"Tournament of Poets" – Three Futurist Booklets of Poetry – Moscow, 1929-1934 – Limited Editions – One of the ...

"Tournament of Poets" – Three Futurist Booklets of Poetry – Moscow, 1929-1934 – Limited Editions – One of the Booklets is Inscribed by Aleksei Kruchyonykh
Турнир Поэтов / Турнир Поэтов Третий [Tournament of Poets / The Third Tournament of Poets] – three booklets of poetry; manuscript lithographed text. Moscow, 1929-1934. Russian. The covers were designed by Kirill Zdanevich and Ivan Kliun. Limited editions. One booklet is inscribed by the editor, Aleksei Kruchyonykh.
The booklets "Tournament of Poets" were published in the years 1928-1934, on the initiative of poet Aleksei Kruchyonykh. Presumably, they were written during gatherings of Kruchyonykh's literary circle, as kind of a game for poets: the participants were asked to write humorous poetry lines which rhymed with the names of the poets of the circle (most of the passages were dedicated to Kruchyonykh). The booklets were handwritten by several of the poets and printed in a limited number of copies.
These three booklets feature passages by Boris Pasternak, Nikolai Aseev, Vladimir Mayakovski and others:
1. Турнир Поэтов [Tournament of Poets], Moscow: Группы Лефовцев (Gruppy Lefovtsev), 1929. Missing cover. Numbered copy from an edition of 150 copies. On p. 6 is an illustration by Igor Terentiev – a portrait of Aleksei Kruchyonykh.
18 leaves (printed on one side), approx. 17X21.5 cm. Missing cover. Fair-good condition. Minor stains. Open tears to edges of leaves, professionally restored.
2. Турнир Поэтов [Tournament of Poets]. Moscow: Группы Лефовцев (Gruppy Lefovtsev), 1930. Cover design by Kirill Zdanevich. Printed in 150 copies.
The text is identical to that which appears in the booklet from 1929 (no. 1), however, it was written in different handwriting and printed in a slightly different layout. Aleksei Kruchyonykh's portrait appears on p. 7.
18 leaves (printed on one side), approx. 17X22.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Tears to cover. Signature on the title page (dated 1932).
3. Турнир Поэтов Третий [The Third Tournament of Poets], edited by Aleksei Kruchyonykh. Moscow: Всекдрам (Vsekdram), 1934. Cover design by Ivan Kliun. Printed in 100 copies.
On the title page, an inscription handwritten by Aleksei Kruchyonykh. On p. 4 is a comment handwritten by him.
7, [1] pp, 25X20 cm. Good condition. Uneven edges. Stains, tears and minor blemishes to cover.
Aleksei Kruchyonykh (1886-1968), a poet and theoretician; one of the most radical voices of Russian Futurism. Kruchonykh is considered the inventor of the "Zaum" language (Russian: "Trans-reason") – an experimental language characterized by indeterminacy in meaning (this literary style is considered the Russian equivalent of Dadaism, although it preceded it by three years). In 1916, he founded in Tbilisi the literary group "41°" and was responsible for publishing its books, which were known for their avant-garde design and unique printing technique. After returning to Moscow, he joined the "Lef" journal. Since the 1930s, due to the political changes in Soviet Russia, he rarely published poems and turned his energies to theoretical work only. Among his most well-known works is the libretto for the Futurist opera "The Victory over the Sun".