DAVID VILENSKY’S POEM «THE RESURRECTION»

In the section Литературный сюжет и биографический факт. Материалы и публикации
DAVID VILENSKY’S POEM «THE RESURRECTION»
Авторы (текстом)
I. E. Loshchilov, Yu. S. Podlubnova
Institute for History and Archaeology of Ural Branch of Russian Acadmy of Sciences; Museum «Literary Life of the Ural of XX Century»; Department of Publishing of the Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation
Ключевые слова
civil war, david vilensky, literature of ural, mayakovsky, political repressions, russian revolution, siberian literature, futurism, censorship
Abstract

The article precedes the publication of the David Vilensky’s poem «The Resurrection», which
was written in 1919. The poem was printed as a separate booklet to the beginning of the «Front
Week» in January of 1920 in Ekaterinburg. However, the Soviet authority found political and
aesthetic sedition in this booklet and the all copies were confiscated already from a publishing
house. One copy of the booklet had been preserved in the funds of State Archive of the Administrative
Agencies of the Sverdlovsk Region in Ekaterinburg. In our article the parallel of «The
Resurrection» with «The Symphony of the Revolution» (1919), the poem in prose written by
Omsk poet Anton Sorokin, can be found. Both were dedicated to social revolution and published
as pamphlets, only few copies had been kept to our days.
The article briefly restored the biography and bibliography of David Fedorovich Vilensky
(1896–1937). In 1918–1919 he was active participant of the Siberian trip by David Burliuk, took
part in futuristic periodicals and literary digests, recited poems and lectures about the futurism
poetry. In 1919 he had the reputation of the leader Siberian futurists. At the beginning of the Civil
War Vilensky was in the white guard squad of Michael Ermohin. When the Bolsheviks had authority
he began to work as an organizer of cultural life and education of proletariat in
Ekaterinburg. However, in the 1920-ies he was arrested repeatedly for participation in the activity
of Ermohin and for the publication of the poem without permission.
In the late 1920-ies he became a children's writer and wrote 14 books for children together
with the artist L. Gamburger. These publications are mentioned in all the bibliographies, but its do
not reflect the nature of his poetic creativity and literary reputation. In the middle of 1930-ies he
was arrested again and executed on 17 June 1937 in Moscow.
The only poetry book by Vilensky was published in Moscow in 1922 where he collaborated
with a group poets who called themselves «presencestates». Critics pointed to the Vilensky’s
poetry primarily the influence of Mayakovsky.
The article also reconstructs literary context of «The Resurrection», find out the nature of the
genre (the futuristic poem as a form of play in verse), some principles of reflection of Russian
revolution, the connections with fairy tale. Special attention is paid to the influences of poems and
plays by Mayakovsky and Aseev, suggested parallels with poems by Khlebnikov. But «The Resurrection
» has poetic integrity and independent value.
The first publication of the unknown poem by David Vilensky complements the collection of
poetic drama of Russian futurism.

Bibliography

Bik E. P. [Bobrov S. P.] [Rec. na:] <…> D. Vilenskij, Na! Mosk., 1922, str. 40. Prod. c. 10 t. r.
<…> In: Pechat' i Revoljucija [The Press and the Revolution], 1922, no. 1, pp. 299–301.

Buharin N. I., Preobrazhenskij E. A. Azbuka kommunizma: Populjarnoe ob#jasnenie
programmy Rossijskoj kommunisticheskoj partii bol'shevikov [The ABC of a Communism: A Popular
explanation of the program of the Russian Communist party of Bolsheviks]. Ekaterinburg,
Izdatel'stvo Ekaterinburgskogo gubernskogo agentstva «Centropechati», 1919, 224 pp.

Burljuk D. D. Literatura i hudozhestvo v Sibiri i na Dal’nem Vostoke (1919–<19>22 g.)
(Zametki i harakteristiki ochevidca). In: Novaja russkaja kniga [The New Russian Book], 1922,
No. 2, Berlin, pp. 44–48.

Ekaterinburg literaturnyj: Enciklopedicheskij slovar’ [Ekaterinburg Literature: Encyclopedic
Dictionary]. Ekaterinburg, Kabinetnyj uchenyj, 2016, 448 pp.

Fedorov N. A. Byla li tachka u ministra? Ocherki o stroiteljah kanala Moskva – Volga [About
the Minister’s tachka, Essays on the construction of the channel Moscow – Volga]. Dmitrov,
Spas, 1997, 224 pp.

Hodorovskij I. «Nedelja fronta – nedelja-subbotnik». In: Pravda [The Truth], 1920, No. 9,
15 Jan., p. 1.

Konstantinov S. I. Biografii belyh generalov i oficerov, prichastnyh k poiskam ostankov
Carskoj Sem’i. In: Devjatye Romanovskie chtenija (19–20 ijulja 2004 g., Ekaterinburg) [Ninth
Romanov’s readings (19–20 July 2004, Ekaterinburg, Russia): Proceedings of the Conference]:
Materialy nauchnoj konferencii, red. A. N. Avdonin; nauch. red. N. N. Popov, Ekaterinburg, Real-
Media, 2005, pp. 143–157.

Kornienko N. V. «Njepovskaja ottepel’»: Stanovlenie instituta sovetskoj literaturnoj kritiki
[«The NEP’s thaw»: The formation of the Institute of Soviet literary criticism], M., IMLI RAN,
2010. 504 s.

Krusanov A. V. Russkij avangard: 1907–1932 (Istoricheskij obzor): V 3 t. T. 2: V 2 kn. Kn. 2.
Futuristicheskaja revoljucija (1917–1921) [Russian Avant-garde: 1907–1932 (Historical overview):
In 3 vol. Vol. 2: In 2 books. Book 2. Futuristic revolution (1917–1921)]. M., Novoe
literaturnoe obozrenie, 2003, 608 pp.

Literaturnaja zhizn’ Rossii 1920-h godov: Sobytija. Otzyvy sovremennikov. Bibliografija:
[V 6 t.]. T. 1. Ch. 1: Moskva i Petrograd. 1917–1920 [The Literary Life in Russia of the 1920-ies:
Events. Reviews of his contemporaries. Bibliography: [In 6 vol.]. Vol. 1. Part 1: Moscow and
Petrograd. 1917–1920], ed. by A. Ju. Galushkin, M., IMLI, 2006, 765 pp.

Loshhilov I. E., Ustinov A. B. Unichtozhennaja kniga Antona Sorokina. In: Wiener Slawistisches
Jahrbuch. Neue Folge [Vienna Slavic Yearbook. New Series], 2016, Vol. 4, ed. by Stefan
Michael Newerkla and Fedor B. Poljakov. Wien; Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 155–
176.

Morozov N. A. Zvezdnye pesni: Pervoe polnoe izdanie vseh stihotvorenij do 1919 goda: V 2
kn [The Star Songs: The first complete edition of all the poems until 1919: In 2 books], M.,
Zadruga, 1920–1921, 190 pp. + 206 pp.

Moskovskie mastera: Zhurnal iskusstv. Vesna 1916 [Moscow masters: The Magazine of the
Arts. 1916, Spring], M., [Tovarishhestvo A. A. Levenson], 1916, 100 pp.

N. T. [Tarabukin N. M.] [Rec. na:] David Vilenskij. Na. Moskva. 1922. 37 s. In: Vestnik
iskusstv [The Bulletin of Arts], 1922. No. 5, p. 39.

Nedelja Fronta. In: Pravda [The Truth], 1920, No. 8, 14 Jan., p. 1.

Petrjaev E. D. Anton Sorokin na Urale. In: Literaturnoe nasledstvo Sibiri [Literary patrimony
of Siberia ]. T. 3. Novosibirsk, Zapadno-Sibirskoe knizhnoe izdatel’stvo, 1974, pp. 342–343.

R. R. Vozrozhdenie futurizma. In: Golos Sibiri [Voice of Siberia], Tomsk, 1919, № 18,
29 janv, p. 4.

Rasstrel’nye spiski: Moskva 1935–1953: Donskoe kladbishhe (Donskoj krematorij): Kniga
pamjati zhertv politicheskih repressij [Lists of executed people: 1935–1953 Moscow: Donskoy
cemetery (Donskoy crematorium): The Book of memory of victims of political repression]. Otv.
sost. G. N. Selezneva, L. S. Eremina; pod red. L. S. Ereminoj i A. B. Roginskogo, M.,
Obshhestvo «Memorial»; Zven'ja, 2005, 596 pp.

Russkie pojety XX veka: Materialy dlja bibliografii [Russian poets of the XX century: Materials
for bibliography], sost. L. M. Turchinskij. M., Znak, 2007, XIV, 706 pp.

Shestakov N. Zametki o sovremennoj pojezii: Georgij Maslov. Avrora (pojema). «Zarja» 29
V 19 g. «Molodaja Rus’», sbornik. Ekaterinburg, maj 1919 g. In: Otechestvo [Fatherland]
(Perm’), 1919, No. 4, 20 ijunja. p. 2.

Steklov Ju. K nedele fronta i transporta. In: Izvestija [News], 1920, № 8 (255), 14 Jan., p. 1.
Tarasenkov A. K. Russkie pojety XX veka. 1900–1955: Bibliografija [Russian poets of the XX
century. 1900–1955: A Bibliography]. M., Sovetskij pisatel’, 1966, 486 pp.

Timenchik R. D., [Gel’perin Ju. M.] Bibliotheca promissa. Tenevoj portret russkoj pojezii
nachala veka. In: Studies in Modern Russian and Polish Culture and Bibliography, Essays in
Honor of Wojciech Zalewski, Stanford Slavic Studies, Vol. 20, ed. by L. Fleishman, Stanford,
1999, pp. 119–144.

Tret’ja stolica. Omsk. 1918–1919 gody: Izobrazitel'noe iskusstvo. Literatura [The Third Capital.
Omsk. 1918–1919: Arts. Literature], ed. by I. G. Devjat’jarova, Omsk, Omskblankizdat,
2011, 116 pp.

Turchinskij L. M. Russkaja pojezija XX veka: Materialy dlja bibliografii [Russian poetry of
the XX century: Materials for bibliography], predisl. R. D. Timenchika; pod red. A. L. Soboleva.
M., Truten’, 2013, 160 pp.

Vilenskij D. Na [Take it]. M., [Bez izdatel'stva], 1922. 39 pp.

Vilenskij D. O jasnom nado (Shkval 1-j). In: Molodaja Rus': Sbornik literaturnyj,
publicisticheskij i nauchnyj [Young Russia: A Collection of literary, journalistic and scientific].
Ekaterinburg. 1919 g. Maj. Ekaterinburg, Tipografija Tovarishhestva «Ural'skij kraj»; Pravlenie
Ekaterinburgskogo Sojuza uchashhihsja v vysshih uchebnyh zavedenijah, 1919 (maj),
pp. 10–11.

Vorob’ev V. Otryzhka burzhuaznogo stroja. In: Ural’skij rabochij [Ural Worker], 1921,
No. 14 (495), 21 janv., p. 2.

Zdobnov N. V. Materialy dlja sibirskogo slovarja pisatelej (Predvaritel'nyj spisok pojetov,
dramaturgov, belletristov i kritikov) [Materials for a Dictionary of Siberian writers (The Provisional
list of poets, playwrights, fiction writers and critics)], M., Prilozhenie k zhurnalu
«Severnaja Azija», 1927, 64 pp.

Bibliographic reference
I. E. Loshchilov, Yu. S. Podlubnova DAVID VILENSKY’S POEM «THE RESURRECTION» // Сюжетология и сюжетография. 2017. № 2. Pp. 150–164.