Egofuturism is Egofuturism and creativity of I. Severyanin

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

Egofuturism is a trend in Russian literature that was formed at the beginning of the 20th century, in the 1910s. It developed within the framework of futurism. In addition to common futuristic features, it was distinguished by the use of foreign and new words, the cultivation of refined sensations, and ostentatious selfishness.

Birth of a current

Egofuturism is a literary trend that has developed around its most famous representative, Igor Severyanin. In 1909, he had several followers among the St. Petersburg poets. Two years later, they started a circle called "Ego".

After that, Severyanin himself released the brochure "Prologue (Egofuturism)", which he sent to all newspapers. In it, he tried to formulate that this is egofuturism.

The literary trend quickly became fashionable and successful. Representatives of egofuturism of that time - Georgy Ivanov, Konstantin Olimpov, Stefan Petrov, Pavel Shirokov, Pavel Kokorin, Ivan Lukash.

Having founded the society, they began to say that egofuturism isthis is a new direction of modern literature, which should be fundamentally different from everything that was before. For this, manifestos and leaflets were published. At the same time, the principles of the new literary trend are formulated in esoteric and abstract terms.

It is interesting that the forerunners of egofuturism are called the poets of the "old school". For example, Olimpov's father Konstantin Fofanov and Mirra Lokhvitskaya.

Egofuturists call their own works not poems, but poetry.

Development of egofuturism

The very first creative association falls apart quite quickly. At the end of 1912, Severyanin separated, starting to gain rapid popularity, first among the Symbolists, and then among the general public.

After that, Ivan Ignatiev takes over the propaganda of this literary trend. At that time he was only 20 years old. He founds the "Intuitive Association", begins to write poetry and reviews, even the theory of ego-futurism. With futurism, this literary movement is strongly associated, as it pursues the same principles of the avant-garde. In versification, poets of both directions are more interested in form than content.

Petersburg Herald

In 1912, the first futuristic publishing house appears. It begins to publish books by Ignatiev himself, as well as by Vasilisk Gnedov, Rurik Ivnev, and Vadim Shershenevich. Egofuturists are actively published in the newspapers Nizhegorodets and Dachnitsa.

Bthe first years of its existence, egofuturism and cubofuturism are contrasted on a stylistic and regional basis. This is a kind of confrontation between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Representatives of cubo-futurism in poetry were David Burliuk, Olga Rozanova.

In 1914, the first joint performance of the ego-futurists in the Crimea with the Budutlyans, as the Cubo-Futurists were also called, took place. Severyanin cooperates with them for some time, releasing the "First Journal of Russian Futurists", but then finally moves away.

The publishing house "Petersburg Herald" closes in 1914, when Ignatiev commits suicide. He cuts his own throat the day after the wedding. The reasons for this act are still unknown.

Since then, ego-futurist books have mostly been published in The Enchanted Wanderer and Poetry Mezzanine.

Swiftness and short duration

It is these two definitions that can characterize egofuturism. It was an uneven and very short phenomenon in Russian literature. The attention of critics and the public was riveted to Severyanin, who kept aloof from the rest.

Most of the representatives of this trend quickly outlived their style, looking for themselves in other genres. For example, many in the 1920s went into Imagism, which was actually prepared by ego-futurists.

In the 1920s, Petrograd literary groups tried to support the traditions of this trend: "The Ring of Poets named after K. M. Fofanov" and "The Gaer Abbey". But no successachieved. The "Ring of Poets" was completely closed in 1922 by order of the Cheka.

Many ego-futurists who remained in Russia were repressed. Such a fate awaited Konstantin Olimpov, Basilisk Gnedov, the Grail of Arel.

The brightest representative

The name of Igor Severyanin has long been strongly associated with egofuturism. The real name of this poet is Lotarev. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1887.

According to him, he received his education in a real school in Cherepovets, having completed four classes. In 1904 he left for the city of Dalniy on the territory of modern China, and lived in Port Arthur. He returned to St. Petersburg shortly before the start of the Russo-Japanese War.

At the same time began to publish regularly. The poet himself proposed to combine his first eight brochures into the World War cycle. Since 1907, he begins to sign his books with a pseudonym. Moreover, in the author's version, he looked like "Igor-Severyanin". It was an act of initiation, so a kind of mythology and amulet.

Thundering Boiling Cup

It is from the publication of the brochure "Prologue of ego-futurism" that it is customary to count the existence of a new literary trend. At the same time, he did not stay long with his supporters and followers. Separated from them, claiming to have accomplished his mission.

In 1913, the famous collection in the style of Severyanin's ego-futurism called "The Thundering Cup" was published. In the same year, he performed twice withVladimir Mayakovsky, and in 1914 he went on a tour of the south of the country.

King of Poets

It was during one of the performances with Mayakovsky that Severyanin received the title of King of Poets. Witnesses claim that the ceremony itself was accompanied by a playful crowning with a wreath and a mantle, but the poet himself took this with all seriousness.

The performance took place in the hall of the Polytechnic Museum in 1918. Eyewitnesses recall that the elections were accompanied by passionate shouts and arguments, and during the break there was almost a fight between supporters of Mayakovsky and Severyanin.

Severyanin was recognized as king, ahead of Mayakovsky by only 30-40 votes. Around the neck of the winner was placed a wreath of myrtle, borrowed from a nearby funeral home. The wreath hung down to the knees, but Severyanin continued to read poetry already in the rank of the king of poets. They also wanted to crown Mayakovsky as Viceroy, but he refused to put on a wreath, jumped on the table and read the third part of the poem "A Cloud in Pants".

Life in exile

Shortly after that, Severyanin left, finding himself in forced emigration. With his common-law wife, he leaves for Estonia. Since 1919, he began to perform with concerts. In total, during his life in this country, several dozen of his performances took place, the last in 1940 on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his creative activity.

In 1921 he parted with his common-law wife Volyanskaya for the sake of the wedding with Felissa Kruut. At the same time, the poet completely abandons ego-futurism in favor of a simple and realisticpoetry. In emigration, he publishes many collections of poems in which his nostalgia for the Motherland is felt, they are completely different from everything that he wrote in Russia.

In addition, he became the first major translator of Estonian poetry into Russian. He toured extensively in Europe, visiting Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Lithuania and Latvia. In 1931, he made two speeches in Paris.

The poet spent the winter of 1940-1941 in Paide in central Estonia. He was constantly sick. When the war began, he wanted to evacuate to the rear, but could not do this for he alth reasons. In October 41, he died of a heart attack at the age of 54.