In memory of Mayakovsky: The Young Lady and the Hooligan (1918)

On April 14th, 1930, one of the greatest Russian poets Vladimir Mayakovsky shot himself in the heart with a revolver.

His death note said:

“To All of You.

Don’t blame anyone for the fact that I die, and please do not gossip.
The deceased terribly disliked this sort of thing.
Mother, sisters, comrades, forgive me — this is not a good method (I do not recommend it to others), but there is no other way out for me.
Lilya – love me.
Comrade Government, my family consists of Lilya Brik, mother, my sisters, and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya.
If you can provide a decent life for them, thank you.
The verses I have begun give to the Briks. They’ll know what to do with them.
And so they say-
“the incident is exhausted”, 
the love boat has smashed against
the routine.
I’m through with life
and there is no need in compiling a list 
of mutual hurts, misfortunes and offences.

Best wishes staying!

Vladimir Mayakovsky 12.IV.30.

Comrades of the Proletarian Literary Organization, don’t think of me as a coward.
Serioiusly [sic], it couldn’t be helped.

Greetings!

Tell Yermilov it’s too bad he removed the slogan; we should have held our own.
In the desk drawer I have 2000 rubles. Use them to pay my taxes. The rest get from the State Publishing House.

V.M.”

The Young Lady and the Hooligan (Барышня и Хулиган, 1918) is a film that Mayakovsky wrote and co-starred in. It also turned out to be a dismal reflection of his own destiny. Watching this sad film about love and death today is a good way to honour his memory: