Tatiana Yakovleva - Mayakovsky's last love. Biography of Tatyana Yakovleva

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

There are many beautiful women in the world, they illuminate with their gentle light every era and all countries. They manage their appearance in different ways. Some are happy with family happiness and devote their whole lives to one man whom they love and respect, raise children with him and share joys and sorrows until the hour of death. Others, like butterflies, flutter from one "flower" to another. Sometimes such a winding flight ends happily, but not always. Tatyana Alekseevna Yakovleva, who found her rest in Connecticut, USA, did not belong to either the first or the second. She turned her beauty into talent, becoming a professional muse.

Who is she?

"Who was this woman and what was so special about her?" our contemporary will ask. And he will be right in his doubts. Well, yes, she made acquaintances among celebrities, she was friends with Marlene Dietrich, accepted signs of attention from Chaliapin, it happened with Prokofiev, she played music with four hands, Estee Lauder and Edith Piaf wore hats made by her (but this was later, in America).

About her in our country is unlikelywho would have known today if Tatyana Yakovleva and Mayakovsky were not connected by relationships that go beyond friendship. The circumstances of the life and death of the main proletarian poet were investigated in the most thorough way, although not all information was subject to wide disclosure. In 1928, he visited Paris, about which he even wrote that he would like to live and die here, if … What happened then in this city has now become known.

Role of Briks

They were introduced by Elsa Triolet, Lily's sister. A lot has been written about the poet's relationship with the Brik family. They were not just strange, even in our age of permissiveness, they would most likely be considered perverted. The influence of Lily Brik on Mayakovsky was considered by many to be monstrous, he himself suffered and still could not free himself. Once abroad, the proletarian worker became interested in the American Ellie Jones, who became pregnant from him, and then gave birth to a daughter. Too many people turned out to be interested in stopping this connection, from Brichka herself (her sister acted in her interests) to the comrades who occupied the highest Kremlin offices in Moscow. Additionally, Elsa had her own motives to distract the poet from the annoying Mrs. Jones. The fact is that during his stay in Paris, Vladimir Vladimirovich generously spent his fees, which significantly improved the financial condition of his sister Lily Brik, and at the same time Louis Aragon, her friend.

Outstanding uncle

She was born in St. Petersburg in 1906. About county titles orWe do not know anything about the ancient boyar origin, from which we can conclude that neither one nor the other existed. Father's brother Alexander Yakovlev was an artist. It is interesting that he became one of the founders of design, not only Russian, but in general. It was he who helped Monsieur Citroen to give an aesthetic appearance to cars that had just begun to be built in France. Actually, it was the uncle who was able to pull his niece from Soviet Russia to Paris, for this he used all the influence of his friend, the French king of cars.

First impression

One cannot confidently say that Tatyana Yakovleva immediately liked Mayakovsky very much. The most famous men of the Russian emigration curled around her, well-born, talented, sometimes very we althy, in addition, her dazzling appearance also attracted those whom our compatriots in exile habitually called foreigners. But Tatyana Yakovleva simply could not help but like it. Moreover, it was impossible not to fall in love with her.

Despite the fact that the emigrant did not show any reciprocal sympathy, Mayakovsky showed a certain persistence.

Letter from a poet

The very first impression made by the young beauty on the poet, says the poem "Letter to Tatyana Yakovleva", written after they met, from which it becomes quite clear that, despite the general proletarian orientation of creativity, long-leggedness, which so lacking in Moscow. To fill this deficit, he called on Tatyana in Parisrestaurant Petite Chaumiere, it was three weeks later, on December 24, on New Year's Eve 1929. The refusal was as tactful as possible and was expressed in dissatisfaction with the public reading of "Letters …" in the circle of the Russian-speaking community and the reluctance to publish it. The verse could indeed warp the delicate taste of a connoisseur of belles-lettres with its ultimatum-aggressive pressure, the threat to take the chosen one even with Paris, and the wish, in case of disagreement, to “stay and spend the winter.”

Outwardly, the poet looked rude, but in his heart it was not passion that raged, but tenderness. And she wrote to her mother that only one person she met could leave a mark on her soul. The beauty was bribed by his dissimilarity to people of the usual circle, physical and moral colossality.

Something very important happened after Tatiana Yakovleva and Mayakovsky broke up. Flowers, orchids, were delivered daily to her address, regardless of the weather and the political situation. During the Nazi occupation, they even served as a means of survival, they could be sold or exchanged for food, these bouquets were so good. Each of them had a card with the inscription "From Mayakovsky".

Poet and women

It cannot be said about Vladimir Mayakovsky that he was an amorous person. His novels are known and are distinguished by some unusualness, like many other facts of the poet's biography. Women reciprocated him, but showed a certain apprehension, a violent temper, combined with a brutal appearance, as well as mental imbalance, frightened them. Tatyana Yakovleva was no exception, she was attracted to Mayakovsky, and at the same time repelled from him, she felt the unbridled nature of his character and the fragility of relations, and she, like any other woman, wanted reliability.

Why did Mayakovsky shoot himself

The poet was no longer allowed to go abroad, and he said in despair at the beginning of 1929 that he could shoot himself if he did not see his beloved woman. However, it should be noted that he had attempted suicide before, and on similar occasions, but the lady figured differently - Lilya Brik. Most likely, he was not going to shoot himself seriously, and he did not load the gun. It is also not possible to connect the successful attempt with the personality of Yakovleva; at that time, another woman, Polonskaya, who was married, was already the object of Mayakovsky's desire. For the sake of dubious happiness, she did not want to become the wife of an officially recognized poet of genius, give up her acting career and her husband, whom she, in her own words, loved in her own way. It is likely that the fatal shot was accidental, this is indicated by an empty clip, the cause of death was the cartridge remaining in the barrel, most likely forgotten. Thus, the version according to which Tatyana Yakovleva was the last unhappy love that provoked suicide, of course, has the right to exist, but rather as one of the elements of the image of the femme fatale vamp, because of which men shoot right and left.

Life after Volodya

So whatleft of this old romantic story? Very few photos of Tatyana Yakovleva and Mayakovsky have survived, in which they are depicted together. Her letters to the poet were destroyed by her rival, Lilya Brik. His messages have survived. The fact of the daily delivery of flowers for decades from the poet is also confirmed by many testimonies. That, in fact, is all.

The biography of Tatyana Yakovleva may seem enviable to many women. She married twice and both times in her own way successfully. Viscount Bertrand du Plessis became the one who saved her from Volodya (by her own admission). He gave a sonorous title, besides, importantly, financial stability, well, Francine, daughter. The first husband, although unloved, but respected, died during the war.

Happiness with Lieberman

The second husband was Alexander Lieberman, with whom she lived the rest of her life, apparently, her most calm and happy period. Until her last days, she considered herself Russian, ate jelly and buckwheat porridge, exotic for Connecticut, and received guests from her homeland. Tatyana Yakovleva loved to communicate with her compatriots and led a secular lifestyle, with great pleasure she arranged parties, balls and receptions. In dealing with celebrities, she showed a pleasant spontaneity, she could tell Marlene Dietrich, settled on her sofa, that if she burned her upholstery with a cigarette, she would beat her. Christian Dior was also delighted with her jokes and aphorisms.

Queenhats

Yakovleva was considered the "queen of hats". This title did not bring money, and design work was more of a hobby and at the same time a great topic for conversations with famous friends. The main thing that she was able to do was to convince them that it was this style that made them unique, after which they left with purchases very satisfied and “like prize horses” (in her ironic remark).

Husband, Alex, willingly published articles about talented people in Vogue magazine, which helped them become famous. Peace and harmony reigned in the family.

In this blissful atmosphere, Tatiana du Plessis-Lieberman, nee Yakovleva, left this mortal world in 1991, asking her husband to "make way for her." Like a true gentleman, he complied. She did not create anything outstanding in her life, except for an elegant image. She was just a muse.