Dear Friends!
A hundred years ago a great Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky shocked the world of literature with his epic debut poem, “A Cloud in Pants.” I have translated it into English with the specific objective of preserving its raw emotion, passion, imagery, and unique rhyming patterns.
I then started reciting it in public, in both Russian and English. The success of these recitals prompted me to make a video…, a film where poetry would intertwine with visual imagery. Now it is done.
The film comes in four parts, or, as Mayakovsky himself called them, “four screams”: “Damn your love!” “Damn your art!” “Damn your regime!” and “Damn your God!”. I read each part first in Russian, and then in English. Each part features subtitles and compelling visual effects provided by my collaborator, a celebrated visual artist Alex Garber.
I believe this project to be unique in the world of translation and poetic readings!
So enjoy “A CLOUD IN PANTS.”