Mayakovsky's death.
There is hardly a person in Russia who has not read or heard about the tragic end of Mayakovsky. Since school years, we have been instilled and still instill in our children only one thought about the naturalness of the poet's suicide on the basis of his intricate love relationships, complicated by creative failures, nervousness, as well as long-term ill health. Many of the poet's friends supported the stingy official version, which considered the motive for suicide to be "personal reasons."
Declared on the day of the poet's death, she actually turned the investigation into a formal way of stating this conclusion, leading him away from answering numerous questions. The detailed development and “maintenance” of this version was practically taken up by literary historians, who were under the vigilant supervision of censorship, introduced by the authorities a few hours after the shot and operating – already behind the scenes – to this day.
The arguments of the writers boiled down to a list of facts, the totality of which allegedly led Mayakovsky to suicide: in the fall of 1929, the poet was denied a visa to France, where he was going to marry T. Yakovleva; at the same time he received news of the marriage of T. Yakovleva herself; the morbid condition was aggravated by the rejection of the criticism of his "Bath"; in April 1930, the personal relationship of the poet with V. Polonskaya, whom the poet loved and with whom he wanted to start a family, was upset; and most importantly - Mayakovsky left a suicide letter, where he explained the reasons for his voluntary departure from life.
Did Mayakovsky really want to go to Paris?
The beginning of Skoryatin's doubts about the poet's voluntary departure from life was laid by the absence of any serious evidence of his refusal to obtain a visa for a trip to Paris, which was supposed to end in marriage with T. Yakovleva. Here it should be noted not only special role Lily Brik in the distribution of this version, but also the special goal that she pursued. The fact is that living together with the poet completely satisfied the Briks, since it provided many noticeable material advantages. Therefore, the Briks did not want to let go of Mayakovsky - after all, his intention to create his own family would lead to a mandatory departure. Therefore, when Mayakovsky goes to Nice in October 1928 to meet his two-year-old daughter Ellie and her American mother Elizabeth Siebert (Ellie Jones), the sister of L. Brik (Elsa), alarmed by this circumstance, introduces Mayakovsky to a beautiful emigrant from Russia Tatyana Yakovleva. She is not going to return to her homeland, and Mayakovsky, too, will never stay abroad. And flirting with T. Yakovleva, according to L. Brik, will distract the poet from his father's worries.
But as soon as the poet falls in love seriously and he has a firm intention to connect his life with T. Yakovleva, Briki, after Mayakovsky's arrival in April 1929 from Paris to Moscow, introduces him to the 22-year-old spectacular V. Yablonskaya, an actress of the Moscow Art Theater. Mayakovsky's sudden flare-up of passion, writes Skoryatin, seemed to push T. Yakovlev into the background and ruled out marrying her. Such a turn suited Brikov quite well. Polonskaya in Moscow. Should something unforeseen happen, there is an opportunity to hint at a possible publicity of her relationship with the poet. After all, V. Polonskaya was married to the actor Yanshin.
Mayakovsky begins to realize that his love for T. Yakovleva has no future, and on October 5, 1929, he sends his last letter to Paris. A trip to Paris lost its meaning for Mayakovsky for another reason. On October 11, 1929, L. Brik receives a letter from his sister Elsa, which says that "Yakovleva ... is marrying a viscount." At the same time, we note two details: the intention of Lily Brik in bringing this information to the poet and the fact that V. Polonskaya and her husband were in the room, and also the fact that Elsa in the letter is significantly ahead of events.
Therefore, when Skoryatin checked archival documents, he was not surprised by what he discovered: Mayakovsky did not write an application for a visa and did not receive any refusal. This means that this situation could in no way affect the mood of the poet in the spring of 1930 and did not give him a reason for serious feelings, which, as was believed, led him to the tragedy of April 14.
In the spring of 1930, Mayakovsky was upset by an ideological quarrel with the REF, a boycott of his former associates of his exhibition, and was experiencing a setback with Banya. And then there's a severe sore throat, possibly the flu. He does not hide his indisposition, striving to be in public more often in order to overcome a dreary mood. At that time, he seemed gloomy to some, broken to others, and to others, having lost faith in his own strength. Skoryatin notes that "these fleeting observations, later combined with speculation and rumors, turned into a solid support for the official report of suicide."
At this time, Mayakovsky became more and more attached to Veronika Polonskaya and connected his entire future with her. Not for the first time he decided to "build a family", but he always ran into stubborn resistance from Lily Brik, who used female tricks, tricks, hysteria - and Mayakovsky retreated. It was a strange life for the three of us ... In the spring of 1930, he decides to separate from the Briks at all costs, feeling a huge craving for a normal family of his own. After all, with the Briks, he was, in essence, lonely and homeless. Relations with V. Polonskaya make him act. April 4, he deposits money in housing cooperative RZhSKT them. Krasina (after the death of the poet, the Briks will move there), asks V. Sutyrin (from FOSP) to help with an apartment in order to leave the Briks before they return from abroad. But didn't have time
On the evening of April 13, Mayakovsky went to visit V. Kataev. Polonskaya and Yanshin were also there. We parted late, at three o'clock. It's Monday April 14th. Mayakovsky appeared at V. Polonskaya at 8.30. They left by taxi to the fateful apartment in Lubyansky. There Polonskaya warned that at 10.30 she had an important rehearsal and she could not be late. When she reassured Mayakovsky, who, according to her, demanded that she stay with him now, she said that she loved him, would be with him, but could not stay. Yanshin will not endure her departure in this form. "I left. went a few steps to front door. There was a shot... I screamed. I rushed along the corridor ... Probably, I entered after a moment. There was still a cloud of smoke from the shot in the room. Vladimir Vladimirovich was lying on the floor with his arms outstretched…”
Skoryatin notes that "at that time, no one from those present heard Polonskaya talking about the revolver in the hands of the poet when she ran out of the room." This important detail would immediately explain everything: Polonskaya runs out - Mayakovsky immediately shoots in the heart. And no doubt about suicide. Maybe by that time the investigators had not yet managed to force Polonskaya to agree with the "everything explaining" version?
Skoryatin drew attention to the fact that everyone who came running immediately after the shot found the poet's body lying in one position ("feet to the door"), and those who appeared later - in another ("head to the door"). Why was the body moved? Maybe in that turmoil someone needed to imagine such a picture - at the moment of the shot, the poet stood with his back to the door, here is a bullet hit in the chest (from inside the room) and knocked him back, head to the threshold. Certainly suicide! What if he was facing the door? The same blow would have knocked him back again, but with his feet to the door. True, in this case, the shot could have been fired not only by the poet himself, but also by someone who suddenly appeared at the door ... The head of the secret department of the GPU, Y. Agranov, who arrived first, immediately took the investigation into his own hands. L. Krasnoshchekova recalled that she persuaded Agranov to wait for Lily, but he said that the funeral would be "tomorrow or the day after tomorrow", and Brikov would not be expected. Then, apparently, Agranov realized (or someone suggested to him) that such a hasty funeral would undoubtedly arouse unnecessary suspicion.
By evening, the sculptor K. Lutsky arrived, removing the mask from Mayakovsky's face. On June 22, 1989, in the Leningrad TV program "The Fifth Wheel", the artist A. Davydov, showing this mask, drew the attention of viewers that the dead man's nose was broken. So Mayakovsky fell face down, he suggested, and not on his back, as happens when shooting himself. Then dissectors arrived to remove the poet's brain for scientific research at the Brain Institute. The fact that Mayakovsky’s name was in the “row of the elect” seemed to Skoryatin “a sure sign that the course of tragic events is controlled by almighty forces.” “Around midnight,” recalls E. Lavinskaya, “Agranov’s voice came from the dining room. He stood with papers in his hands and read aloud the last letter of Vladimir Vladimirovich. Agranov read and left the letter with him.
And the autopsy of the body, as required by the investigative laws, was never carried out, if not for V. Sutyrin, who demanded an autopsy on April 16, when rumors of an incurable disease reached him. venereal disease Mayakovsky, which allegedly led him to suicide (“Swift disease” - this was even said in the official obituary “In Memory of a Friend” in Pravda, signed by Y. Agranov, M. Gorb, V. Katanyan, M. Koltsov, S. Tretyakov , L. Elbert and others). The results of the autopsy showed that malicious gossip had no basis. But this conclusion was not published.
Agranov took for himself the photograph that E. Lavinskaya saw in his hands when he showed it to a group of Lefovites in the FOSP club: “It was a photograph of Mayakovsky, prostrate, as if crucified on the floor, with outstretched arms and legs and wide open in a desperate cry mouth ... They explained to me: “They filmed immediately when Agranov, Tretyakov and Koltsov entered the room. I never saw this photo again." (Skoryatin thinks that the photograph was taken before the arrival of the investigation team.) Briks arrived, who, as many knew, were visiting Lily Yuryevna's mother, E. Kagan, who worked in the Soviet trade mission in London. Brik never spoke about who and how found her and her husband abroad.
Some Briks, perhaps, were not surprised by anything. For them, the death of the poet never presented any mystery. K. Zelensky recalls how Osip Brik convinced him: "Reread his poems and you will see how often he speaks ... about his inevitable suicide." Lilya Brik cited other motives for the allegedly inevitable suicide of the poet: “Volodya was a neurotic. With a 37-degree temperature, he felt seriously ill. As soon as I recognized him, he was already contemplating suicide. dying farewell letters he wrote more than once. L. Brik everything was clear.
Let us follow the thought of Valentin Ivanovich Skoryatin, the only person who seriously thought about the so-called "suicide letter" of Vladimir Mayakovsky. Maybe something will become clear to us too - and not only about the poet, but even about Lila Brik herself.
Suicide letter: document or fake?
Here is his text, always quoted to prove the poet's intention to commit suicide (and Skoryatin's commentary):
Everyone
Don't blame anyone for dying, and please don't gossip. The dead man disliked this terribly.
Mom, sisters and comrades, I'm sorry - this is not the way (I do not advise others) - but I have no way out. Lily love me.
Comrade government, my family is Lilya Brik, mother, sisters and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya. If you give them a decent life, thank you. Give the started poems to the Briks, they will figure it out. As they say - "the incident is ruined", the love boat crashed into everyday life. I'm with life in the calculation, and there is no need for a list of mutual pains, troubles and insults, Happy to stay.
First of all, let's turn to the line where the poet lists the composition of the "family". He mentions relatives twice. But where the appeal is purely emotional, they are named first, and in the place where, in fact, the heirs are listed, relatives for some reason end up after L. Brik. (Later the right to inheritance will be secured by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR: 1/2 part was assigned to L. Brik, 1/6 - to mother and sisters, V. Polonskaya, in violation of the will of the poet, will not get anything). But, in fact, it is not this truly unrighteous decision that causes bewilderment, but the very moral meaning of such a “list”. It is well known that Mayakovsky, who allowed harshness in public polemics, was extremely noble with people close to him. Why, then, addressing the “comrade government”, does he so carelessly cast a shadow ... no, not on L. Brik (in official opinion she has long been known as the unofficial wife of the poet with her official husband), but, first of all, on a married young woman? Moreover, having made public the connection with her, he immediately humiliates her once again with the exclamation: "Lily - love me."
And it would be nice if the letter was written hastily, in the mortal languor of the last minutes, but on a double sheet from the ledger there is a date - April 12th. Something else is also striking: why, while preparing for a decisive conversation with his beloved, Mayakovsky in advance, already on April 12, predetermines the outcome of a conversation that has not yet taken place with her - “the love boat has crashed ...”? But it didn’t crash, in general: as we know, the poet’s proposal was accepted by Veronika Vitoldovna
However, the poems did not belong to Polonskaya. They were written by a poet ... back in 1928. The sketch was transferred by the poet from one notebook to another. And now it came in handy for appealing ... to the government. It turns out that Mayakovsky, without straining either his mind or his heart, took his old blanks and built them into his dying letter, disorienting everyone about the addressee? Not to mention the financial calculations at the end of the letter. What does a person think about in the face of eternity? What taxes, what GIZ! Whether you like it or not, you have to agree with V. Khodasevich on something.
There must be something blocking it. It just doesn’t fit in my head what, frankly, a vain letter came from the poet’s pen. However, just ... not from a pen. According to the newspapers that reprinted the letter, readers could not understand that the original was written ... in pencil.
It is known that to get a poet's pen even on a short time it was very difficult. Yes, and it is almost impossible to fake the handwriting of a "foreign" fountain pen, but all these difficulties are eliminated if you use ... a pencil. And the handwriting itself is a mere trifle for professionals from Agranov's department. And if we allow this assumption, then all the distressing bewilderment about the pencil text flutters. The letter, like many other physical evidence, "took" Agranov. It is known that even members of the government, when dividing Mayakovsky's inheritance, were guided not by the original, but ... by his newspaper reprint (an unprecedented fact!).
The notes of the film director S. Eisenstein found by Skoryatin say that he, noting in his suicide letter “the proximity of the rhythmic system” to the “criminal Odessa poetry”, as well as the civil war(thus hinting at the impossibility of Mayakovsky being the author of the letter), draws an unambiguous conclusion: “Mayakovsky never wrote anything like that!” And again: “It should have been removed. And he was removed ... "The insulting tone of the letter in relation to his mother and sister, as well as the unprecedented violation of their inheritance rights, prove that the poet did not write anything like that.
Mayakovsky spent the most tragic year with Polonskaya and wanted to introduce her into his new house like a wife. Mentioned in Mayakovsky's suicide letter as a member of his family, she was deftly removed from any rights to the poet's inheritance. She got only painful conversations with Syrtsov and Agranov, gossip, a quick divorce from her husband and an ambiguous position in society, when L. Brik for some reason was considered "Mayakovsky's widow", being not divorced from O. Brik, and she, Polonskaya, essence - the "illegal" beloved of the poet. And in nightmare the young actress could not have dreamed what an ungrateful role was destined for her in this Brikov theater of the absurd.
Considering that from 1930 to 1958 the letter was in the top-secret archives of the OGPU, and then in the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, it can be argued that it was a fake compiled by the OGPU and designed to convince everyone as the main evidence of Mayakovsky's suicide.
"Criminal case No. 02-29"
A few years ago, after numerous searches, Skoryatin managed to get in the secret archive "Criminal case No. 02-29, 1930, the people's investigator 2 account Baum. district of Moscow I. Syrtsov about the suicide of V. V. Mayakovsky. Here are just a few facts from the police report that caused serious confusion:
the protocol does not mention a suicide letter;
the calendar reported by V. Polonskaya is not mentioned. Now there is a calendar in the Mayakovsky Museum; the leaves of the calendar dated April 13-14, torn out by Mayakovsky, have disappeared;
the “bookseller” was not found and interrogated (did the person participating in the preparation of the murder come under the guise of him?); Mayakovsky’s shirt was not examined. L. Brik took the shirt and handed it over to the museum only 24 years later. There is no guarantee that she was not "worked" in such a way that she would fit the version of suicide.
This protocol, conveying a strange and indisputable intervention in the case of Agranov and his “colleagues”, was then, for some reason, transferred along with the case to investigator I. Syrtsov, who was in charge of another member of the district. Syrtsov turned out to be more accommodating for Agranov. The contradictions between the memoirs of V. Polonskaya and her testimony to the investigator, in the opinion of Skoryatin, are explained by the fact that she wrote them eight years later and not for the general public, and it seemed to her that the damned interrogation pages had forever sunk into obscurity.
As for the protocol testimony (“she was intrusive”, “she was not going to leave her husband”), it was precisely this version that investigator I. Syrtsov wanted to receive from her. On April 14, I. Syrtsov, after being interrogated by V. Polonskaya at Lubyansky, declares: “The suicide was caused by personal reasons,” which will be published in the press the next day. On April 15, Syrtsov makes a sudden “unreasonable” break in the investigation, which Skoryatin explains by the fact that on that day Syrtsov received at the Lubyanka necessary instructions for further action. There is a document in the file that speaks of keen interest in the death of the poet on the part of two divisions of the OGPU at once: counterintelligence (Gendin) and secret, which was led by Agranov, in whose hands all the threads of the case later turned out to be. Probably, the GPU was embarrassed in the recording of the interrogation by the phrase: “I went out the door of his room ...” It turns out that the poet remained alone for some time, and this could give rise to all sorts of rumors.
“The fears of the GEP officers were not in vain,” V. Skoryatin develops a guess, “because the question of where Polonskaya was at the time of the shot caused a lot of rumors. Y. Olesha wrote to V. Meyerhold in Berlin on April 30, 1930: “... She ran out shouting “Save me”, and a shot rang out ...” And the poet’s sister Lyudmila Vladimirovna believed that Polonskaya not only “went out the door of his room”, but was already “running away from the stairs." She wrote in her notebook: “When P. (Polonskaya) ran down the stairs and a shot rang out, Agran immediately appeared. (Agranov), Tretiak. (Tretyakov), Koltsov. They went in and didn't let anyone into the room."
The materials of the case did not give an answer to the question: did Polonskaya manage to run out of Mayakovsky's room or from the apartment, or did the shot occur in her presence? They did not, because, apparently, such an answer was simply not needed. All the haste and incompleteness, Skoryatin believes, is explained by the fact that Syrtsov clearly "driven" the case, and already on April 19 he closes it, issuing a decision, where the suicide letter-"note" is mentioned the only time.
In the prosecutor's office, another document is added to the case: “Receipt. I have received from P. M. O, pr-ra comrade Gerchikova, money found in the room of Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky in the amount of 2113 rubles. 82 kop. and 2 gold rings. Two thousand one hundred and thirteen rubles 82 k. and 2 evils. received rings. L. Brik. 21.4.30".
“Lilya Yurievna,” comments V. Skoryatin, “who did not (with her husband alive!) Have any official family relations with Mayakovsky, for no reason receives money and things found in his room, and then everything his legacy is both in material values and in priceless archives, which are, in essence, the national property. Here is the special cynicism of this situation. In a letter from the poet’s sister Olga Vladimirovna, sent to relatives a few days after the tragedy, it is said: “On the 12th, I spoke with him on the phone ... Volodya ordered me to come to him on Monday the 14th, and, leaving home in the morning, I said that from the service I will go to Volodya. This conversation on the 12th was the last.” It is clear that "Volodya" prepared an envelope for his sister with fifty rubles as an ordinary, ordinary help to the family. And this allowance is issued in the case file almost for the final, supposedly dying settlement of the poet with his loved ones! Not to mention that this fact testifies best of all: the poet had no idea to die of his own free will.
Let us add to the words of V. Skoryatin that all the behavior of Brik is the best evidence of the numerous areas of personal interest of L. Brik and her husband in this matter, of her extensive connections with the Chekist circles that she developed thanks to her husband's work in the Cheka since 1920 (first in the speculative department, and then "authorized by the 7th department of the secret department"). As Skoryatin discovered, Lilya herself was an agent of this department. Her KGB ID number is 15073, and Osip Brik's is 25541. It is clear which organization helped Briks urgently leave Moscow in February 1930 to leave the poet alone. In connection with this reasoning of Skoryatin, it becomes clear why Lilya Brik organizes the transfer of his letter through Agranov to Stalin in 1935. Stalin's resolution ("Mayakovsky was and remains the best, most talented poet of our Soviet era”) was supposed to force Soviet publishers to publish Mayakovsky's works in huge editions, in which Lilya Brik was directly interested, as an heiress.
After what Skoryatin has said, a natural conclusion suggests itself: L. and O. Briki could not help but know that Mayakovsky would soon be killed. All their behavior proves it.
How many bewilderments, violations, questions were caused by this case of such a simple and ordinary suicide "for personal reasons", surrounded, however, by the strictest secrecy. But all questions and problems disappear or are explained if we assume that the poet was killed. This conclusion is also made by Skoryatin. And then the last question really remains: why was this done and by whom? Skoryatin admits that until the end of his life “the poet was faithful to the romantic ideals of the revolution. But more and more often, notes of tragic disappointment burst into his “party books”, and he sang the reality more and more strained. But the satirical denunciation of “rubbish” grew stronger. In the course of the growing jubilation over successes, the poet's voice began to sound a dangerous dissonance. Terrible warning signals also appeared: the performances based on the plays “The Bedbug” and “The Bathhouse” were defame, a portrait was removed from the magazine, and the persecution in the press became more and more embittered.
Reflecting on how quickly the circle of Chekists around the poet narrowed in last month, Skoryatin considers this not accidental. (L. Elbert moved to his apartment immediately after the departure of Brikov, who worked back in 1921 in the Cheka as deputy head of the information department and a special representative of the foreign department involved in espionage and international terrorism, the Volovich family of Chekists often came, and, finally, came Yakov Agranov, about whom Roman Gul writes: "Under Dzerzhinsky, and under Stalin, the bloodiest investigator of the Cheka Yakov (Yankel) Agranov ... who became the executioner of the Russian intelligentsia. He ... destroyed the flower of Russian science and the public ... This bloody nonentity is the actual killer remarkable Russian poet N. S. Gumilyov ...”) Mayakovsky, apparently, did not understand “with what all-devouring fire he was playing”, coming into contact with some secrets of the GPU. And therefore, there are the most serious grounds for the conclusions about the murder of the poet. Analysis last days The poet says that the assassination was prepared under the leadership of the GPU on April 12, but for some reason it failed. (Skoryatin’s brilliant guess, explaining why this date is on the poet’s supposedly dying letter.) The influx of GPU employees on April 14 (from the secret department, counterintelligence and the operation, which was engaged in arrests, searches, provocations, terrorist attacks), Skoryatin believes, on the one hand, throws a shadow on the reputation of the proletarian poet, forcing us today to suspect him not only of creative cooperation with the regime, but on the other hand, may become evidence of the distrust of the authorities in the poet.
Skoryatin established that on the day of Mayakovsky's death, the activity of the GPU employees was clearly higher than on other days. Apparently, having discovered surveillance long ago, the poet was constantly upset by this. It follows from the testimony of V. Polonskaya that when she ran out into the street after the shot, “a man asked for my address” approached her. The same thing happened with the bookseller, whose interrogation protocol was kept for decades in the deepest secret. And the bookseller Loktev ended up in the apartment, probably only a few minutes before the shot, because he accidentally saw how "Mayakovsky was kneeling in front of her to (Polonskaya) ...". From the protocol of examination of the poet’s body, it appears that the shot was fired from top to bottom (since the bullet entered near the heart, and was felt near the last ribs in the lower back) “and it seems,” Skoryatin concludes, “at the moment when Mayakovsky was on his knees.” This is the last thing he came to in the investigation.
Skoryatin did not find out who the killer was. But with his research, he proved that the Soviet official myth about the suicide of the poet Mayakovsky no longer exists, that the secret of this tragic event was revealed to him - the poet Mayakovsky was killed.
The killer's name is unknown. But we know who benefited from it, who was interested in it, who did not like his plays, the desire to write the poem "Bad" and much of what was already born inside him and was only looking for a way out. Hence his desire to free himself from the yoke of the Briks, who have long become spiritually alien to him, to break with the Chekist environment, the desire to speak “out loud” what was born in his heart. It is no coincidence that on one of his visits to Paris, he tells Yu. Annenkov with amazing frankness, “that communism, the ideas of communism, its ideal, is one thing, while the“ communist party ”, very powerfully organized ... and led by people who take advantage of all the benefits of "full power" and "freedom of action", this is a completely different thing.
It is no coincidence that his faith fluctuates. Late in the evening of April 13, 1930, “... an exclamation escaped from him: “Oh my God!”. Polonskaya said: “Incredible! World turned upside down. Mayakovsky calls on the Lord. Are you a believer?" And he replied: “Ah, I myself don’t understand anything now ... what I believe in!”
If Mayakovsky wanted to adapt, he would have written the poem "Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin." The poet did not go for it, although he was probably persistently prompted. But those main mistakes that he made in life, and in poetry (standing with the artistic word on the side of those who had to be deprived of this word), they were sincere. And like any person who is sincerely mistaken, he very slowly begins to see clearly. But when he begins to see clearly, such a steel will is born in him, such a colossal power, given to him by the very truth of his life, then this person can no longer be mastered. He will go to any lengths and do what needs to be done. And such Mayakovsky was born.
I know the power of words
I know the words alarm.
They are not the ones
who are applauded by the lodges
Isn’t this colossal spiritual power just audible, just feathered into obscure lines, just emerging from the soul of his heart, but already announcing that the old Mayakovsky with his countless volumes of his “party books” will never be again, even if for this it will be required that he not be himself. Mayakovsky, who is being born again, does not want to put up with what he put up with before, does not want to listen to those whom he listened to before, does not want to bow to anyone anymore, but wants to BE, no matter what it costs him. He challenges Death itself - ... and she accepts him.
There are several facts that cast doubt on the fact that the mouthpiece of the "dictatorship of the proletariat" committed suicide...
Reconstruction of events As in the story of the suicide of Sergei Yesenin, it would seem that everything led to the voluntary departure from life of Vladimir Mayakovsky. And the year 1930 was shaping up for the poet in many ways extremely unsuccessfully. Yes, and a year earlier he was denied a visa to France, where he was going to get engaged to Tatyana Yakovleva. He later received news of her imminent marriage. Completely failed his exhibition "20 years of work", in which he sums up his twenty years of work. This event was ignored by important statesmen and prominent cultural figures of that time, and Mayakovsky hoped that they would honor him with visiting the exhibition. Many colleagues and acquaintances said that he had not only written his name completely, but also that he had not been “that same” Mayakovsky, a faithful servant of the revolution, for a long time.
Mayakovsky during the exhibition "20 years of work"
In addition, along with the exhibition, the production of his play “The Bathhouse” failed. Yes, and all this year the poet was haunted by quarrels and scandals, which is why the newspapers labeled him “fellow traveler of the Soviet government”, while he himself took a more active position. And soon, on the morning of April 14, 1930, in the house on Lubyanka, where Vladimir Mayakovsky worked at that time, a meeting was made between the poet and Veronika Polonskaya. Then they had been in close relations for more than one year: Mayakovsky wanted to start a family with her. And it was then that he started a decisive conversation with her, demanding from her a divorce from the artist Mikhail Yanshin. Apparently, the conversation ended unsuccessfully for him. Then the actress left and, having reached the front door, she suddenly heard a shot.
Witness testimony
Actually, only Polonskaya from people close to Mayakovsky managed to catch the last moments of the poet's life. This is how she recalls this fateful day: “I asked if he would take me. "No," he said, but promised to call. He also asked if I had money for a taxi. I had no money, he gave me twenty rubles... I managed to get to the front door and heard a shot. I rushed about, I was afraid to return. Then she entered and saw the smoke from the shot that had not yet dissipated. There was a small blood stain on Mayakovsky's chest. I rushed to him, I repeated: “What have you done? ..” He tried to raise his head. Then his head fell, and he began to turn terribly pale ... People appeared, someone said to me: “Run, meet the ambulance.” Ran out and met. I returned, and on the stairs someone said to me: “It's too late. Died…".
Veronika Polonskaya was the last love of Vladimir Mayakovsky
However, regarding the testimony of witnesses, there is one interesting point, which was once pointed out by the researcher of the circumstances of the death of Valentin Skoryatin. He drew attention to important detail, which consisted in the fact that all those who came running after the shot found the poet lying in the “legs to the door” position, and those who appeared later - in another “head to the door”. The question arises: what was the need to move the dead body of the poet? It is quite possible that in this turmoil someone needed to imagine such a picture: at the moment of the shot, the poet was standing with his back to the door, here is a bullet hit in the chest from inside the room and knocked him back, head to the threshold. And this, in turn, is already reminiscent of an act of murder. What would it look like if he was facing the door? The same blow would have knocked him back again, but with his feet to the door. True, in this case, the shot could be fired not only by Mayakovsky, but also by the killer, who acted extremely quickly.
The head of the OGPU Agranov wanted to bury Mayakovsky quickly
Also, the fact that the investigators tried to quickly bury the poet cannot but raise doubts. So, Skoryatin, on the basis of numerous documents, is sure that the head of the OGPU, Yakov Agranov, by the way, one of the leaders of this repressive body, sought to arrange a hasty funeral for the suicide, but later changed his mind, considering this very suspicious.
Death mask of Mayakovsky
Also, the remark of the artist A. Davydov regarding the death mask of Mayakovsky, which was made by Lutsky on the evening of April 14, 1930, adds fuel to the fire. And this gives grounds to assert that Mayakovsky fell face down, and not on his back, as happens when he is shot at himself.
There is also a theory that the poet shot himself because he was sick with syphilis. However, this argument has no basis, since the results of an autopsy carried out some time later showed that Mayakovsky did not suffer from this ailment. Moreover, the verdict itself was not published anywhere, which caused a wide variety of gossip regarding the poet's health. At least in the obituary published in the Pravda newspaper and signed by other colleagues of the writer, some kind of “rapid illness” was mentioned, which led him to suicide.
It is impossible not to notice the difference between the noses of the living and the dead Mayakovsky
The hand of the OGPU in this matter
Lilya Brik said that Mayakovsky thought about suicide more than once, and Osip Brik once convinced his friend: “Reread his poems, and you will see how often he talks ... about his inevitable suicide.”
It is worth noting that the investigation was carried out in the highest instances. Initially, the above-mentioned Yakov Agranov, and then I. Syrtsov, took up this. The investigation was then fully referred to as "Criminal case No. 02−29, 1930, people's investigator 2 account. Baum. district of Moscow I. Syrtsov about the suicide of V. V. Mayakovsky. And already on April 14, Syrtsev, after interrogating Polonskaya at the Lubyanka, said: "Suicide was caused by personal reasons." And this message was published the next day in Soviet newspapers.
Officially, Mayakovsky's suicide was caused by personal reasons. 
Mayakovsky valued his friendship with the Briks very much.
When Mayakovsky died, the Briks were abroad at that time. And therefore, Valentin Skoryatin, working with numerous materials and documents, put forward the version that the Briks deliberately left their friend in February 1930, because they knew that they would certainly be killed soon. And according to Skoryatin, Briks could be involved in organizations such as the Cheka and the OGPU. They even had their own KGB ID numbers: Lily had 15073, and Osip had 25541.
And the need to kill the poet was based on the fact that Mayakovsky was rather tired of the Soviet authorities. AT last years The poet's life more and more often appeared notes of discontent and undisguised disappointment.
At the same time, Veronika Polonskaya could not have made a shot, because according to the testimony of the actress and neighbors, the shot thundered immediately after she left the premises. Therefore, all suspicions can be removed from her. The name of Mayakovsky's killer, if the murder did take place, is unknown.
Mayakovsky was known as one of the main allies of the October Revolution of 1917
strange note
It is impossible not to pay attention to the suicide note left by Vladimir Mayakovsky. It would be appropriate to quote its text in full:
"Everyone
Don't blame anyone for dying, and please don't gossip. The dead man disliked this terribly.
Mom, sisters and comrades, sorry - this is not the way (I do not advise others), but I have no way out. Lily - love me.
Comrade government, my family is Lilya Brik, mother, sisters and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya. If you give them a decent life, thank you. Give the started poems to the Briks, they will figure it out. As they say - "the incident is ruined", the love boat crashed into everyday life. I'm with life in the calculation, and there is no need for a list of mutual pains, troubles and insults, Happy to stay.
Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Comrades Wappovtsy, do not consider me cowardly. Seriously, there's nothing you can do. Hello. Tell Yermilov that it's a pity - he took off the slogan, we should have a fight.
V. M.
In the table I have 2000 rubles. enter in the tax.
Get the rest from Giza."
It would seem that the suicide letter, touching at first glance, directly indicates that Mayakovsky planned suicide in advance. This thesis is reinforced by the fact that the note is dated April 12. But the question arises: why, in preparation for a decisive conversation with Veronika Polonskaya, Mayakovsky in advance, on April 12, predetermines the outcome of a conversation that has not yet taken place with her - “the love boat has crashed ...”, as he writes? It is also impossible not to pay attention to what exactly these lines are written with. And they were drawn in pencil.
Mayakovsky at work. Photo from 1930
The fact is that the author's handwriting is most conveniently faked with a pencil. And Mayakovsky's dying letter long time was kept in the secret archives of the OGPU. Comrades Mayakovsky, Khodasevich and Eisenstein, referring to the insulting tone towards his mother and sister, stated that Mayakovsky could not write something like that in such a spirit. So it can be assumed that the note was nothing more than a fake compiled by the OGPU and designed to convince everyone by this as the main evidence of Mayakovsky's suicide.
Moreover, the note itself is not mentioned in any way in the protocol from the scene. It appears only in the final conclusion of the case, where it follows that the letter was written "in unusual conditions" in a state "caused by excitement." The history of the note does not end there: Valentin Skoryatin believes that the dating of April 12 is explained quite simply. In his opinion, the murder of Mayakovsky failed that day, and therefore this falsification was saved for the next time. And this "next time" fell on the morning of April 14, 1930.
Mayakovsky's death was like a bolt from the blue. The Briks immediately returned from their trip to Europe. The death of the poet was a great blow to all his friends and relatives. And now it is generally accepted that Vladimir Mayakovsky voluntarily passed away, although some researchers of this case are firmly convinced that he was deliberately “removed”. Some time later, Joseph Stalin will call him the best poet Soviet Union. And Polonskaya became the last close person of Mayakovsky. It was with her that the poet spent the last moments of his life.
Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich - Soviet poet who achieved success and recognition. He was born in 1893 in the Caucasus. His works can be identified by the emotional nature of the poems and by the well-recognized "ladder" of the presentation of the text, which later became his "calling card".
Throughout life, he was energetic, did not keep his mouth shut, for which he was in prison, he was a scandalous person. Vladimir Mayakovsky made a huge contribution to the treasury of Russian culture. But who would have thought that Mayakovsky V.V. allotted so short lines. He died when he was 36 years old. But why and how did Mayakovsky die?
From the personal life of the poet
The mysterious death of Mayakovsky worried experts for a very long time.
His personal life did not please him. Everyone laughed at his desire to have a normal family, and especially Lilya Brik, the beloved woman of his whole life. She said that if she gave birth to a child for him, then he would never give birth to a single talented verse. And he increasingly began to talk about suicide as the only salvation.
Love and death
In an attempt to free himself from Lily's spell, he tried to start his life over with a clean slate.
His last passion was Veronika Polonskaya, a beautiful actress of the Moscow Art Theater. On April 14, 1930, they were supposed to have a date. He locked the door and spoke for a long time about her divorcing her husband and moving in with him immediately. But Veronica (Nora) could not decide to leave Mikhail Yanshin, realizing that at any moment their romance could end. He went out the door, she heard the sound of a shot, ran to her lover and saw blood on his body.
The shot was fired point-blank in the heart. A suicide note dated April 12 was also found.
Versions of the death of Mayakovsky
What is the cause of Mayakovsky's death? Beloved woman, or the fact that he was afraid of old age, or his conflicts with poets, whom he ceased to understand, as they did him. He was a revolutionary, but the revolution is already over. There are several versions of the death of the poet, each has its supporters and opponents.
Murder. Perhaps someone wanted him dead? Opponents of this version say that Vladimir Vladimirovich was preparing to die. After all, he left a suicide note. But the fact that the note was written in pencil is alarming. Since, firstly, handwriting with a pencil can be faked more easily, graphologists assure. In addition, as V.I. Skoryatin stated, Mayakovsky was kind to his fountain pen and, most likely, would have begun to write the last letter with it. And S. Eisenstein notes that Mayakovsky did not write anything like that at all, and the note is the work of his killers. In defense of the version of the murder, the fact that Mayakovsky had a broken nose, although he fell on his back, also speaks. According to Nora, when they found him, Vladimir Vladimirovich was lying on his back with his eyes open and tried to tell her something, but did not have time. Another argument in favor of the fact that Mayakovsky would not have killed himself: when he heard the news of the suicide of Sergei Yesenin, he severely condemned him, calling such an act cowardice. As a rule, the Soviet secret services are accused of the poet's murder.
Accident. The most unpopular version says that the poet died as a result of a sad combination of circumstances. The fact is that Mayakovsky several times arranged extreme sports for himself with one bullet in a seven-shot pistol. And did this time his luck fail him in the game of "Russian roulette"?
Suicide. Today it is the official version. It is followed by most researchers. Yes, and according to the memoirs of Lilia Brik, Mayakovsky tried to commit suicide more than once. It is also noted that the poet had sudden mood swings. He was overwhelmed with emotions of joy when he had success, and failures led him into a deep depression.
The true cause of the poet's death is still the subject of heated debate.
Name: Vladimir Mayakovskiy
Age: 37 years
Growth: 189
Activity: poet, publicist, playwright, actor, director, artist
Family status: not married
Vladimir Mayakovsky: biography
The brilliant works of Vladimir Mayakovsky are truly admired by millions of his admirers. He deservedly ranks among the greatest Futurist poets of the 20th century. In addition, Mayakovsky proved to be an extraordinary playwright, satirist, film director, screenwriter, artist, and editor of several magazines. His life, multifaceted work, as well as personal relationships full of love and feelings, remain an unsolved mystery even today.
The talented poet was born in the small Georgian village of Baghdati ( Russian empire). His mother Alexandra Alekseevna belonged to a Cossack family from the Kuban, and his father Vladimir Konstantinovich worked as a simple forester. Vladimir had two brothers - Kostya and Sasha, who died in childhood, as well as two sisters - Olya and Luda.
Mayakovsky knew the Georgian language perfectly and since 1902 he studied at the gymnasium in Kutaisi. Already in his youth, he was captured by revolutionary ideas, and while studying at the gymnasium, he participated in a revolutionary demonstration.
In 1906, his father died suddenly. The cause of death was blood poisoning, which occurred as a result of a finger prick with an ordinary needle. This event so shocked Mayakovsky that in the future he completely avoided hairpins and pins, fearing the fate of his father.
In the same 1906, Alexandra Alekseevna moved to Moscow with her children. Vladimir continued his studies at the fifth classical gymnasium, where he attended classes with the poet's brother, Alexander. However, with the death of his father, the financial situation of the family deteriorated significantly. As a result, in 1908, Vladimir could not pay for his education, and he was expelled from the fifth grade of the gymnasium.
Creation
In Moscow, a young guy began to communicate with students who were fond of revolutionary ideas. In 1908, Mayakovsky decided to become a member of the RSDLP and often propagandized among the population. During 1908-1909, Vladimir was arrested three times, but due to his minority and lack of evidence, they were forced to release him.
During the investigations, Mayakovsky could not calmly be within four walls. Through constant scandals, he was often transferred to different places conclusions. As a result, he ended up in Butyrskaya prison, where he spent eleven months and began to write poetry.
In 1910, the young poet was released from prison and immediately left the party. AT next year artist Evgenia Lang, with whom Vladimir was on friendly terms, recommended that he take up painting. While studying at the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, he met the founders of the Gileya Futurist group and joined the Cubo-Futurists.
The first work of Mayakovsky, which was printed, was the poem "Night" (1912). At the same time, the young poet made his first public appearance in the artistic basement, which was called "Stray Dog".
Vladimir, together with members of the Cubo-Futurist group, took part in a tour of Russia, where he lectured and read his poems. Soon there were positive reviews about Mayakovsky, but he was often considered outside the futurists. believed that among the futurists Mayakovsky was the only true poet.
The first collection of the young poet "I" was published in 1913 and consisted of only four poems. This year also marks the writing of the rebellious poem "Nate!", In which the author challenges the entire bourgeois society. The following year, Vladimir created a touching poem "Listen", which struck readers with its colorfulness and sensitivity.
Attracted a brilliant poet and dramaturgy. The year 1914 was marked by the creation of the tragedy "Vladimir Mayakovsky", presented to the public on the stage of the St. Petersburg theater "Luna-Park". At the same time, Vladimir acted as its director, as well as the leading actor. The main motive of the work was the rebellion of things, which connected the tragedy with the work of the futurists.
In 1914, the young poet firmly decided to voluntarily enlist in the army, but his political unreliability frightened the authorities. He did not get to the front and, in response to neglect, wrote a poem "To you", in which he gave his assessment of the tsarist army. In addition, the brilliant works of Mayakovsky soon appeared - “A cloud in pants” and “War is declared”.
The following year, the fateful meeting of Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky with the Brik family took place. From now on, his life was a single whole with Lilya and Osip. From 1915 to 1917, thanks to the patronage of M. Gorky, the poet served in an automobile school. And although he, being a soldier, did not have the right to publish, Osip Brik came to his aid. He acquired two poems by Vladimir and soon published them.
At the same time, Mayakovsky plunged into the world of satire and in 1915 published in the New Satyricon a cycle of works called Hymns. Soon two large collections of works appeared - “Simple as a lowing” (1916) and “Revolution. Poetochronika (1917).
The great poet met the October Revolution at the headquarters of the uprising in Smolny. He immediately began to cooperate with new government and participated in the first meetings of cultural figures. It should be noted that Mayakovsky led a detachment of soldiers who arrested General P. Secretev, who led the automobile school, although he had previously received the medal “For Diligence” from his hands.
The years 1917-1918 were marked by the release of several works by Mayakovsky dedicated to revolutionary events (for example, “Ode to the Revolution”, “Our March”). On the first anniversary of the revolution, the play "Mystery Buff" was presented.
Mayakovsky was also fond of filmmaking. In 1919, three films were released, in which Vladimir acted as an actor, screenwriter and director. At the same time, the poet began to cooperate with ROSTA and worked on propaganda and satirical posters. In parallel, Mayakovsky worked in the newspaper Art of the Commune.
In addition, in 1918 the poet created the Komfut group, the direction of which can be described as communist futurism. But already in 1923, Vladimir organized another group - the Left Front of the Arts, as well as the corresponding magazine LEF.
At this time, several bright and memorable works of the brilliant poet were created: “About this” (1923), “Sevastopol - Yalta” (1924), “Vladimir Ilyich Lenin” (1924). We emphasize that during the reading of the last poem at the Bolshoi Theater he himself was present. After Mayakovsky's speech, a standing ovation followed, which lasted 20 minutes. In general, it was the years of the civil war that turned out to be for Vladimir best time, which he mentioned in the poem "Good!" (1927).
No less important and intense was the period of frequent travel for Mayakovsky. During 1922-1924 he visited France, Latvia and Germany, to which he devoted several works. In 1925, Vladimir went to America, visiting Mexico City, Havana and many US cities.
The beginning of the 20s was marked by a stormy controversy between Vladimir Mayakovsky and. The latter at that time joined the Imagists - implacable opponents of the futurists. In addition, Mayakovsky was a poet of the revolution and the city, and Yesenin in his work extolled the village.
However, Vladimir could not but recognize the unconditional talent of his opponent, although he criticized him for his conservatism and addiction to alcohol. In a sense, they were kindred spirits - quick-tempered, vulnerable, in constant search and despair. They were united even by the theme of suicide, which was present in the work of both poets.
During 1926-1927, Mayakovsky created 9 screenplays. In addition, in 1927 the poet resumed the activities of the LEF magazine. But a year later he left the magazine and the corresponding organization, finally disappointed in them. In 1929, Vladimir founded the REF group, but the following year he left it and became a member of the RAPP.
At the end of the 1920s, Mayakovsky again turned to dramaturgy. He is preparing two plays: Bedbug (1928) and Bathhouse (1929), designed specifically for the Meyerhold theater stage. They thoughtfully combine the satirical presentation of the reality of the 1920s with a look into the future.
Meyerhold compared Mayakovsky's talent with the genius of Molière, but critics greeted his new works with devastating comments. In "Bedbug" they found only artistic flaws, but even accusations of an ideological nature were made against "Banya". Many newspapers carried extremely offensive articles, some of which had headlines "Down with Mayakovism!"
The fatal year of 1930 began for the greatest poet with numerous accusations from his colleagues. Mayakovsky was told that he was not a true "proletarian writer", but only a "fellow traveler". But, despite the criticism, in the spring of that year, Vladimir decided to take stock of his activities, for which he organized an exhibition called "20 years of work."
The exhibition displayed all the multifaceted achievements of Mayakovsky, but brought continuous disappointment. Neither the former colleagues of the poet at the LEF, nor the top party leadership visited her. It was a cruel blow, after which a deep wound remained in the soul of the poet.
Death
In 1930, Vladimir was ill a lot and was even afraid of losing his voice, which would put an end to his performances on stage. The personal life of the poet turned into an unsuccessful struggle for happiness. He was very lonely, because the Briks, his constant support and consolation, went abroad.
Attacks from all sides fell on Mayakovsky with a heavy moral burden, and the poet's vulnerable soul could not stand it. On April 14, Vladimir Mayakovsky shot himself in the chest, which caused his death.
Grave of Vladimir Mayakovsky After the death of Mayakovsky, his works fell under an unspoken ban and were hardly published. In 1936, Lilya Brik wrote a letter to I. Stalin himself with a request to help preserve the memory of the great poet. In his resolution, Stalin praised the achievements of the deceased and gave permission for the publication of Mayakovsky's works and the creation of a museum.
Personal life
The love of Mayakovsky's life was Lilya Brik, whom he met in 1915. The young poet at that time met with her sister, Elsa Triolet, and one day the girl brought Vladimir to the Briks' apartment. There, Mayakovsky first read the poem "A Cloud in Pants", and then solemnly dedicated it to Lilya. Surprisingly, the prototype of the heroine of this poem was the sculptor Maria Denisova, with whom the poet fell in love in 1914.
Soon, an affair broke out between Vladimir and Lilya, while Osip Brik turned a blind eye to his wife's passion. Lilya became Mayakovsky's muse, it was to her that he dedicated almost all of his love poems. He expressed the boundless depth of his feelings for Brik in the following works: “Flute-Spine”, “Man”, “To Everything”, “Lilichka!” and etc.
The lovers together participated in the filming of the film Chained by Film (1918). Moreover, since 1918, Briki and the great poet began to live together, which fit perfectly into the marriage-love concept that existed at that time. They changed their place of residence several times, but each time they settled together. Often, Mayakovsky even supported the Brikov family, and from all trips abroad he always brought luxurious gifts to Lily (for example, a Renault car).
Despite the poet's boundless affection for Lilichka, there were other lovers in his life, even those who bore him children. In 1920, Mayakovsky had a close relationship with the artist Lilya Lavinskaya, who gave him a son, Gleb-Nikita (1921-1986).
1926 was marked by another fateful meeting. Vladimir met Ellie Jones, an emigrant from Russia, who bore him a daughter, Elena-Patricia (1926-2016). Also, a fleeting relationship connected the poet with Sofya Shamardina and Natalya Bryukhanenko.
In addition, in Paris, an outstanding poet met with an emigrant Tatyana Yakovleva. The feelings that flared up between them gradually grew stronger and promised to turn into something serious and lasting. Mayakovsky wanted Yakovleva to come to Moscow, but she refused. Then in 1929, Vladimir decided to go to Tatiana, but problems with obtaining a visa became an insurmountable obstacle for him.
The last love of Vladimir Mayakovsky was a young and married actress Veronika Polonskaya. The poet demanded that the 21-year-old girl leave her husband, but Veronica did not dare to make such serious changes in her life, because the 36-year-old Mayakovsky seemed to her contradictory, impulsive and unstable.
Difficulties in relations with a young lover pushed Mayakovsky to a fatal step. She was the last one Vladimir saw before his death and tearfully asked her not to go to the scheduled rehearsal. No sooner had the door closed behind the girl than the fatal shot rang out. Polonskaya did not dare to come to the funeral, because the poet's relatives considered her to be the culprit in the death of a loved one.
During his lifetime, Mayakovsky had many novels, although he was never officially married. Among his lovers there were many Russian emigrants - Tatyana Yakovleva, Ellie Jones. The most serious hobby in Mayakovsky's life was an affair with Lilya Brik. Despite the fact that she was married, the relationship between them continued. long years. Moreover, for a long period of his life, the poet lived in the same house with the Brik family. This love triangle existed for several years, until Mayakovsky met the young actress Veronika Polonskaya, who at that time was 21 years old. Neither the age difference of 15 years, nor the presence of an official spouse could prevent this connection. It is known that the poet planned with her life together and insisted on divorce. This story became the reason for the official version of suicide. On the day of his death, Mayakovsky was refused by Veronika, which provoked, according to many historians, a serious nervous shock that led to such tragic events. In any case, Mayakovsky's family, including his mother and sisters, believed that it was Polonskaya who was to blame for his death.
Mayakovsky left a suicide note with the following content:
"ALL
Don't blame anyone for dying and please don't gossip. The dead man disliked this terribly.
Mom, sisters and comrades, forgive me - this is not the way (I do not advise others), but I have no way out.
Lily - love me.
Comrade government, my family is Lilya Brik, mother, sisters and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya. -
If you give them a decent life, thank you.
Give the poems you have started to the Briks, they will figure it out.
As they say - "the incident is ruined", the love boat crashed on life
I am counting with life and there is no need for a list of mutual pains, troubles and insults.
happy to stay
VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKY.