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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.”