The third is not superfluous: Osip Brik. Biography, photo, life with Lilya Brik

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

The life and fate of this man would have remained an incomprehensible mystery and mystery for us if he had not decided to connect his fate with the red-haired beauty Lilya Kagan, and through her with one of the most prominent poets of the Soviet era - Vladimir Mayakovsky. It will be about the writer, screenwriter and literary critic Osip Brik. Biography, literary activity and personal life are waiting for you in this material.

Osip's family and childhood

Osip was born on January 16, 1888. His parents - Max Brik and Polina Sigalova - had the right to reside in Moscow. The thing is that Max Brik was a merchant of the first guild. The family had a company, they were engaged in the sale of precious stones, the main specialization was the sale of corals. It should be noted that both Max and Polina were incredibly educated people, they spoke several languages. Osip Brik's mother differed significantly from other women in her progressive views.

School years

The atmosphere that prevailed in Osip's house was the reason that the boy was prepared for training. Without any connection, he was able to enter a prestigious gymnasium, where no more than two boys of Jewish nationality were admitted per year. Despite the fact that Osip Brik was expelled for a short time, he managed to quite successfully complete his studies. By the way, the second child who was also admitted to this gymnasium was Oleg Frelikh, a Soviet director and actor.

It was Oleg, Osip and three other students who became the creators of the secret society. The society's emblem was a five-pointed star. A secret organization existed throughout the years of study. The "Gang of Five" dabbled not only in youthful amusements that were standard for that time. One day, friends even collected a small amount of money and gave it to a woman who was engaged in prostitution!

Members of the secret community read a lot, talked about the works of different authors. The students were especially interested in Russian symbolism. It was at this time that Osip Brik began to write poetry in this genre.

Feelings for Leela

When Osip was 16 years old, he was seriously carried away by 13-year-old Lilya Kagan. With her father, a lawyer by training, he simply loved to discuss various political issues. For a while, Osip and Lilya went on dates, but Brik once told his beloved that their meetings were a mistake, he realized that he had confused warm friendly feelings with love, and therefore they needed to leave. But after some time, young people began to meet again. Truth,it did not last long. In the summer of 1906, Lily, together with her mother and younger sister, went to the resort, having taken a promise from Osip in advance: to write to her every day. The young man ignored Lily's requests and sent her only one letter. After reading it, the red-haired beauty fell into hysterics, tore the letter into small pieces, she suffered a nervous breakdown, which was accompanied by hair loss and facial tics.

When they next met on a Moscow street, Brik was already wearing pince-nez. Lily then noted that he had grown old and grown ugly. They exchanged meaningless phrases, when suddenly Lily said:

And I love you, Osia.

In 1912, Osip and Lilya got married.

Meet Mayakovsky

The Briks' house was a kind of communication center, philologists and writers gathered here. In 1915, Lily's younger sister invited her lover, Vladimir Mayakovsky, to join them. The young poet read his poems and flirted with the mistress of the house.

That evening Vladimir dedicated a poem to Lilya Brik called "A Cloud in Pants". This did not bother Osip at all, he was fascinated by Mayakovsky's talent, and therefore he even published a poem, spending his own money on it. The friendship of men grew stronger year by year, and therefore Lilya was able to admit to her husband's infidelity only in 1918. In her diaries, she wrote that she would leave Volodya if Osip did not like it. However, her fears and worries were in vain: Osip Brik only took a promise from his wife never to leave him and always live together. A few days later, Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote a note with the following content:

To the chairman of the housing association, 13/15 on Gendrikov lane. Please register in my apartment tt. L. Yu. Brik and O. M. Brik. V. Mayakovsky.

Love triangle

So in the personal life of Brikov - Osip and Lily - a poet appeared. This "family" was more than just strange. Osip had a mistress, Lily also changed men. Mayakovsky made one-day acquaintances with women while traveling through America and Europe. In 1921, Osip was fired from the Cheka for "careless work." Only Vladimir Mayakovsky provided for the family. It is enough to read Brikov's letters to the poet over those years - these are endless requests for money.

This difficult relationship continued until 1925. Then the writer Osip Brik divorced Lily, who seemed to him too frivolous. After that, he cohabited with Evgenia Sokolova-Pearl. She also became his secretary.

Later life

The thirties of the last century were busy for Osip Maksimovich Brik in terms of work. Then he wrote a lot: these were scripts for films, librettos for operas. Brik also worked actively with Mayakovsky. In collaboration with the poet, he wrote several literary manifestos. Osip Maksimovich published articles about this poet.

He was also engaged in the fact that he transformed works of art into scripts for theatrical productions. During the years of the GreatDuring the Patriotic War, Osip wrote patriotic texts for Okon TASS. Led a literary circle. All this time, he did not stop communicating with Lily, who, after the death of Vladimir Mayakovsky, began to meet with the red commander Primakov. Osip died in February 1945. Doctors called the cause of his death a heart attack. Brik was cremated, his ashes were buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.