"Kalishskie Begletsy": Futurist Poets in the Nov Newspaper

Section: History of Journalism

The Nov newspaper (1914 – 1915) has a short but vivid history, which is not fully understood. General information about this publication can be found in the memoirs of A. Borovoi, an anarchist and lawyer deeply immersed in the political and journalistic life of Moscow of the 1910s. The Nov newspaper is also mentioned in the fundamental work “Russian Avant-Garde” by A. Krusanov. Using archival materials, the author of this article is trying to figure out what role futurist poets played in the history of the newspaper. Nov’s publisher A. A. Suvorin decided to cooperate with V. Mayakovsky and his associates after the start of the First World War. During this period, the enmity among literary groups lessened due to a patriotic upsurge. Mayakovsky prepared only one poetic page named “The Mournful Hurrah”, which caused controversy among the poets, the publisher, journalists and readers. Suvorin was not ready for a serious discussion about literature. Mayakovsky’s remarks sounded more persuasive, since they contained not only criticism, but also a positive aesthetic program. In the understanding of art the poet came close to V. Shklovsky and other formalists. The reputation of the newspaper suffered because of Suvorin’s inconsistency. Obviously, the futurists remained aliens to the editorial staff and readers. Their formalistic sermon looked rather strange against the background of other materials published in the newspaper.

Borovoy A. A. (2010) Moya zhizn: Fragmenty vospominany [My Life: Fragments of Memories]. Moskovsky zhurnal 10: 20–40. (In Russian) 

Krusanov A. V. (2010) Russky avangard: 1907–1932 (Istorichesky obzor) V 3 t. T. 1. Boyevoye desyatiletiye. Kn. 2 [Russian Avant-Garde: 1907–1932 (A Historical Overview) In 3 vol. Vol. 1. The War Decade. Book 2]. Moscow: New Literary Observer Publ. (In Russian)