craze). ''

Ogonyok ''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, Ogonyok, 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'' was first issue ...

'', 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 (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 considered o ...

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 US, 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'' () 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 editor-in-chief Alexander Voronsky, it reached a circ ...

'', 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 (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

. The poem was inspired by this event. * (). , 3 June 1925. ''

'', No 28, 1925. * . () , 3 June 1925

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West 1925 books Poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky Russian poetry collections