‎دوستانِ گرانقدر، در این کتاب با نوعِ نگارشِ هنرمندانه و البته شیرین و همراه با ته مایه ای از طنز، به شرحِ سفرش به مکزیک و آمریکا پرداخته است و به نوعی سفرنامه ای به زبانِ ساده تهیه کرده است که هرچه را به چشم دیده در آن برایِ مخاطب بیان نموده است... از نوع رفتارِ مردمان تا شهرنشینی و خوراک هایِ آنها و کار و شغل و همه و همه .. هرچه که از نظرش لازم بوده را در موردِ مکزیکوسیتی و نیویورک و شیکاگو، نوشته است‎به انتخاب بخش هایی از این کتاب را در زیر برایِ شما بزرگواران مینویسم------------

به نظرم خاطرات مایاکوفسکی از سفرش به آمریکا، آن هم در دورانی که هنوز هیاهوی صنعت در همه جا به گوش می رسید - مثلا فوردیسم - و بسیاری از اتفاقات مدنی در آمریکا هنوز رخ نداده بود - مثلا نهضت های سیاهان و کمرنگ تر شدن نقش مذهب در ظواهر امور - ، جالب استظاهرا او در این سفر کلیت تکنولوژی آمریکایی را می پسندد - رویکرد فوتوریستی او محرک این پذیرش است - اما از طغیان آن علیه انسان - به طور خاص کارگران و زحمت کشان و محیط دلخوش نیست - البته گاهی خصوصا در مورد طبیعت چاره ی کار را در تکنولوژی های آینده می بین...

One reaches the end of this idiosyncratic travelogue to find Mayakovsky straightfacedly declaring that the aim of the foregoing sketches “is to induce study of America’s weaknesses and strengths, in anticipation of the prolonged struggle ahead.” Huh? My Discovery of America (1925) has its Communistic boilerplate (some of it very funny), and on a jaunt out to Coney Island Mayakovsky plays the glum Comrade—On my way out, I decided that it was not the thing to leave Luna Park without even trying a

Meraviglioso. “Questi americani non esistono. Si definisce americano il bianco che dà del negro persino a un ebreo e che al negro non dà neppure la mano; che quando vede un negro insieme a una donna bianca rispedisce il negro a casa sua con il revolver in pugno; che si permette a sua volta di violentare le ragazze negre e applica la legge di Lynch contro il negro che osa accostarsi a una donna bianca: gli mozza le mani e i piedi e lo arrostisce vivo sul fuoco.”

Como si se tratara del propio Bronislaw Malinowski aplicando la observación participante, Maiakovski inicia su viaje hacia América (Cuba, México y Estados Unidos) con una doble mirada: la del asombro ante lo desconocido (noches de luciérnagas, los indígenas en suelo azteca, semáforos en Nueva York) y la mirada política atravesada por la lucha revolucionaria bolchevique (la división de clases, “Dios es el dólar”, las segregaciones racistas y la posibilidad de analizar al enemigo para “impulsar el...

Είχα διαβάσει (ή καλύτερα ξεφυλλίσει) το συγκεκριμένο έργο στα πρώτα φοιτητικά μου χρόνια, όταν ήρθα σε επαφή με τον ίδιο το Μαγιακόφσκι. Στάθηκα, τότε, σε μερικά από τα ποιήματα και σύντομα χάθηκε στη μνήμη μου μέσα στο πλήθος των άλλων -γνωστότερων- ποιημάτων του.15 χρονια μετά, έπεσα πάλι πάνω του μέσα από μια τελείως διαφορετικη διαδρομή, προερχόμενη από διαβάσματα για την αμερικάνικη πόλη των αρχών του 20ου αιώνα. Γνωρίζοντας την ποίηση του Μαγιακόφσκι, γνωρίζοντας από την άλλη μεριά κείμεν...

Mayakovsky's writings about his three-month stay in Mexico/USA in 1925. (he went to cleveland!). It's not essential and VM scribbled it down for various Russian newspapers, and has a few American poems that are collected elsewhere. But it is also Mayakovsky, in full throat, describing America. it has age in spots but in other places, not one particle is wrong."Aspects of New York life are difficult. It is easy to utter any number of hackneyed phrases, completely unaccountable to anyone, about Am...

Ένα 6μηνο ταξίδι του μεγάλου Σοβιετικου ποιητή κ συγγραφέα σε Μεξικό, Κούβα και ΗΠΑ. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στις ΗΠΑ, σκληρές περιγραφές 3 πόλεων (νέα Υόρκη, Σικάγο κ Ντιτρόιτ) όπου ανάμεσα στα άλλα εκπλήσσει ο νόμος περί απεργίας, όπου αν ήθελες να απεργησεις, δεν στο απαγόρευαν αλλά έπρεπε τις 10 ώρες που απεργουσες να μη σταματήσεις να περπατάς γύρω γύρω από το χώρο εργασίας σου. Ανατριχιαστικη η περιγραφή των σφαγείων του Σικάγο, απανθρωπες οι συνθήκες στο εργοστάσιο του Φορντ στο Ντιτρόιτ...Πρεπε...

We all know Mayakovsky was a genius. Even Lenin admitted Mayakovsky was a political genius (take or leave the art). Millions of critics, observers, visitors, and tourists have discovered less about America, than Mayakovsky did in 1925. Mayakovsky cuts to the heart of the biggest issues, and tickles the belly of the smallest details. Neil Cornwell's translation is good, and both the poems and prose read well. Colum McCann's foreword is a fair enough context, but handles Mayakovsky like any other

I thought the book exhibited insight to America now and then from without and from within. The author was able to see past the glitz and the money. America all about making another buck. These were his views of the most reported areas of America not the central or south parts of America. Mostly the major stops for travelers. NY, Chicago, Detroit but still missing California. I wonder what his view would have been of the Mid-west?

Libro de viaje de maiakovski por Cuba, México, y Estados Unidos. La parte que más me gustó sin duda fue la de México, una maravilla ver México descrito en esa época, y que apareciera Diego Rivera. Eran más salvajes en esa época, pero tampoco me parece que haya cambiado tanto México. Por lo demás, la descripción de EEUU vista por alguien anti capitalismo, así que interesante, pero me faltaron seres humanos en sus crónicas, no solo trabajadores y teorías. Pero está entretenido igual.

Un court recit de voyage surprenant par sa modernité. Il est interessant de voir les États Unis des années 20 à travers le regard d'un avant gardiste soviétique. Les réflexions sur le système capitaliste sont encore largement valides. La description de Chicago et de son abattoir sont glaçantes.

Amerikkka sucks

"O objetivo de meus ensaios é fazer com que no pressentimento de uma luta remota se analisem os lados fracos e fortes da América" ~ Mal ele poderia esperar que sua escrita ainda disparasse questões atualíssimas a respeito dos povos que vivem sob as linhas opressivas e alinhavadoras de desejos em torno da manutenção da força cultural do business. A luta pela emancipação operária requer práticas sensíveis como a de Maiakovski.

Vladimir Mayakovsky is one of my favorite poets and really turned me on to Futurist literature and art. And while I think his poetry is just the cats meow, I found this piece to be about as awesome as it gets when it comes to Futurist literature. His writing style, observations, and illustrations of interregnum America really shows Mayakovsky to be the best at what he does.While some may argue that this to be a throw-away job by Mayakovsky in need of a little skrill, but I call bullshit. Even we...

I liked this book, but I can't say I loved it. Maybe it was a bit oversold. Mayakovsky "kept it real" throughout, and gave candid descriptions of his boat trip over to Mexico, and his time in New York, Chicago and a little bit about Detroit. His descriptions of the US cities were brief, and at times I felt he overplayed the Greed-card. This book was also shorter than I expected (130 pages or so).Anyway, I wouldn't dissuade anyone from getting it, but it wasn't the read-of-the-century either.

It's entertaining, and it's interesting how many criticisms he makes are still frequently made. And sometimes seen as a new thing to criticize. Really, I mostly wish he had written more on Detroit beyond just his tour of the Ford plant. But I can't get everything, and it's fascinating to see a bit of Mayakovsky beyond the poetry.Is it absolute truth? No. Is it a reflection of Mayakovsky's ideology? Yes, and that's part of what makes it fascinating. But then, I'm quite fond of Mayakovsky.

Mayakovsky is clearly a better poet than author - My Discovery of America is not a particularly great read. Only if you enjoyed Mayakovsky would you enjoy this novel. Its most intriguing unique insight aside from it's empathy, is its understanding of the hypocrisy of the US from a Russian perspective.

To understand contemporary America you must neither live nor visit it, you must read the travel reports of a Soviet poet from 1925: undoubtedly the best tour guide ever written. Plot: Mayakovsky goes to America.

Es tan raro ver nuestro país a través de ojos desconocidos en tiempos pasados cuando, con viajero lejano del primer mundo al tercer mundo que era el país en ese entonces.